Sunday, December 30, 2018
Sense of perspective needed on refugee 'crisis'
As the Guardian reports, the home secretary, Sajid Javid, has declared the rising number of refugees attempting to cross the English Channel a “major incident”, as campaigners and charities warned of increasing desperation among those attempting to make the journey.
Two more inflatable boats carrying 12 men from Syria and Iran were intercepted on Friday, adding to the 82 migrants detained trying to cross the Channel since Christmas Day, prompting Javid to appoint a gold commander to deal with the growing crisis and to ask for an urgent call with his French counterpart to discuss the issue. Meanwhile, some MPs have called for more patrols along the coast.
The Guardian says that at least 250 refugees were intercepted in the Channel between January and November 2018, including 65 people, mainly Iranians, in the last three weeks of November.
They quote Yvette Cooper, the chair of the Commons home affairs committee, as saying that: “For families and children to end up in small boats in the Channel in the middle of winter is incredibly dangerous. There is a real risk of tragedy if urgent action isn’t taken. People smuggling gangs offering these precarious journeys for profit are putting lives at risk.'
She is right of course in highlighting the exploitation of these refugees and their desperation as causes of concern. In seeking a place of safety they are putting themselves at risk, whilst others ae profiting from their individual tragedies. A more humane system is desperately needed.
However, in declaring a crisis, the government do leave themselves open to the charge of exploiting the issue or their own propaganda aim, Donald Trump-style. Is it not a crisis that on an average day in the UK:
Two more inflatable boats carrying 12 men from Syria and Iran were intercepted on Friday, adding to the 82 migrants detained trying to cross the Channel since Christmas Day, prompting Javid to appoint a gold commander to deal with the growing crisis and to ask for an urgent call with his French counterpart to discuss the issue. Meanwhile, some MPs have called for more patrols along the coast.
The Guardian says that at least 250 refugees were intercepted in the Channel between January and November 2018, including 65 people, mainly Iranians, in the last three weeks of November.
They quote Yvette Cooper, the chair of the Commons home affairs committee, as saying that: “For families and children to end up in small boats in the Channel in the middle of winter is incredibly dangerous. There is a real risk of tragedy if urgent action isn’t taken. People smuggling gangs offering these precarious journeys for profit are putting lives at risk.'
She is right of course in highlighting the exploitation of these refugees and their desperation as causes of concern. In seeking a place of safety they are putting themselves at risk, whilst others ae profiting from their individual tragedies. A more humane system is desperately needed.
However, in declaring a crisis, the government do leave themselves open to the charge of exploiting the issue or their own propaganda aim, Donald Trump-style. Is it not a crisis that on an average day in the UK:
- 3,700 are forced to visit a food bank
- 5,400 suffer domestic violence
- 4,750 sleep on the streets
- 4 refugees arrive in boats across the channel.
Isn't it time for the UK Government to get a sense of perspective?
Comments:
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Crisis, what crisis!?. If 1000s were coming in THATS a crisis.One border force ship on patrol (I hate the fear factor in those words and we only have 5 off them I believe) Leave it to the charities , they can do it on the cheap.
Off course they are exploiting the issue and helping their right wing papers to sell papers on the emotive fear factors involved.. It detracts from Brexit, to their relief..
As you say we have more problems at home that they ignore. They are the rich they do not understand these problems.
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Off course they are exploiting the issue and helping their right wing papers to sell papers on the emotive fear factors involved.. It detracts from Brexit, to their relief..
As you say we have more problems at home that they ignore. They are the rich they do not understand these problems.
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