Refugees without refuges

There’s a civil war at Syria, as you’ve probably heard. If you haven’t, you‘ve lived in a dream world for the last four years. Some “big countries” have tried to stop it killing some leaders from both sides or supporting the rebels, which ironically were later helped by the jihadists. Sometimes it just looks like another indirect war between the USA and Russia anywhere, but in their countries. Anyway, their attempts seem to have no effect.

The war continues and around 11 million Syrians have run away from their homes, while 4 million have become refugees in other countries. But no government wants them. Some countries, like Hungary, have even closed their borders and have threatened to imprison refugees.

Humans are showing once again their lack of empathy, especially those in the power. Everybody looks at themselves: we are in crisis, we already have poor people, there’s no work for them, we can’t provide them with everything they need… are just some of the arguments they give, trying to justify themselves.

Luckily, there are some people who restore our hope in humanity. Those, as my partner Victoria said in her entry, are volunteers or people who offer their help to those they think that deserve it.

As governments seem very busy making sums, subtractions and divisions with the number of refugees, people in the streets have decided to do it on their own. In some parts of Germany, for example, they have welcomed them and they have shared out water bottles, food, clothes, blankets… Social affairs have even installed a water tap so they are able to drink or even to take the water to wash themselves.

Unfortunately, on the flip side of the coin, neo-Nazi groups, also in Germany, have attacked a great number of refugees. You can read more about one of the attacks here:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/dresden-riots-protesters-in-germany-attack-refugee-buses-shouting-foreigners-out-10467287.html

After all this time, it has been seventy years since the end of the World War II, people still haven’t realised that there’s no reason to discriminate someone, and especially because of their skin colour. How long will it take to them?

During that horrible war, a lot of people ran away too. Then Europeans were the refugees. Now they are the ones who deny refugees their right to receive help and to live peacefully. Has everybody forgotten that they, their parents or grandparents were once at the same situation? Or is the human being just cruel and selfish? I hope it’s not the second one, but as Nicolas Avellaneda said: “Those who forget their own history are condemned to repeat it,” so I really wish we have enough good memory.

Judit Fernández Roca, collaborator of the Aequitas25 group.