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Is Europe loosing its humanity?

Maybe it is.... However,  today was was center stage to a call to action which made me hope that there is some compassion left. It did take a horrifying photo to move people. It did take the preventable death of a tiny child on a Turkish beach. It did take the death of his older brother. It took the death of their mother as well. And the hundred other deaths on loris. And so much more horrible deaths that were happening since this refugee crise started months ago.

I started to write this post a while back, because I was appalled with the insensitivity of the UK government, and its inertia to act on this matter.  I was also horrified when reading the news of more dead migrants found suffocated in a lorry, and by the news of more migrants drowning at sea. And then today emerged the horrible image that would bring tears to every parent. That broke my heart. That is still making me shed same tears while writing these words. I don't know anyone who could bear such sight.

But more than being horrified by the news were the comments that followed. I won’t even comment Katie Hopkins words.  How can we call ourselves humans when we are so quick to disregard the horror these people are facing. We are forgetting that they are risking, and indeed giving their lives away for a chance of escaping the horrors of a devastating war. People are more worried about keeping their lifestyle, worrying about a country’s budget and comparing numbers of which country is actively accepting more asylum requests. Germany claims for a quota to be enforced in Europe.  But all heavy work is carried by Italy and an already overloaded Greece. 

I am appalled at these governments worrying about enforcing borders rather than actively helping this people.

Numbers, policies, budget, none of this matters.

People do.  

Helping people matter.  These are people, much more than just numbers and statistics. These are people, deserving a minimum of decency, dignity and respect. But above all, humanity. They deserve a minimum of help at a chance of a better life. Of having, indeed a life! And in the end this is their right! Refugees have the right to seek asylum!

Media is splashed with headlines that point out the amount of lives lost at sea and what comes out of this, rather than having people saved, are policies to be enforced on preventing illegal emigration.  And again, comments show that people are more worried of preventing net migration. Which is a completely different issue altogether!

Adam Taylor, quite rightly so, draws the attention to thedifference between migrant and refugee.  As this is indeed a refugee problem, not at all a migrant one. I don’t understand why BBC still talks about migrants when Europe at the moment is dealing with refugees. Even so, I would stand by the need of saving and helping anyone, being either migrant or refugee.  A piece of paper supporting your refugee status doesn't mean anything at all. In my opinion, anyone running away from their country to save their life, is a refugee. Wikipedia supports this idea.... In the end, definitions don't matter at all when we are saving lives. But we do have to keep in mind and be very clear that the bodies found belong to refugees, seeking asylum, dying whilst attempting to escape a country plagued by war.

Being empathic, showing compassion, showing humanity towards these people is urgent. We urgently need to address this, stop discussing politics and actively send help.  

Germans are coming together, and so many volunteers are helping these refugees. And UK volunteers are beginning to do the same. Not all hope is gone. There’s still humanity around. I am hopeful that UK government will soon show some humanity too.
However, I am still deeply saddened that it took a child’s preventable death horrifying the media for this turn of action. It took one more family to die whilst trying to escape war.  As if it was not enough all the deaths that happened in the past. And unfortunately will still happen.

 

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