Official Syrian crisis thread

[TiphEret 1,320]

As it seems a lot of topic regarding syrian refugees are made, maybe it's easier to keep anything new in one place so it's easier to be up to date with what is going on. 

I have found some interesting links summing up the timeline or reasons regarding the issue, some are pro refugees obviously first ones popping up on google and some more neutral, feel free to post article.

It would be nice to keep this thread clean so if you want to share your opinion please be respectful and avoid calling anyone who disagree a racist or islamophobe and if you don't want to be called one...think twice before writing ;)

http://www.mercycorps.org/articles/turkey-iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria/quick-facts-what-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis

http://syrianrefugees.eu

http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/04/syrian-refugee-crisis-why-has-it-become-so-bad

http://www.vox.com/2015/9/5/9265501/refugee-crisis-europe-syria

[TiphEret 1,320]

So Denmark is worse than I expected, so glad I left that country. As much as I can understand some of the regulation (that existed already) the last 3 ..... This country is rich af*, yet they are the most selfish place I have ever been. Even in Palestine people were more generous....

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/09/07/denmark-places-an-advertisement-in-lebanese-newspapers-dear-refugees-dont-come-here/

[Luc 4,776]

So my idea is:

Let every single EU state obligatorily spend at least 0.3% of their GDP on the refugee crisis which could be used to fund refugee camps near Syria, or to take refugees in your own country, or even to increase border control and make sure nobody crosses the Meditterean illegally. Asylum application should be done in Turkey, Lebanon or Jordan with a valid passport and only families from Syria, Eritrea and of couse the usual (activists, journalists, minorities) should be allowed into Europe. Everybody who wants to get into Europe has to do so via Bulgaria or by plane.

Most Syrian refugees themselves say that Assad should be bombed, but I don't know if that is the right solution. I remember everybody thought the same about Ghaddafi and I'd say Libya was better off with him.

 

 

And also very interesting: 

 

[TiphEret 1,320]

So my idea is:

Let every single EU state obligatorily spend at least 0.3% of their GDP on the refugee crisis which could be used to fund refugee camps near Syria, or to take refugees in your own country, or even to increase border control and make sure nobody crosses the Meditterean illegally. Asylum application should be done in Turkey, Lebanon or Jordan with a valid passport and only families from Syria, Eritrea and of couse the usual (activists, journalists, minorities) should be allowed into Europe. Everybody who wants to get into Europe has to do so via Bulgaria or by plane.

Most Syrian refugees themselves say that Assad should be bombed, but I don't know if that is the right solution. I remember everybody thought the same about Ghaddafi and I'd say Libya was better off with him.

 

 

And also very interesting: 

 

I can't see your link or something after your last sentence.

I see your ideas, so in which country would you put the camps? What if it becomes permanent? We can't put people in camp forever either...and I think that's the main worry: that conflict isn't going to be over soon. 

For sure they have increased border control already, see the example of Denmark (so glad I left that place tbh) , this is the story of a friend from France going back to Denmark where she lives currently:

 

Borders in Europe are now more real than ever, and yesterday night I got stuck at the Danish one, on the railway, with hundred of other human beings. Most of them were stuck all night and may still be. I, could cross, because I don't look like a so-called "illegal" migrant. I'm a "legal" one. No one is ever asking me an ID to check that I got papers. It's written on my white French face.

The freedom of movement is one ability I personally cherish. I am used to ride trains within Europe rather than planes, for plenty of reasons, one of them being that I enjoy to "feel" the journey, another that I dislike inhuman airports. I usually experience short but rich human connections on trains, which always lift my spirit up.

On my way back from Paris to Copenhagen yesterday, I changed trains in Hamburg. This time, I met Osman, who started a conversation with me because he had a question about his train ticket, which I read was taking the same twisted way as me to reach Copenhagen. I quickly get that he left Eritrea months ago. He tells me he's been stuck some weeks in the camp of Calais before giving up the thought of reaching the UK. He tells me the stories you read in newspapers about the journey from Sudan. He tells me Libya is the worst. He tells me Italy got his fingerprints. That he wants to try Denmark, because, he heard, Denmark is good. People are good.

I'm sitting in a train full of other refugees, I finally notice. They all have the same train ticket as me. Ferries to DK have been cancelled, so we've been given new tickets to travel through land instead. At that point I thought I would make the whole journey with them to Copenhagen.

We stop in Flensburg, Germany, where we're supposed to take the next train to Denmark. But we won't take any. All trains to Denmark have been cancelled, the speakers are saying. No trains today, no trains tomorrow. No ferry either. Only the road, I'm told, is the way to cross the border. This is how DK decided to "handle" refugees yesterday, by building yet another wall. Invisible, but very efficient.

I am advised to reach by road the first Danish town from where I can continue by train. Osman and Ahmed, an Irakian who came to talk to me several times to ask what he could do to avoid giving his fingerprints once he'll be in Denmark - sadly I didn't have any answer -, are held at the station with hundred of other "illegal"-looking ones (again, no paper check) by the German police who promise them a free bus ride, a place to sleep, and means of transport to get out of the country if they wish to, the following day. Most of them aim at Finland, Sweden... but also Denmark. These are where they have contacts, so where they hope to settle. Osman and the others are not even angry. Just endlessly tired. "We'll try again tomorrow. This is life, he!", he says, philosophically, laughing out the frustration.

I finally crossed the border, sharing a taxi with three other Europeans who, like me, were lucky enough to be born on the right side of the world. We didn't have to show passports. Nothing.

We get into a new train once on the Danish side. At the first following stop, the train station is full of people with small backpacks, looking at us through the windows, wondering why our train won't open its doors. The police, surrounding them, ordered to the driver to keep all doors locked before we even stop. To avoid them from "occupying and messing out with the 
train" is the explanation we get from the train employee... None of them get in. The train rides on.

For the past weeks I've been boiling inside. I'm tired of hearing **** on the French radio. I'm tired of hearing this double, triple, quadruple standards about migration. About the difference there should be in the political speech between "refugees" and "migrants". About which human life should be worth more than another one. I am a ****ing immigrant. My Greek, Spanish, American friends in Denmark are immigrants. Why should we have the privilege to be called "expatriated"? We used our freedom to move. We came to find a job. An education. Or simply an exciting life change. The difference with these people, who are not all fleeing wars, is that we got a damn passport. It is the lack of passport, the existence of borders that make them drown in the Mediterranean sea or pack in refugee camps. It is their inability to get into a safe ferry or a damn plane.

Borders are neglecting a primary right of any human being who was born with two legs. Out of all the unfairness there is and will always be in this world, the discriminating treatment among people choosing to move across the world is a big, disgusting one

 

[Luiz 4,253]

Merkel Calls on World Leaders to Tackle Source of Refugee Surge

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on world leaders to tackle the root causes of a global surge in refugees by pushing back on war and terror, as governments across the Middle East and Europe seek ways to confront the worst migration crisis since World War II.

After opening Germany’s borders this year to a flood of refugees, many fleeing the war in Syria, Merkel took her message to the United Nations on Friday, hours after Pope Francis condemned global inequality. She linked actions to resolve the migration crisis to efforts on fighting climate change and poverty.

“Millions of people feel forced today to flee because of war, terror and violence,” Merkel said in the speech during her third visit to the UN as chancellor. “We have to work against the source that causes people to flee or be driven out.”

Merkel’s speech kicked off a three-day trip to New York, where the chancellor aims toenhance Germany’s efforts to tackle global issues including climate change, disease outbreaks and gender inequality. As Germany braces for 800,000 or more refugees this year, its top politician has called on European Union leaders to share the burden.

Merkel’s speech also marked the introduction of the UN’s sustainable development goals, which aim to eliminate poverty and address climate change with a set of global objectives through 2030.

The German leader urged industrial countries to lead the world toward lower carbon pollution by honoring a pledge to mobilize $100 billion annually to combat climate change and mitigate its impacts. UN-sponsored climate talks are expected to conclude in Paris in December, with envoys from more than 190 countries set to gather.

“We need a common vision of how to achieve de-carbonization globally by the end of the century,” Merkel said. “It will be important for industrial countries” to keep pledges made at a UN framework conference in Copenhagen in 2009 “to offer developing countries $100 billion a year starting in 2020 for climate protection,” she said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-25/merkel-calls-on-world-leaders-to-tackle-source-of-refugee-surge?

 

German nurse shocked after being forced out of flat to make way for refugees
Having lived in the same flat for 16 years, a German woman is being forced to move out to make way for refugees, because building a new shelter is too expensive. The 51 year-old nurse, who has helped asylum seekers in the past, was shocked by the news.

Bettina Halbey, who lives alone in the small town of Nieheim, received a letter from her landlord and the local municipality at the start of September, Die Welt newspaper reported on Thursday.

“I was completely shocked and I can’t even begin to find the words to describe how the city has treated me,” Halbey told the German publication. “I have had to go through a lot of difficulties recently, and then I get this notice. It was like a kick in the teeth.”

Halbey will have until May 2016 to find a new place to live, along with her dog and her cat. The three-story building, where she rented a 90 sq/m flat will now be turned into accommodation for refugees, who are seeking to make Germany their new home.

The mayor of Nieheim, Rainer Vidal, which has a population of just over 6,000, defended the decision to send the nurse packing, saying converting the building would be “the cheapest option.”

“A new residential unit for 30 refugees in Nieheim would cost €30,000 ($33,600). This solution will cost me nothing,” he told Die Welt.

Over half the population of Germany lives in rented accommodation and the country has laws to defend the rights of tenants.

“Normally, only a private individual can terminate the terms of a contract for personal use. A municipality cannot move into a flat as a legal entity, so the process is legally highly questionable,” Ulrich Ropertz, spokesman of the German Tenants' Federation, told the Telegraph.

Halbey, who brought up two sons as a single parent, became so incensed by the decision that she wrote about her plight on Facebook. The social media reaction was instant. Over 200,000 people have shared her story, which was also picked up by the German media.

The nurse says that she is not against Germany taking in refugees and she says she got on well with asylum seekers who had earlier become her neighbors.

“We take care of each other. Helping people, this is of the utmost importance to me,” Halbey said.

Mayor Vidal slammed Halbey for going public with her complaints and added that she had been given ample time to find new accommodation.

"I find it very regrettable that the tenant has sought to go public with her issues. We have given her a generous period of notice, up until May of next year. We are also willing to help her find a new place to live. There have been several opportunities, but each one has failed because no one wants to offer her a flat because of her dog,” Vidal said.

On Thursday, the German government agreed to allocate a further €2 billion ($2.24 billion) for refugee housing, with €500 million ($560 million) to be spent on the construction of new accommodation centers. Local authorities have also implemented their own strategies, such as Hamburg’s plans to turn empty commercial properties into shelters, while empty apartments could serve the same purpose in Berlin.

Germany could receive between 800,000 and one million refugees this year, according to the UN, with an estimated 8,000 people arriving in Europe every day.

http://www.rt.com/news/316568-germany-nurse-eviction-refugees/

this one might not be related  or is it?

One of Europe's largest mosques on fire, 70 firefighters battling blaze

 

The Baitul Futuh Mosque in London has caught fire. Half of its ground floor and first floor are in flames. Seventy firefighters and 10 fire engines are reported to be tackling the blaze.

A fire has broken out at the mosque located in London Road in Morden, in the south of the British capital, a London Fire Brigade (LFB) spokesman said on Saturday, according to local media.

Baitul Futuh mosque was completed in 2003, and its construction reportedly cost £5.5million ($83.5 million). It is believed to be the largest in Western Europe with a capacity to house up to 10,000 people.

http://www.rt.com/uk/316580-baitul-futuh-mosque-fire/

 

[Qualle1 1,385]

I am sure, not one single renter in Nieheim will have to leave their flats. The City of Nieheim can't claim "home requirements". There will be a court case soon, if the City of Nieheim won't take back their absurd termination. Moreover: The article you posted above is full of false and misleading information. Maybe you should chose next time a better source.

And regarding German Chancellor Merkel's speech: A couple of years too late, my Dear! The horrible civil war in Syria started in spring 2011 - and nothing happened for such a long time - even though thousands and thousands of innocent people were kilked on a monthly basis by the regime and later on by ISIS. If especially the EU would have done earlier much more to end this deadly war and also to help the Syrian refugees, we would not have to deal now with the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since the end of WWII. Not impressed, Angela. Not at all...

[TiphEret 1,320]

I am sure, not one single renter in Nieheim will have to leave their flats. The City of Nieheim can't claim "home requirements". There will be a court case soon, if the City of Nieheim won't take back their absurd termination.

And regarding German Chancellor Merkel's speech: A couple of years too late, my Dear! The horrible civil war in Syria started in spring 2011 - and nothing happened for such a long time - even though thousands and thousands of innocent people were kilked on a monthly basis by the regime and later on by ISIS. If especially the EU would have done earlier much more to end this deadly war and also to help the Syrian refugees, we would not have to deal now with the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since the end of WWII. Not impressed, Angela. Not at all...

Agreed with the first one , I can't believe it!

Well the latter is definitely too late but it is questionnable that they now play it like it's such a surprise and such when...

"For years, the EU kept refugees out of sight and out of mind by paying Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi's government to intercept and turn back migrants that were heading for Europe.

Gadhafi was something like Europe's bouncer, helping to keep the potentially significant number of African migrants and refugees from ever reaching the continent. His methods were terrible: Libya imprisoned migrants in camps where rape and torture were widespread. But Europe was happy to have someone else worrying about the problem.

But then came the Arab Spring. In 2011, Libyans rose up against Gadhafi, Europe and the US eventually intervened, and with Gadhafi's regime gone, Libya collapsed into chaos. Though the journey through Libya remained dangerous, it was also suddenly open, making it easier for both refugees and economic migrants from across Africa to use the country's shores as a launching pad for the cross-Mediterranean journey to Europe.

At the same time, the Arab Spring also helped lead to Syria's war, and to conflict in Yemen, and eventually to the rise of ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Of course, none of this caused the exodus of refugees from, say, Afghanistan or Myanmar, but the Arab Spring was perhaps the largest single spark of the ongoing, global refugee crisis."

[Luiz 4,253]

I am sure, not one single renter in Nieheim will have to leave their flats. The City of Nieheim can't claim "home requirements". There will be a court case soon, if the City of Nieheim won't take back their absurd termination. Moreover: The article you posted above is full of false and misleading information. Maybe you should chose next time a better source.

And regarding German Chancellor Merkel's speech: A couple of years too late, my Dear! The horrible civil war in Syria started in spring 2011 - and nothing happened for such a long time - even though thousands and thousands of innocent people were kilked on a monthly basis by the regime and later on by ISIS. If especially the EU would have done earlier much more to end this deadly war and also to help the Syrian refugees, we would not have to deal now with the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since the end of WWII. Not impressed, Angela. Not at all...

i dont choose the source, i just post what i see on reddit mostly . only criticism i've heard about Reuters is a biased towards russia(obviously) but other than that i've never really seen them called a bad source

go ahead and post what info is misleading if you want to help others reading the article in seeing through the bull****

edit: i dont live in germany so theres no way i could know whats right or wrong about it  

[Qualle1 1,385]

i dont choose the source, i just post what i see on reddit mostly . only criticism i've heard about Reuters is a biased towards russia(obviously) but other than that i've never really seen them called a bad source

go ahead and post what info is misleading if you want to help others reading the article in seeing through the bull****

Reuters?!?

The source you posted is www.rt.com, which is a biased RUSSIAN news-agency.

This dubious Russian news-agency has absolutely nothing to do with Reuters!

As I said before: You should always chose trustworthy sources!

[Qualle1 1,385]

http://www.bundesregierung.de/Content/EN/Artikel/2015/09_en/2015-09-24-fluechtlinge-kanzleramt_en.html

Here you can read (in English), what the German Government and the German Federal States actually have agreed upon last Thursday. 

[Luiz 4,253]

Reuters?!?

The source you posted is www.rt.com, which is a biased RUSSIAN news-agency.

This dubious Russian news-agency has absolutely nothing to do with Reuters!

As I said before: You should always chose trustworthy sources!

RT, Reuters lol i get those mixed up my bad

but yes RT is russian as i said before.

i see RT as usually trustworthy because when i read their articles i never really can see any difference from theirs and ours but i could be wrong.

now which parts were misleading? all i'm reading in that thing are quotes from other people and costs of building shelters and some statistics. which one of those was incorrect? you can call it a shady source all day but i'm not going to take you seriously if you wont even tell me which parts were lies  

 

edit: and that link you just posted says nothing about this lady and her being evicted but i guess you cant expect them to 

 

 

 

[Luiz 4,253]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/11891631/German-woman-threatened-with-eviction-to-make-way-for-refugees.html

is the telegraph full of **** as well?  the daily mail reported about it but i dont really like them much.

 

this is what we really need tbh. a stickied thread listing which news websites are shady or untrustworthy and which arent  

[Qualle1 1,385]

Sorry, but I can't find an article in English from a German website for you regarding the cancellation of the flat. The article you posted is okay, even though I think the wording of the article is a little bit problematic - especially the "lurid" headline.

 

[Qualle1 1,385]

On Thursday, the German government agreed to allocate a further €2 billion ($2.24 billion) for refugee housing, with €500 million ($560 million) to be spent on the construction of new accommodation centers. Local authorities have also implemented their own strategies, such as Hamburg’s plans to turn empty commercial properties into shelters, while empty apartments could serve the same purpose in Berlin.

http://www.rt.com/news/316568-germany-nurse-eviction-refugees/

Sorry, but this ^^^ is bull****!

Please read the last passage of my article from www.bundesregierung.de and compare it with the "article" you posted above.

Good N!TE

[Luiz 4,253]

Sorry, but this ^^^ is bull****!

Please read the last passage of my article from www.bundesregierung.de and compare it with the "article" you posted above.

Good N!TE

i read yours and it only mentions the 500 million for construction   theres a few other sources that mention the 2 billion and idk about the hamburg part 

 

 this wasnt even the focus of the article really