The European failure

The last weeks news is flooded with the disastrous drowning of illegal immigrants, who are trying to make their way from Libya to Italy with primitive air rafts. Europe is in panic, and instead of rational straight forward action, all decisions until now are made on in-consequent, seemingly helpless and lax decisions. This article wants to reflect on the non main stream view of what is going on, and it may create opposition from the people who generally make decisions out of their stomach, but reality is striking Europe, and Europe is, even though a wealthy continent, not a sponge with endless absorption capabilities.

Muammar Gaddafi, the former leader of Lybia, died on the 20^th of October 2011 during the battle of Sirte. He was found hiding in a culvert and was killed through heavy beating and shooting. He was a dictator, and nobody would deny that, and yes thousands of people died under his regime, were tortured and locked up for not fitting into the system. But on the other hand he was a guarantor to control illegal migration from Libya to Europe. When Gaddafi visited The Gambia in 2009, and I was present that time, still living in the country. I witnessed him pointing out this part of his role towards Europe, his role as a guarantor. The same as President Yahya Jammeh from The Gambia, Gaddafi came to power through a coup. Some sources say, that Gaddafi was killed by a French spy. We may not find out for a longer time. Libya is basically out of control right now.

Going to Syria, we can see a country in total despair and with a weakened leader having to deal with opposition and interference from the West and ISIS. 3 million people and more are on the run from their country, and they are not leaving for a better life, but they are leaving to to unbearable living conditions in their country. Under Assad, and yes again, for him its the same as for Gaddafi, he is a dictator figure and also thousands have died, been tortured and detained under him. But he at least ran a secular system, where all religions and non religious could live peacefully, without any problems in their co-existence. When I visited Syria, Damascus to be precisely, I observed exactly that; women without the veil, and people of different backgrounds moving around freely, sharing food and communication without fear. The influence of the West with a course where the USA has a “Assad must go” stance and the EU has enforced sanctions. "We don't know what this coalition wants and the United States is not deciding," Bassma Kodmani, director of the Paris based Arab Reform Initiative and a former Syrian main opposition, who lives in exile now, told Reuters: "That's leading to calls in Europe that Assad is the lesser of the two evils. The debate has come full circle."

Italy is in a crisis, dealing with thousands of migrants, how to feed and shelter them and how to spread them all over Europe. All over Europe? Stop! Not even is it like that. How come the burden is passed to countries like Germany or France and few others only? We cant observe the call to receive refugees in the Czech Republic, Romania or Lithuania, all EU countries. Further, they are not even distinguishing between people who flee from a war, like in Syria and Libya, or the ones who are joining the wave as economical refugees. Surely people from the Gambia, Nigeria (excluding the part in the north where Boko Haram rages and riots) or Senegal are not on the run from war. Unless they are a member of the LGBT community the reason points into the direction of seeking a better life only. Gambian people are risking their lives when entering this over seas journey, but they don't risk their lives fighting their present President, who is threatening, suppressing and stealing peoples money and properties on daily bases, questioning their priority of applying fear!?

The big question mark remains; why is Europe trying to find ways to let all these refugees settle, instead of finding ways to ship them back? After proper medical examination and the supply of temporal shelter ,food and clothes, certain European countries are now confronted with a wave of people about to enter.

Just a remark in-between: Europe needs immigration, that is for sure, to keep up with the need of professionals and medical personnel, due to its increasing senior citizen population. But Europe cant feed everybody, specially those without qualification.

This try to absorb all refugees, regardless their intention is a long term killer of the social and economical status of Europe. In short; if Europe does not send any of these refugees back, unless they came from a war zone, it will attract more and more people to come to Europe through this deadly channel, feeding Human Traffickers and burdening the European social system, by simply draining it out.

If Europe sends those back who came from countries like Senegal or The Gambia, it will draw a line and discourage people from undertaking this journey. And again, yes it is a tragedy and it is sad to see hundreds of people drown, but they decided for this journey with their free will, knowing the risks. And Europe has also a form of guilt, yes it has, from the past and the present. Aid money, to build up economy in many African countries has been eaten up by greedy dictators and governments that use religion and gods to support them even, because it was wired to them, instead of been invested into projects directly. Europe can only avoid this wave of illegal migration, by one, helping to build up those countries where people flee from, by not interfering in regimes they basically have no business in, hence other sovereign states; ISIS has become our problem because we invited it to become ours; and to show direction to the Human traffickers and the economical refugees that, yes, they will be saved, treated and fed temporally, but then shipped back to where they came from.

How on earth can Europe feed 100000 or 250000 or 1 million or more refugees? There is a limit!

As for Syria, there is a difference, and Syrians are proud country men. They would never want to leave their country, unless they are forced to, like now; and we will surely observe a rapid return to Syria, after this crises.

And again, even in a continent where religion is drastically declining, organized religion is pushing themselves into the front row, using all their influence they have. Let me give an example about the pope and what he had to say and how we can interpret this:

“They are men and women like us, our brothers seeking a better life, starving, persecuted, wounded, exploited, victims of war,” he said from St Peter’s Square.

At the “Regina Coeli” prayer on the 19th of April, just hours after perhaps more than 700 migrants drowned in the Mediterranean, Pope Francis asked the thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square for a moment of silence and to join him reciting a Hail Mary for the victims and survivors.

His first phrase emphasizes on the “better life”, without even thinking about Europe not being able to offer all people a better life, having poverty within their own citizens already. Even worse, the Vatican State is not among the states offering refugees shelter or food; just empty words.

In the second phrase he is asking his followers to hail the virgin Mary figure of the bible book. What an insult towards the refugees. One, most of them are Muslims, second, where was the divine power to avoid this? Nowhere – instead praying, a synonym of “doing nothing”, for the ones one cant do anything for anyway, anymore.

Another short intermezzo: After the tragic suicide flight of Germanwings, the mourning ceremony was held in a church in Germany. Suddenly religion hijacks and acts as if its the only real place to hold such memorials and ceremonies. Maybe not all passengers were Christian, and as an official act with state representatives, this should hold on neutral ground. A moment where the separation of state and church is diminished, and other or non religious are wiped aside.

Europe is crumbling and struggling to uphold high living standards, but it surely cant do that by avoiding balance. Its time for reality to kick in. Layers and layers of covers, false projections, media broadcasting pointed at what governments want people to see. Social welfare can only survive when not exploited. Democracy can only continue when it knows its venerability. Human Rights can only remain, if one doesn't bow down to people or religions who use the system to change it for the worse.

This resent tragedy is not about waging or deciding for one or the other; for saving Europe or the refugees. Its about investing into the right ways and preventing people entering deadly ways, to save the refugees and Europe.

By Thomas Fleckner