A French court yesterday upheld a government order to partly raze a shanty town near the port of Calais. The controversial camp, also called the ‘jungle’, houses hundreds of migrants from troubled Middle East countries and Africa. It has acquired notoriety because of the squalid conditions in which migrants live and their often pernicious propensity to cross over to France through the Channel Tunnel. The decision came as European ministers came down heavily on the uncontrolled flow of migrants entering Europe from Turkey. The Greek Migration minister went on the offensive, declaring that his country was no Lebanon. Athens has taken offence to Austria’s attempt to restrict the number of migrants as Europe struggles to accommodate a rising tide of refugees. Tensions between the two countries peaked yesterday as Greece recalled its ambassador to Vienna for consultations.
Triggered largely by wars in the Middle East, the crush of migrants is proving to be an insurmountable challenge for European governments who have started sparring over the burden to be shared. The continent has promised 3bn Euros to Turkey, which like Greece, is at the forefront of the crisis that has sent ripples across the international sphere. Even the United States, geographically far removed from the issue, has been sucked into the crisis and has promised to give shelter to a limited number of Syrian refugees.
As the atrocities in Syria became more savage, the flow of migrants reached unmanageable proportions. Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey came to the rescue with Ankara housing about two million people fleeing war and persecution. Wailing children, fulminating parents and exhausted authorities are symbols of an issue that has affected millions.
The United Nations, charitable organisations and global NGOs have been bracing to deal with food and other relief material for refugees. Education for children of the displaced and refugees has acquired unmanageable proportions.
Refugees entering Europe have faced abuse. Right wing organisations have rallied against the influx of strangers and alleged that the incessant inflow of people far removed from their culture would lead to more crime and socio-cultural maladjustments. While migrants have been at the receiving end of many a crime and atrocity, the incidents in Cologne in Germany show that the problem is deeper than earlier thought of. Attacks on women in the West German town triggered worldwide outrage and led to calls to revisit Europe’s policy on migration.
German Chancellor Angel Merkel has been criticised for her liberal refugee policy that has led to the country being swamped by tens of thousands of migrants, mostly from war-ravaged Syria.
The multi-dimensional problem of refugees not only threatens European unity but also increases chances of social unrest in the countries being affected by it.
A French court yesterday upheld a government order to partly raze a shanty town near the port of Calais. The controversial camp, also called the ‘jungle’, houses hundreds of migrants from troubled Middle East countries and Africa. It has acquired notoriety because of the squalid conditions in which migrants live and their often pernicious propensity to cross over to France through the Channel Tunnel. The decision came as European ministers came down heavily on the uncontrolled flow of migrants entering Europe from Turkey. The Greek Migration minister went on the offensive, declaring that his country was no Lebanon. Athens has taken offence to Austria’s attempt to restrict the number of migrants as Europe struggles to accommodate a rising tide of refugees. Tensions between the two countries peaked yesterday as Greece recalled its ambassador to Vienna for consultations.
Triggered largely by wars in the Middle East, the crush of migrants is proving to be an insurmountable challenge for European governments who have started sparring over the burden to be shared. The continent has promised 3bn Euros to Turkey, which like Greece, is at the forefront of the crisis that has sent ripples across the international sphere. Even the United States, geographically far removed from the issue, has been sucked into the crisis and has promised to give shelter to a limited number of Syrian refugees.
As the atrocities in Syria became more savage, the flow of migrants reached unmanageable proportions. Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey came to the rescue with Ankara housing about two million people fleeing war and persecution. Wailing children, fulminating parents and exhausted authorities are symbols of an issue that has affected millions.
The United Nations, charitable organisations and global NGOs have been bracing to deal with food and other relief material for refugees. Education for children of the displaced and refugees has acquired unmanageable proportions.
Refugees entering Europe have faced abuse. Right wing organisations have rallied against the influx of strangers and alleged that the incessant inflow of people far removed from their culture would lead to more crime and socio-cultural maladjustments. While migrants have been at the receiving end of many a crime and atrocity, the incidents in Cologne in Germany show that the problem is deeper than earlier thought of. Attacks on women in the West German town triggered worldwide outrage and led to calls to revisit Europe’s policy on migration.
German Chancellor Angel Merkel has been criticised for her liberal refugee policy that has led to the country being swamped by tens of thousands of migrants, mostly from war-ravaged Syria.
The multi-dimensional problem of refugees not only threatens European unity but also increases chances of social unrest in the countries being affected by it.
