Summer 2015 – The media begins coverage of the “swarm” of so called “migrants” attempting to enter Europe. Each mainstream news channel streaming pictures of violence in Calais, riots in Greece, thousands walking the train tracks of Hungary. Although humanity had begun to take a tail spin there was no public outcry, maybe fences were a good idea, I mean Nigel Farage did tell us that immigrants are responsible for HIV didn’t he? So best we just ignore it, I’m sure it’ll all go away, anyway Coronation Street will be on in a sec and I’ve just made a cuppa.
September 2015 – The month everything changed. It turned out this crisis did have a human face, the face of a drowned toddler washed up on a Turkish beach after trying desperately to reach the Greek island of Kos with his family. This tragic image will never leave most people’s minds, it was impossible to escape. Front pages, including those that had prided themselves on sensationalist anti refugee and immigration headlines – even until a few days before this tragedy – showed “that” picture.
At last there was a public outcry. Now that Isabel down the road had seen it in The Sun and realised now she was supposed to feel sorry for dying children, everyone decided something had to be done. Within days every town up and down the country had mobilised. Collections for Calais were everywhere, we had now realised those who were risking their lives every night trying to climb onto trucks were not doing it just to wind up the truckers but because they were fleeing persecution, poverty or war and simply wanted to survive and thrive in a new country.
It was truly incredible, a true grass roots movement where everyday people became heroes, working day and night in their local community centres or any space they could find to collect donations. The Calais camp which had been there for years had never had so much interest or such an outpouring of generosity. It was a pretty beautiful sight to see, the compassionate public consciousness was standing up and doing something about an injustice. From housewives to school kids, graduates to pensioners, CEOs to interns, a community was created which was inclusive to all and who stood with refugees, who recognised we are all human regardless of where we were born, and stood against the racism and fascism which had been growing in popularity over recent times.
There was also a bunch of people from all over Europe, and even some from further afield, that felt they needed to do more. Those who had the time or the urge found themselves on the front line in Greece, or on the borders of Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Sweden… basically anywhere there were refugees there was someone there with a sandwich and a warm blanket. Aid charities admitted they were overwhelmed, they were too slow to respond and normal folks found themselves as unpaid, generally unskilled, humanitarian aid workers literally saving lives and meeting the needs of those who needed the helping hand of humanity.
Every person who did anything, who donated some money or some shoes, who spent a cold afternoon sorting through bags in a warehouse, who wrote to someone of influence to raise awareness, who took the time to speak to someone who didn’t understand that refugees are people just like you and me, who jumped on a plane to sit by a shore and await boats appearing through the nights, who distributed food, who held a hand, who listened to a story… were the people who reminded us that people are good and that we should believe in people.
November 2015 – Paris. A devastating tragedy targeting the most everyday of events, a concert, a football game, a restaurant. So many lives were lost on that night, so many lives destroyed. A tragedy which will haunt us as we go about our daily lives for a very long time. Abhorrent, unimaginable, heart-breaking. Terror was coming to the West, it was no longer far away. It was on our doorsteps.
This tragedy sadly prompted another change in the public opinion of refugees. Refugees began their time in the media as a “swarm,” then people realised they were human beings who were dying every day trying to make it to Europe and empathy and compassion replaced ignorant propaganda, but then after Paris refugees were now simply portrayed as nothing other than terrorists. The idea that the kinds of people that carry out such horrific acts of violence, such as that in Paris, are the kind of people that refugees are fleeing from made sense to those involved in the cause but the wider population was once again taking its cues from mainstream media.
Britain decided the only way to react to such horrendous violence was to add more violence by joining in the bombing in Syria. The pantomime of the vote which played out on our screens fueled the “them” and “us” campaign as politicians cheered, applauded and even shared a few laughs at the decision to drop more bombs – even though we hadn’t really yet decided whose side we were on.
January 2016 – Cologne. Now I am not entirely sure how to approach this topic as it is one that I find difficult and one I am still trying to understand. What happened to the women of Cologne on New Years Eve was, without a doubt, unacceptable. Unacceptable is not a strong enough word. Disgusting, vile, wrong… so very wrong. But the point I want to make is simply this – Germany took in over one million asylum seekers last year. Over a million people. It is completely, incredibly naïve to truly believe that every single person is good.
In any group of people, not everyone is good. I live in a small town of maybe 50,000 people. Within that 50, 000 people there are murderers, there are rapists, there are truly awful people. Also within that 50, 000 people there are every day heroes, there are inspiration individuals, there are people who make life infinitely better just by knowing them. We can accept this. We know that not everyone is put on this earth with good intentions. But we cannot extend this understanding to certain groups it appears.
My point is there is good and bad everywhere. I am not naïve. But I also believe the disgusting actions of a minority cannot impede the action to help desperate people who are fleeing for survival.
In the media refugees are once again the enemy. We have forgotten about “that” picture of Aylan, we have forgotten about the human side of the crisis. We are more focused on watching Pegida protests with them waving their “Rape – fugees,” banners. Children died last night trying to get to Greece. Children died the night before too. Nobody knows their names.
Many of the aid collections have disappeared, yet the people in need have not.
In September last year I flew to the Greek island of Kos. I had no idea what I was letting myself in for, all I knew was that I had to do something, so I bought a one way ticket and off I went. That is why I set up this blog, it has been where I have gathered my thoughts from my first day in Kos, my experiences over the month I spent there, my impressions of returning home and now I hope to update it with my experiences the second time around as I write this now in Athens.
The changes over the last few months in regards to the general feeling towards the refugee cause have been massive. It’s been interesting to watch this change, upsetting, but interesting. When the body of an innocent child isn’t staring out at you from every news source, when the human side of the crisis is lost, it becomes something far away and fearful.
When I first went to Kos, I told everyone I knew with a slight assumption that they would look at me with that same slightly disapproving, “you’re doing what?!” look that I tend to get when explaining my next endeavour. But surprisingly there were much less of those looks than I was expecting. People were, on the whole, incredibly supportive.
Friends and family, colleagues and folks I hadn’t seen in years started collecting bits and bobs for me to take away, they started slipping me the odd fiver or tenner to take with me to do some good. If there was a phrase I have never heard more in my life, it was, “I wish I could go with you.”
It was a pretty incredible time, after watching a summer of rising fascism and anti refugee feeling I was so pleasantly surprised to realise what an incredibly compassionate bunch of people I surround myself with.
If people couldn’t donate anything physically, kind words and supportive, positive messages were sent to me in great numbers that continued to restore my faith in humanity.
My month in Kos was one that I am still processing and will continue to do so for a long time but I can honestly say at no point did I ever feel like people were not in solidarity with me and the cause. Even those I know who were against the welcoming refugee movement were interested and listened to my personal reflections without judgement in a genuine hope to understand what was happening on the shores of Europe.
This time it has felt very different. Very few people asked if they could donate something. Very few people had slipped me the odd tenner to do some good. Instead of words of support, I got words of warning. Instead of “I wish I could come with you,” I got, “Stay safe.”
I may be being incredibly cynical but I really feel this change. I feel like I have to defend myself much more than I did before. I feel like I owe an explanation for still caring.
I’d just like to say to those who have been incredibly supportive, those who have very generously donated, and those that stand with this cause – I do not forget about you and how amazing you are. I talk here candidly about my personal reflection and feeling that there has been a tangible change in the atmosphere, and if anything the fact that you are not part of this change, the fact you are still supporting, still standing up for injustice makes you even more incredible.
I don’t know what will happen next, I don’t know what 2016 will bring but I very much hope it does not continue the way it looks like it will now.
But hey, who knows. I mean, towns in Germany have banned asylum seekers from using public swimming pools and now Denmark is taking asylum seekers valuables like we have been transported back to the Nazi regime so surely the only way is up?
Please.
fromscotlandwithloveblog 