Hoaxes on refugees in the White House race
How many Syrian refugees are in the United States? And how many of them are Christians? How many of them are men? Numbers (and hoaxes) on refugees fleeing the war in Syria have appeared in many public speeches, lately. FactCheck.org is dismantling many of the claims made by Donald Trump and other American politicians (both Republicans and Democrats) running for the White House.
“The mote and the beam”
Writing from the Greek island of Lesbos, NYT Nicholas Kristof pens an op-ed that denounces the propaganda on the misleading representation of Syrian refugees as jihadists: «Stand with me on a beach here in Lesbos and meet the refugees as they arrive on overloaded rubber rafts after a perilous journey. The critics would see that Syrian refugees are people like us, only wet, cold, hungry and exhausted». Kristof also suggests: «if politicians want to tackle a threat, how about developing a serious policy to reduce gun deaths — yes, including counterterrorism measures, but not simply making scapegoats of the world’s most vulnerable people».
Refugees helping refugees
Vietnamese-Canadians citizens – former refugees that arrived in North America in the 70’s – launched a crowdfunding campaign to help Syrian families arriving in Canada.
The case of Eritrea
A long and detailed story by Caitlin Chandler on the case of Eritrean refugees in Europe. Tens of thousands of them are currently fleeing their country; their movement is a sort of hidden stream running through Italy, then seeking protection in Northern Europe. But now, more and more often, they find locked doors. From the UK to Norway, here’s a look to the new, restrictive policies.
The Balkan route on the wheelchair
The journey of Bashar through the so-called “Balkan route” in the amazing photos of Jodi Hilton. Bashar is from Homs, Syria, and lost his legs due to diabetes. He is now traveling on a wheelchair accompanied by his son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.
Sweden reverses course
From April 2016, the majority of refugees arriving in Sweden will obtain only temporary protection. The turning point of the Stockholm government is bound to create ripple effects, first of all on Denmark. But the clash between the two countries – separated just by a bridge – takes place on many levels. The Economist explains it well.
Refugees, a new film by Aki Kaurismaki
Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki announces that his most recent movie, Le Havre (2011), was in fact the first chapter of a trilogy focusing on port cities. He is now ready to release part two: Refugee.
Kaurismaki will be back on the immigration issue with a film set in his own home country: “The situation in Tornio – a border worn in north-eastern Finland – roused something in me. I developed the project in a week”.
