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European Rallies Welcome Syrian Refugees
9-22-2015
As the UN warned that one million more Syrians could be displaced by end of 2015, tens of thousands of people marched in support of refugees across the UK on Saturday, September 12, to mark International Day of Action, urging the government to do more to help refugees.
“Open your hearts and open your minds and open your attitude towards supporting people who are desperate, who need somewhere safe to live, want to contribute to our society, and are human beings just like all of us,” Jeremy Corbyn, the newly elected leader of the Labour party, said during the rally, the Guardian reported.
“They’re human beings, just like you, just like me. Together in peace, together in justice, together in humanity, that surely must be our way forward.”
The Labour leader was among many British politicians who addressed marchers in London’s Parliament Square.
Chanting “Say it loud and say it clear: refugees are welcome here,” thousands of Britons and other nationalities flocked to Pall Mall and Whitehall in the capital, pausing outside Downing Street.
Calling for Saturday’s solidarity march, organizers said on Facebook: “We need to prioritize the fast processing of asylum claims from people from particularly dangerous regions, such as Syria. We can’t allow any EU countries to close their borders or build fences.
“There needs to be Europe-wide consensus on providing help where it is so desperately needed, relieving pressure on the Mediterranean countries.”
London’s pro-refugees rally was attended by a number of politicians and public figures including Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrats, Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green party, and representatives of participating organizations such as the Refugee Council, Amnesty International, the Syria Solidarity Movement, Stand Up to Racism and the Stop the War Coalition.
Similar rallies were held in Belfast, Glasgow, Cardiff, Brighton, Manchester, York, Edinburgh and other cities and towns.
Addressing marchers in London, musician and activist Billy Bragg said: “The demonization of people in need that’s gone on in this country is not the kind of Britain I grew up in – that everyone who’s in need is a scrounger and all refugees are terrorists.
“It’s not the compassionate society I want Britain to be seen as around the world.”
European Day of Action
UK’s rallies come as a part of Europe’s Day of Action for Refugees that was marked with dozens of rallies around the continent.
From Copenhagen, Stockholm and Budapest to Athens and Madrid, tens of thousands of people thronged the streets of several European capitals to show solidarity with the desperate refugees.
Nearly 30,000 people turned out in the Danish capital of Copenhagen in support of refugees, chanting “Say it loud and say it clear: Refugees are welcome here!”
“I am here to support refugees who have been driven out of their houses because of what has happened in Syria, with the bombings and the killings,” Moroccan-born Mohammed Harra told Politiken newspaper.
Germany’s Berlin, Helsinki and Lisbon alsowitnessed demonstrations that were attended by thousands.
On the other hand, anti-refugees rallies were held in Eastern Europe where thousands took to streets of Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia.
Banners reading: "You're not welcome here so go home” and “Islam will be the death of Europe” were raised during the anti-refugees rallies.
Prague’s anti-immigration rally was met by a counter rally that was attended by about 500 people.
Refugee’s supporters held banners reading: “Hatred is no solution,” “Movement is no crime,” and “Stop fascist masquerades in Czech Republic.”
Some 350,000 migrants have made the perilous journey to reach Europe's shores since January this year, according to figures released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday.
The IOM said more than 2,600 migrants had drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean in the same period.
A photo of a three-year-old Syrian toddler lying face down on the beach, after he and his family drowned, has sparked worldwide cry over the past week.
Saturday’s refugees’ rallies came as a senior UN official has warned that if the war in Syria continues, a million more of its people may be displaced by the end of the year.
“Unless something big is done to resolve this conflict through political means, the human train that has started moving out of Syria and the neighborhood will continue to be running for many months to come,” the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Syria, Yacoub El Hillo, told Reuters.
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