Lucy Moore

May 12, y

Peter Patsouris

Current Event #1
Jungs (und Mädchen) Aus Damaskus und Berlin:

The German Refugee Crisis

As of this weekend, Germany has temporarily closed its border with

Austria due to the overwhelming influx of Syrian refugees. According to

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, Germany can't accomodate everyone

right now. This announcement comes just as de Maiziere is scheduled to

speak to the European Union about the crisis. Germany wants the rest of the

European Union to accept more refugees.

Hungary, along with Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania are opposed

to taking in refugees. Hungary has begun building a wall on the Serbian

border to keep out refugees and intends to increase border control.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban supported the German recent border

controls as a way to “protect German and European values.” The Czech

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Republic announced on Sunday that it would increase security on the

Austrian border.

The response from German citizens has been very positive. There are

numerous videos of Germans welcoming refugees at the train stations. The

St. Pauli football club gave out free tickets to refugees, and other football

clubs are kicking in1 some support2. However, Merkel’s decision to open the

borders has irritated some of the members of her party3. Vice Chancellor

Sigmar Gabriel expressed concern about whether or not it would be feasible

to allow so many refugees in, even with help from the local communities. In

addition, he urged the Gulf States, other European countries and the US to

send aid to the Middle East.

While I disagree with the stances of Hungary et al., I understand their

concerns. If a wealthy country like Germany is struggling to keep up with the

refugees, the already impoverished Romania would have an even harder

time. Hungary is also experiencing a resurgence in far-right activity and the

refugees would no doubt be marginalized even further. In addition, the more

affluent members of the European Union as well as the rest of the world

should take in more refugees. The positive response to the refugees is also

heartening, but in the words of Oscar Wilde, “Their remedies do not cure the

disease: they merely prolong it.”4 Charity drives are a short-term fix; they will

1 I am so, so sorry. I had to.

2 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/10/sports/soccer/german-soccer-clubs-open-their-gates-
to-refugees.html

3 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34248048

4 “The Soul of Man Under Socialism”

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not prevent business owners from exploiting migrant workers or far-right

politicians from exploiting the crisis and encouraging ethnic tension. Islamic

extremism in western Europe is fueled by Islamophobic attitudes, and it

would be even more bitterly ironic if the children of refugees grew up to

imitate the extremism their parents fled.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34239674