Karma Came Quickly For The Journalist Who Kicked And Tripped Refugees On Camera
This week, a Hungarian journalist was caught on camera deliberately kicking at refugee children, and tripping a man as he ran with a child in his arms, so that they were rounded up by police. Karma came quickly. She no longer has a job.
There are currently 4.1 million registered Syrian refugees. Lebanon is now housing well over one million of them, an enormous burden for a state with just 4.4 million citizens of its own. Jordan is also supporting over 1 million Syrian refugees, and Jordan is already struggling to cope with its 2 million Palestinian refugees. Surrounding states have absorbed tens to hundreds of thousands each. Nearby countries have absorbed more than they can reasonably be expected to accommodate and it is now time for Europe, the U.S. and her allies among the Gulf States to help resolve a crisis they helped create. So far, results have been patchy.
While Germany, Austria and various other Western European governments have responded to the crisis with great compassion – things have been very different in the East. A number of Eastern European governments have put forth, frankly, racist and xenophobic arguments for sealing their borders against the incoming refugees. Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic will accept Christian refugees but are strongly against accepting Muslims. The Hungarian Prime Minister is steadfastly refusing to honor refugee obligations, claiming they “are threatening Europe’s Christian culture.”
As a result, Hungarian police have been holding refugees (who have traveled thousands of miles from Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan) in the most dire conditions, with every likelihood they will be turned around and sent back to the same horrifying devastation they already fled. On Tuesday, hundreds of migrants decided to run, and make an attempt to cross the border and escape Hungarian police.
The Hungarian camerawoman caught in the incident decided to take on the role of linebacker, kicking the feet out from under a child, and tripping a father running with a child in his arms. Father and child crashed into the ground, and were rounded up by police.
When footage of the incident went viral, the journalist was identified and has since been fired. As CBS News reports:
The camerawoman has been identified by local media as Petra Laszlo, who works for Nemzeti Televizio N1TV in Hungary.
N1Tv released a statement on their Facebook page on Tuesday saying one of their colleagues behaved unacceptably and their relationship was terminated.
It’s certainly lucky that when tens of thousands of Hungarians were made refugees in 1956, surrounding countries showed greater compassion than Laszlo and her compatriots today. The U.K. alone took in over 20,000 Hungarians who were fleeing the devastation of the revolution against Soviet control.
Australia confirms air strikes in Syria, announces additional 12,000 refugee places
-- .. which makes some 15000+ overall from Syria, as some have been accepted earlier .. some believe it is a generous response by a country so far away .. for mine, since Australia was one of the first to support Bush's 'God told me to' 2001 invasion debacle
-- John Howard’s Iraq War Fantasy
By admin • April 11, 2013
John Howard’s reflections on the war in Iraq have made news lately, with objections dismissed as anti-democratic. We need an inquiry into why Australia supported a disastrous and illegal invasion, writes Stuart Rees
Inside the Intercontinental Hotel on Tuesday 9 April, former prime minister John Howard justified his decision to accompany the US in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He compounded his falsehoods with various claims about the benefits for the Iraqi people. .. more .. http://sydneypeacefoundation.org.au/john-howards-iraq-war-fantasy/
which contributed mightily to the Syrian tragedy today Australia's effort is cheap cheap .. must note: on the evidence if Labor were in power now Australia's effort likely would not have been more .. there are added disturbing conservative positions reflected below .. --
By political reporters Anna Henderson and Eliza Borrello
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has confirmed Australia will extend its campaign of air strikes from Iraq into Syria, at the same time as announcing plans to "move quickly" to accept an extra 12,000 refugees affected by the conflict in both countries.
The extra permanent resettlement places will almost double this year's refugee intake, and the boost is expected to cost the federal budget $700 million over the next four years.
Key points:
* Australia to accept 12,000 refugees * Will give $44 million in financial aid * RAAF gets go-ahead for air strikes in Syria
A senior government official has told the ABC it is hoped the first refugees will arrive before Christmas, but the department also has a significant existing caseload.
The Government will also provide $44 million in financial aid for refugee agencies — in the form of food, supplies and cash — as people living in refugee camps prepare for the winter.
The extra measures have been warmly received by the Opposition and refugee groups.
"The Prime Minister's announcement comes at a crucial time when UNHCR is stretched to capacity in meeting the needs of the most desperate," the United Nations refugee agency said in a statement.
He also stressed the need to move beyond a purely humanitarian response, and ramp up military action in Syria.
"We have to act with our heads as well as with our hearts," he said.
"As a free and democratic country, we must stand against those who wish to destroy life and to build a terrorist state."
The Government maintains the legal basis for the extended air strikes is the "collective self-defence" of Iraq, and predicts Australia could begin contributing to the campaign in Syria within a week.
"I emphasise that our aircraft will be targeting Daesh, not the Assad regime, evil though it is," Mr Abbott said.
"This is very much in Australia's national interest.
"Destroying this death cult is essential, not just to ending the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East but also to ending the threat to Australia and the wider world."
Conservative Queensland backbencher George Christensen said he has been reassured sleeper agents for the IS group would not be smuggled into Australia as part of the intake.
"I am very worried that if there wasn't those background checks there could be people who come here with values and motives we very much would not like to have in our country," he said.
Syria has been embroiled in a vicious civil war since a popular uprising against dictator Bashar al-Assad in 2011.
More than 200,000 people have been killed and an estimated four million have been forced from their homes amid fighting between Mr Assad's forces, Islamic State and other Islamist militants, and other rebel groups.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten received a personal briefing from the Prime Minister about the decision.
"The swamp of terrorism can never be drained by military methods alone," Mr Shorten told Parliament.
"Labor will support this proportional action within international law," he said.
"This decision is not taken lightly."
He said Labor's support is conditional, and Australia's methods must be "strategically, legally and morally sound".
"The ADF operations have to be constrained to the collective self-defence of Iraq," Mr Shorten said.
"Further, the use of force must be limited to what is necessary to halt these cross-border attacks and defend Australian personnel."
Mr Shorten said he as also been assured of effective search and rescue provisions for Australian personnel.
Australian officials to start identifying candidates for new refugee places 'shortly'
The Government is preparing to send officials to the Middle East region to work with the UNHCR to start identifying candidates for resettlement, but Mr Abbott would not identify a timeframe for places to be filled.
Under current policy the Federal Government committed to increase the existing refugee intake of 13,750 people to 18,750 by 2018.
The Government has confirmed the 12,000 places will come on top of that previous commitment.
It is not clear whether the full intake will be immediate or whether it will be staggered over a number of years.
"We will move very quickly, but everyone who is resettled in Australia will be subject to the usual security, health and character checks," Mr Abbott said.
"We're not putting a timetable on it because we do have to make all of these important checks.
"Our focus for these new 12,000 permanent resettlement places will be those people most in need of permanent protection — women, children and families from persecuted minorities who have sought refuge in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey... the most vulnerable of all."
"It is important that we bring in people who are going to be contributors to the Australian community, it is important that we don't bring in anyone from this troubled region who might ultimately be a problem for the Australian community."
[tweet] Hadi Albahra @hadialbahra
#Australia to accept additional 12,000 #Syrian_refugees & to provide extra $40 m in aid to help with Syrian crisis. THANK YOU AUSTRALIA 11:43 AM - 9 Sep 2015
Labor had called for an extra 10,000 refugees to be accepted and The Greens argued for double that figure.
Yesterday Mr Abbott promised a "generous" boost in the number of refugees and emphasised the Government's policy would be informed by meetings Immigration Minister Peter Dutton held in Europe.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg had suggested considering issuing temporary visas, along the lines of the assistance provided to the Kosovars under the Howard government in 1999.
Pyne says Government 'colour blind' on refugee religion
But Cabinet minister Christopher Pyne stressed the Government was not focused on singling out one religious group.
"Religion is not the issue here, the issue is persecuted ethnic and religious minorities," he said.
"We have a colour-blind policy in terms of humanitarian support."
Mr Abbott has echoed that position.
"Some Muslim people are very much members of persecuted minorities, as I said, there's Druze, there's Kurds, there's Turkmen, there's Yazidi," he said.
"There are Muslim and non-Muslim persecuted minorities in this part of the world and we are prioritising all of them."
Government backbencher Cory Bernardi said Christians were in most need.
"The most vulnerable people in the Middle East are persecuted Christians, women, children and families," Senator Bernardi said.
Billionaire Offers To Buy An Island For Syrian Refugees While Oil-Rich Nations Do Nothing (VIDEO)
As the Syrian refugee crisis rages on, one man has offered to help the families fleeing their war-torn country. Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris has said that he would like to buy a deserted Mediterranean island to house the refugees desperately searching for shelter.
Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the U.N. estimates that there are 7 million internally displaced refugees in the country. On top of the 7 million homeless families in Syria, 5 million others are in various host countries like Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and Eygpt — half of whom are children. More than 2,300 refugees have lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea in an effort to make a better life for themselves and their children in European countries, since January.
The countries who have welcomed the refugees are reaching a breaking point, many of them just do not have room for the largest refugee crisis the world has seen since Rawanda. Meanwhile, the oil-rich Middle Eastern countries have done almost nothing to help these people; and, other countries, such as Slovakia, say they will only take Christian refugees. Because, you know, Jesus would totally allow Muslim children to die painful deaths <insert sarcasm>.
Telecom tycoon Naguib Sawiris has watched the richest countries in the world ignore this crisis, and he has had enough. Sawiris, who is worth $1.4 billion, has said that he is willing to give up half of his fortune to help the Syrian refugees. He recently suggested that he could buy an island for the displaced families:
Naguib Sawiris Greece or Italy sell me an island,ill call its independence and host the migrants and provide jobs for them building their new country
Naguib Sawiris Crazy idea .. Maybe but at least temporary until they can return to their countries ??!!
The billionaire admits that the solution won’t be easy, but believes it could happen:
“Of course it’s feasible. You have dozens of islands which are deserted and could accommodate hundreds of thousands of refugees.”
He says that an island off the coast of Greece or Italy could cost anywhere from $10 million to $100 million, but most of the money would be spent on infrastructure:
There would be “temporary shelters to house the people, then you start employing the people to build housing, schools, universities, hospitals.
“And if things improve, whoever wants to go back (to their homeland) goes back,” said Sawiris, whose family developed the popular El Gouna resort on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.
He conceded such a plan could face challenges, including the likely difficulty of persuading Greece or Italy to sell an island, and figuring out jurisdiction and customs regulations.
But those who took shelter would be treated as “human beings,” he said. “The way they are being treated now, they are being treated like cattle.”
Right now, there are millions of refugees living in camps or derelict buildings in various countries. Thousands of other asylum seekers are fleeing Syria every day, many dying before they get the help they deserve.
The rest of the world is watching this and many countries, including our own, are doing very little to help these victims. Sawiris is stepping in because the world is failing and it is disgusting. This war has been going on for years, but many people on social networking sites are only just now hearing about it, because pictures of the children who have died at sea are flooding our newsfeeds. We can spend trillions of dollars on wars, but the majority of the world is just sitting back and saying,”Wow, that’s sad,” and allowing it to continue. It’s shameful.
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