Britain has finally taken action on the Syrian crisis by allowing 20,000 migrants into the country but as usual it comes with a catch. The Conservative government announced that this target will not only be met over the span of 5 years but will be accepted directly the Middle East and not from those who have travelled to Europe.
This reflects the government's subtle hostility towards immigrants and bring us face to face with our past. A similar tension was faced by the Asians who migrated to UK from Uganda on Idi Amin's expulsion. But over the years, one cannot deny the contribution they have made to the country and to the British society. There are even quite a few with rags to riches stories.
However, these new plans seems counterproductive. They do not tackle the urgent problem at hand and many from the Opposition have expressed that the these plans are not enough. 20,000 may sound like a large number but in comparison to other European countries this is a small amount. France agreed to taking 24,000 refugees over the next two years and Germany accepted 18,000 people over this weekend alone.
A petition calling on the UK to accept more asylum seekers and refugees has secured more than 300,000 signatures are therefore eligible to be considered by MPs. This whole movement was sparked by the picture of a drowned three-year-old Syrian boy lying on a Turkish beach. Ministers say that the UK has spent more than £900m on humanitarian aid to help with the Syrian crisis. But that does not excuse the Government to lose touch with its famous British compassion and humane nature. We are actually famous for being inclusive and our tolerance.
The age old misconception and fear mongering by the government and main stream media that the migrants are only here to rake in the benefits are unprecedented.
Refugees are forced to leave their country, their home, seeking refuge because they are left with no other choice. They do not leave his country only to seek economic benefits abroad. They are also forced to leave their home country as they have suffered (or feared) persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, or political opinion; also because they are a member of a persecuted social category of persons, or because they are fleeing a war. They do not want to settle in a foreign country willingly. One must remember no one puts their children in a boat, unless the water is safer than the land.