Looking at migration in the face

It has not been a good week for refugees; but then again, it never is... 

Today's The Guardian reports how the Lebanese government forced 5,000 refugee families to demolish their own home in order to induce them to return to Syria. 

Yesterday, the captain of rescue ship Sea-Watch 3, Carola Rackete, was arrested after she forcefully docked her ship in the Italian island of  Lampedusa. Having rescued 53 migrants drifting off the coast of Libya on June 12, the Sea-Watch 3 was left stranded while the Italian authorities kept refusing to let her dock.

Last Sunday a Salvadoran young man drowned with his two-year-old daughter while trying to swim across the Rio Grande to US territory. The photo of their corpses was sprawled across the world press for much of the week.

Migrants and refugees

Refugees and migrants are people seeking a better life in a country other than their own. Refugees may have more obvious reasons to flee their country, such as war or persecution, but it would be fair to say that the reasons for a person to "up and go" are never trivial. I say "their" country, but many of these displaced people are actually stateless. These people do not have a country at all and there are about 12,000,000 of them. All migrants have one thing in common: they are often demonised. Why?

Why the animosity?

Well the arguments are generally the same. On the one hand we accuse them of trying to steal our  jobs, while on the other we slate them for being ignorant, lazy and offensive. If the latter accusation were true, it is hardly likely that the former would follow. 

Of course, there are countless other criticisms and these are sometimes levied at the way particular governments deal with immigration. Some citizens accuse their governments of spoiling immigrants and giving them all they want on a silver platter, while they have to struggle for every penny they earn. In certain cases, this may be true, though perhaps more so in the past. Nowadays, with nationalism on the rise, even leftist governments are careful not to ruffle the sensitivities of the electorate.

The root of the problem

Migrants are people; and like all people they have good and bad qualities. Indeed, they will have additional problems, such as those linked to traumatic experiences, language and adjusting to different customs. These issues may make them more difficult to deal with. A shortage of jobs and resources will make immigrants even less welcome. However, these challenges are not the point, as they are challenges that can be resolved. The root of the problem is, rather, whether we believe that these people have rights; that is, the same human rights as citizens. 

For many people, migrants do not have rights and their very safety can be compromised. The policies of Trump and Salvini are not the only ones that are jeopardising the lives of migrants. But life is just the last straw. Before that migrants are treated with dehumanising contempt. We would not allow our dogs to be treated the way we allow our governments to treat immigrants. Deep down, we know that the problems relating to migration are not insurmountable. Yet, we pretend they are, as solving them might put us out, somewhat. We are no different to the caricature of Marie Antoinette dismissing the problem with a shake of the hand: "Let them eat cake!"

Sitting on the fence.

As Ken Saro-Wiwa stated referring to the plight of the Ogoni people: "Silence would be treason." By pretending not to notice, we are actually taking the sides of the oppressors. Every little helps and we must do whatever it is we can to proclaim and safeguard the dignity of humanity. The bell tolls for all of us.

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150 Lives...

Second thoughts...

After ordering an attack on Iran last week, president Trump had an after thought. How many human lives would it cost? One wonders: what amount of casualties would have made his strike acceptable? Fifty? A hundred? 

Creating a problem

The Iranian problem is of Trump's making. He pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, started a war of words and began imposing harsh sanctions. On top of that, Trump bullied all other nations to follow suit. A legally binding deal became powerless in the face of Trump's financial blackmail. Of course that did not have to be the case, but few countries had the backbone to stand up to Trump's threats.

The provocation continues; as does the war of words. On Monday Trump insulted the Iranians by imposing sanctions on their Supreme Leader. Iran retaliated by calling the White House administration "retards". Trump responded by threatening to obliterate parts of the country.

150 and counting...

Trump's intransigence will end up costing a lot more than 150 lives. He has passed that threshold many times over already with his support of Saudi Arabia. Add to that the deaths that will result from his ruthless policies, such as those on climate change, immigration, health care and arms sales and the tally will just keep getting higher and higher.. Messing up the climate could by itself end up costing millions of lives, if not the planet itself. But if Trump did ask how many lives would be lost by the US pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, he clearly did not care then.

Murder is murder

Jean Rostand had said:

Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a god.

Provoking war is not a innocuous game. Hundreds of thousands of innocent lives could be lost in a major confrontation. Trump may then want to stand back an wash his hands from any responsibility. Even if he did manage to fool himself, he would have a hard time fooling anybody else. Or perhaps he just wants to be a god!

Success at the mercy of nationalism: Lucano under attack

Riace's claim to fame...

The Calabrian town of Riace is back in the news. Well, "back" for those who are old enough to remember the excitement generated when two huge bronze statues were discovered in the sea there in 1972. They are now known as the Riace Bronzes (Bronzi di Riace) and they are a testament to a time when a good part of Italy was dotted with Greek city-states. No one knows why the statues of the warriors ended up in the water: perhaps they were too Greek for the sensitivities of the nascent Roman Empire.

Riace's return to the spotlight has been gradual and is thanks to its ex-mayor, Mimmo (Domenico) Lucano. Lucano is famous for having turned the dying Italian town into a vibrant, thriving and cultural hub. In fact, after he was elected Mayor in 2004, he made Riace a model of integration and sustainability by welcoming immigrants and supporting them to revitalise the local economy. His achievements were feted around the world. In 2010 Lucano came second in the World Mayor competition and in 2016 he was listed by Fortune as one of the best world leaders. He also received the Dresden Peace Prize in 2017.

Lucano under attack

However, not everyone was happy. Lucano's dogs were poisoned and he was even shot at in 2009, shortly after his reelection. Then, in October 2018, Lucano was charged with aiding illegal immigration by facilitating marriages of convenience. His trial started last Friday and includes other similar accusations. Many believe that the accusations are politically motivated and that the authorities are deliberately giving him a rough time. He has even been exiled form Riace.

Like his fellow bronze warriors, who may not have been "Italian" enough in their appearance, Lucano is not Italian enough in his outlook. His achievements are being reversed and Riace is beginning to look like a ghost town once again. Italy, whose population is dwindling, is full of them. I rattle around in one of them myself. 

Destructive and self-destructive nationalism

It will be interesting to see what sort of punishment will be meted out to Lucano, if he is convicted. Bigots and nationalist, of which there are many, would no doubt be glad to see him or his ideas sink as the bronzes had done before him; and as migrants continue to do, by the thousands. This is nationalism at the cost of decency and common sense; nationalism at the cost of survival

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Unlocking Wedlock

The slow pace of same-sex marriage...

Same-sex marriage is now legal in almost thirty countries in the world. Considering same-sex unions date back over 12,000 years and that there are almost 200 countries in the world, this is not much of an achievement. In recent times, the first country to legalise same-sex marriage was the Netherlands. That law was passed in December 2000 and came into effect in April 1, 2001. So, even in the last few decades, progress has been slow.

What is marriage?

Of course, I am all for it... for now. It is not the gender of the partners that I am concerned about; rather, marriage itself. Indeed, I agree with marriage for as long as people want it. I just believe that in the long run they would be better off not wanting it. Marriage is a religious or legal convention with implications. For some, it is primarily a testament to their love. 

Religious or legal marriage

Marriage as a religious obligation for anyone wishing to live and have sex together is just another religious norm. As a legal convention, however, it can be many thing according to how it is defined and implemented. Considerations include tax, conjugal rights and concessions, but also specifics such as gender, age and number of partners. 

Why should we need laws and incentives to tie us into these things? If I should wish to live with two boyfriends and a girlfriend, why should it be anybody's business, but my own and that of my partners? 

Mosuo women in Lu Gu China

Children

What about children? Should the state not ensure that there is a stable framework for children to be brought up in? Probably it should, as long as people cannot be trusted to act responsibly, like many animals do; but this does not necessarily mean marriage. There are so many alternatives. Just look at the customs of the Mosuo people in China. Marriage does not exist there and they can do very well without it. We could have more varied and flexible contracts to safeguard the rearing of children, if that is what is needed.

A proclamation of love

As for the proclamation of love... well, marriage is one way of doing it. It is, that is, if you happen to tick the right boxes in accordance with the legislation of your country or the requirements of your religion. A customised contract could do it as well, if not better, just as a firework display or beach party could! 

Equality for better, but not for worse

When you commit yourself to marriage, you will either be allowed to divorce or not. If you can divorce, you will possibly be paying a very high price for it. Why should you? If you cannot, but wish to, then the price will higher still! 

So, long live equality, but let us not overlook the freer alternatives to it while we are striving for it.

Taiwan gives the world a lesson in democracy

Learning a thing or two from Taiwan...

Taiwan gave the world a lesson in real democracy last month when same-sex marriage was legalised in the "country". In a referendum last November, 72% of the population had voted against allowing same-sex marriage. Two years earlier, however, Taiwan's supreme court had ruled that limiting the definition of marriage to couples of the opposite sex was unconstitutional. Legislators therefore backed the Government Bill, putting justice before numbers. This is real democracy. 

Taipei, Taiwan

Might is not right and nor are numbers

Numbers cannot change something that is wrong into something that is right. Prejudice against the LGBTQ is rampant around the world. Its prevalence does not make it right. Quite the contrary, it makes it even more vicious. The same applies to all breaches of human rights; and there are many. Those that hide behind religions are particularly pernicious. Taiwan itself is a whole nation whose rights have been abused by the international community. So many numbers; and yet, so wrong.

UN-aligned campaigning for a fairer democracy

Killers with smiling faces

Another mass shooting...

So, there was another mass shooting in the US yesterday. Twelve people were killed by the gunman. Still, despite the vivid horror of gun violence, what is likely to change? The NRA, the gun lobby and the profits of the arms trade are "too important" in the US for much to be done about the problem...

More victims than we could possible imagine

Now imagine a similar attack, discriminate only in as much as the preferred victims are the most vulnerable. Imagine too that instead of twelve victims we have around 65. Then multiply that by every nation on earth and then again by every single day of the year...

That is how many people are dying every year (c. 4.6 million) because of air pollution, according to the the World Health Organisation. This figure does not include other types of pollution, climate change or different forms of deadly contamination. How many millions would that make?

                                                 UN-aligned for a fairer and safer world!

Routinely massacring the innocents

Dying of pollution does not sound as dramatic as being shot, but don't be fooled. Desperately gasping for breath is just one of the problems. So we have terrorists all over the world jointly killing thousands, or tens of thousands, of people every day: every single day! And what are we doing about it? 

Precious little. Why? The same reason why more is not done to curb gun violence: politicians want to keep the economy ticking. Just like terrorists, they care little about collateral damage. These politicians and the destructive enterprises they support are really just a more insidious and deadly form kind of terrorist. They are all around us: killers with smiling faces.