Dear All
A short time ago, I was commenting in a change of mood which is happening right across Europe towards the migrant crisis. At first the politicians were all falling over themselves to express how caring they were as individuals.
Then there were the Paris attacks which focused people minds!
Prior to Paris, the problem of migrants was recognised as a crisis which resulted in the biggest exodus of people since the end of the Second World War. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor created a disastrous policy which many in Europe didn’t wish to accept whether they be politicians or ordinary people.
Let’s look at four countries, Sweden, France, Germany and Holland.
In Sweden, the centre right and the far right are making gains in public support; the backlash has started in Europe. People are saying that enough is enough, and instead of being just vocal, some people are taking matters into their own hands.
Have you ever heard of a place called Tärnsjö?
Tärnsjö is approximately 150km from Stockholm; things have gotten rather bad between locals and migrants who have been fighting each other. Tensions are so bad young migrant children are given a police escort to school. This isn’t just an isolated series of incidents peculiar to this small village, right across Sweden; the attitude towards migrants is also hostile. In a two month period, 17 migrant centres have been burnt down, the problem is widespread, and like a rolling stone, this will pick up speed and escalate. I said previously violence was coming to Europe, it has, and also arson it seems.
Much has been written about the Paris attacks, so many innocent people dead in the heart of the French Capital, it was appalling, an attack of terrorism which changed the minds not just of the ordinary French people but importantly, the State. The French are currently involved in a crackdown in France against Islamic extremists, so far a list of 160 venues where Muslims gather has been drawn up to be closed down. RT, the Russian news agency channel published that three Mosques have been shut by French authorities. If the French experience more Islamic terrorism, the far right in France will make serious inroads into politics.
France has geared up for war.
Not a million miles away from the French capital of Paris, there is the Dutch town of Geldermalsen. Just as things are bad in Sweden and France, things don’t bode well for the Dutch in Holland. Thousands of protesters stormed the site of a planned asylum centre for 1,500 migrants in Holland. Things escalated to such an extent that riot police had to fire shots, the people of Holland are angry, but rather than ignore a few angry people, politicians are faced with the prospect of thousands, and thousands of Dutch people becoming pro active in their protests. When things kicked off, the local town hall was said to resemble a battlefield and the elected politicians were forced to flee for their safety.
The riot in the town of Geldermalsen is the worst riot of its kind in the Netherlands since the refugee crisis began, but it may not be the worst until this crisis is over. 14 people were arrested, several policemen were injured in the riot, although that sounds small, the real number of interest is how many people turned up to protest.
Miranda de Vries, the town Mayoress said she was shocked at the violence caused by an estimated 2,500 people.
2,500 people, and that number will climb, why will it climb?
That is an easy question to answer, politicians aren’t listening to the ordinary people, just as the protestors are anti migrant; they will also be anti ‘the political class’ who ignored them. And again, this will give the far right a chance to exploit the situation. In the long game, the far right will have to put in place people in public office that are competent and effective in their day to day roles as elected politicians. At the Dutch town hall riot, the elected councillors fearing for their safety escaped out the back door into Police vans.
Now, we get to Germany and town of Freital, again, it is a snapshot of what is happening across Europe, 2,200 new arrivals, here as in other places, things aren’t going well, locals fight with migrants in the street. Here the story is that migrants say residents treat them like dirt, locals say migrants have brought trouble. One angry woman threatened to 'burn' the immigration centre down much in the same way that Swedish people have restored to arson.
Germany was wrong to open the floodgates; Angela Merkel in allowing one million migrants already in 2015 has caused tremendous harm. She planted the seeds of hatred, and now she can expect to see the flourish and grow… like wildfire!
In Germany there were reported 500 incidents of racially motivated attacks on migrants from hate mobs in first eight months of year. This is the new front line in Europe, and the battle field is fluid, in some ways it reminds me of the commentary of a German soldier in Stalingrad during WW2, Wilhelm Hoffman. Apparently, the migrants want to move to Berlin, this they think will solve their problem as they expect Berliners to be tolerant, if it can’t be made to work in Freital, it won’t work in Berlin. Some of the migrants want to try for a move to Sweden or even the UK, but as they are registered now, it is doubtful that both these destinations will accept them.
Britain is only taking people from camps, and there is a quota.
Freital, population 39,000 and now home to 2,200 refugees, has become a poster town for the migrant crisis in Germany; resentment from locals regarding migrants has frequently boiled over into violence. Eventually, in such a polarised community, it is only a matter of time before firearms are used and the killings begin, people will only roll about in the dirt before coming to the conclusion that escalation is the way forward. When that happens there will be a huge change has no go areas are setup by default, in effect there will be invisibly marked ghettos created.
Already, people in Germany are getting organised with the small town having its own version of PEGIDA, the far right anti-Muslim, anti-immigration movement. PEGIDA made headlines with a series of demonstrations in places such as Dresden which had about 25,000 people attending. You can view footage of their activities online, the make up of the protestors goes right across the social spectrum, professionals to unskilled, young to old, male and female.
What you are seeing in Europe is change, the next step is the formation of new political parties, because people will in time work out that no matter how many chances you give some types of politicians they will never represent you and always betray you. Across Europe, there is a dawning of a new era as the realisation sinks in that ordinary people they can be the change and the driving force.
So, Sweden, France, Holland and Germany are suffering problems, interestingly a Bulgarian clairvoyant who died 20 years ago warned of the rise of ISIS by claiming there would be a 'great Muslim war' in 2016, her success rate in predicting events was supposedly as high as 85 per cent. Personally, I don’t put a lot of stock in someone claiming to be a clairvoyant; however, we do seem to be travelling down a path towards possible civil war in Europe.
Although big events like the Paris attacks draw people’s attention, it is the smaller events which will trigger the start of anarchy in Europe, places like Geldermalsen and Freital, the places you never knew existed, but the place where the spark could happen that could ignite a whole nation.
Finally, here is a little tale of intolerance which happened in the fair city of Glasgow, Scotland which I came across on my travels. A homeless ‘Indian’ man turned up at a Christian charity somewhere in the city to get food, apparently he strongly objected a choir singing Christmas carols at an organised event.
He said that he didn’t believe in God, which is his choice, however, he thought his non beliefs should take presence over those who did believe in God.
He also appeared to think that the world should revolve round him, and he ventured that the ‘British’ should get out of India and take their investments of money in the country with them. ‘India for the Indians’, was his take, given he was getting free food, maybe he should learn some manners, as it was, the staff or volunteers asked him to leave the premises.
The general jist of this story is that he appears to be an illegal migrant who has been turned down for leave to remain; hence his unhappiness regarding his present situation. I was told he was staying at a temporary homeless shelter which has been setup somewhere in the East End.
Just as well he isn’t staying in Europe with his attitude.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
2 comments:
I HEAR the war drums georgieboy
You're not the only one thinking this George.
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