The Forgotten Community of Europe

"The hostility that refugees are met with is not enough to keep me away" 

Lucy Barsegian explores Europes fatal failures

By Lucy Barsegian

Over the last decade, forced migration has become a major political crisis all over the world, especially in Europe. With 123,920 refugees arriving in 2019, there are now approximately 900,000 migrants fighting for asylum in the EU - 64% of these cases have been rejected. Earlier this year I witnessed these overcrowded, harsh conditions which refugees are permanently subjected to. In the midst of a cold winter, migrants in Calais would set up tents and sleeping bags on top of one another, praying they were within their allotted space so the border police would spare them an extra day. Much of the former Calais Jungle- which used to be the largest refugee and migrant campsite in France- is now fenced off and it is prohibited to camp in most areas to prevent settlers from staying long. As for now, refugees remain sprawled over the edges of streets with whole families sharing a single tent; anticipating their next eviction.

It was in 2015 that the EU’s populist politics took frontline when it came to the refugee crisis. The anti-refugee rhetoric adopted by many far-right parties such as Britain’s UKIP and Germany’s AFD party has created a pro-nationalist trajectory for more to follow. Their voices are quickly being heard on a macro level, exceeding their borders to reach countries throughout the EU. Even mainstream political parties who were once supportive of migrants are quickly neglecting those who need their help. Many countries, including Italy and Greece, have tightened their borders to prevent the 1.1 million refugees from entering.

Distribution at Care4Calais

“people intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard are transferred to detention centres; where they are systematically exposed to arbitrary detention in inhumane conditions”. 

 ​The EU plays an important role in the introduction of stricter regulation in regard to migrants. Libya, who are notorious for their inhumane detention centres and harsh treatment of migrants are funded by the European Commission Committee (ECC). Having received a large sum of $425 million, the ECC promised Libyan Coast Guards training and ensured that refugees would have ‘adequate’ living conditions when returned to Libya. However, in these detention centres men, women and children - the majority of whom are fleeing from war-torn countries, would eventually have to endure: sexual violence, forced labour, physical violence, deprivation of food and water, and in some cases even murder. What is even more surprising is that the ECC are very aware of this; last year EU MEP’s failed to vote for a resolution which called for the EU to recognise “people intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard are transferred to detention centres; where they are systematically exposed to arbitrary detention in inhumane conditions”.                                                                      -Despite this revelation, the EU has continued a conspicuous relationship with immigration authorities. With Italy’s foreign minister Luigi Di Maio renewed their own $425 million deal with Libyan Coast Guards in 2018. Whilst the United Kingdom funded  an extra £44.5 million to France in 2016 to help tighten border security measures in Calais.

It was here that every day without fail refugees would flock to where NGOs set up base, begging for basic necessities- such as warm clothes and a tent. Medical teams were faced with scabies and similar diseases due to poor hygiene, and injuries resulting from police brutality (infected rubber bullet wounds and tear gas burns). Medical aid is given at a risk in Calais, as from 2017 the mayor of Calais, Natacha Bouchart, banned the distribution of food and healthcare amongst refugee camps, in an attempt to prevent the communities and services from growing.

It is for this reason that policies made in Europe urgently need to be altered. The EU’s role in these deaths is alarming. The $3 billion promised to Turkey in financial aid and the $2 billion investment into the African Trust Fund makes it clear that the EU wants to keep refugees out by any means necessary. 

 “Europe does not see us as human”.

It was only in 2019, after years of NGO lobbying that the UK softened policies on family reunions for refugees under 18. Even then, these young children have no choice but to fight court cases and apply for asylum alone. Their childhood does not consist of simplicities like kicking a ball in a park on a hot summer’s day, but the reality of escaping from one horror to the next.

“Europe does not see us as human”. These are the words which every asylum seeker will remember. It is evident that this political entity has the resources, the space and the time to provide the support needed by these individuals. The EU are paying a high cost, a human cost, to maintain their so-called ‘sovereignty’. Failing to provide adequate living conditions whilst paying billions to prevent a loss of cultural identity. It is time for the EU to redistribute their budget into providing the horrendously understaffed Greek Asylum Services with the means to carry on. So that asylum seekers are not waiting months- in most cases years- to be relocated. This overflowing system is long overdue a change. It is time for the EU to fund NGOs and governments to build adequate migrant camps which provide easy access to clean water, geographical safety, waste management and medical care: this is only the bare minimum. 

Out of all the refugees I was fortunate enough to meet, not one had a good experience of their treatment in Europe. Hassim, whose name I have changed for protection, told me “really there are no human rights in Europe. Just propaganda and commercialisation. I was sold a dream”. This is the harsh truth migrants are dealing with, and a tough pill for many to swallow. We can no longer accept the blatant lies of the EU; who continue to stigmatise and ostracise those who are in search of the ‘European Dream’.   We need to begin by tackling this ever-growing, unjust issue through supporting the NGOs who aid our refugees. Social inequality is becoming more evident through the rise of populist far-right groups in the EU. It is up to us to resist this division and fight for, not against, one another.

Photography by Asia Ahmed