UK Migrants Cross English Channel - "Major Incident"

[shyvas]

More than 220 people have attempted the crossing in small boats since November.
Ms Nokes said Home Secretary Sajid Javid would cut short a family holiday to deal with the "major incident".
Dover MP Charlie Elphicke called for more patrol boats and accused the Home Office of letting the
"crisis" escalate.
The Conservative MP said the Home Office was not taking the matter "seriously enough".
It comes after another 12 people were detained off the coast of Dover in the early hours of Friday morning.

 

[Jon]

Whilst I feel sorry for them, all the time we let them in, pick them up and have them of British soil, you know they will be allowed to stay here! All the time we do that, they will keep coming. We have to send them back to the country they last left to come here. We can only take so many! The whole situation has got out of hand. Has anyone noticed 99% of them are young men!

 

[shyvas]

Whilst I feel sorry for them, all the time we let them in, pick them up and have them of British soil, you know they will be allowed to stay here! All the time we do that, they will keep coming. We have to send them back to the country they last left to come here. We can only take so many! The whole situation has got out of hand. Has anyone noticed 99% of them are young men!

I agree. As it is our duty to help asylum seekers who are fleeing war and violence, it's also the responsibility of all the other countries in the vicinity to take them in.

 

[Mischief]

Here's a list showing how many refugees per thousand of population various countries take in. The UK does beat out the US, but that's about it.

List of countries by refugee population - Wikipedia You should read down the list. It's pretty informative.

My reaction when I read a story like this is to wonder how desperate these people must be, to risk a Channel crossing in winter, and how lucky we are, to never have been in circumstances so desperate.

 

[Jon]

They've probably never seen weather like this, have no idea how dangerous it can be or what to do about it. That's why they still try in winter, no one tells them about it. All the criminals want is their money. I'm just very suspicious of the number of young men as against the number of women and kids. The vast majority are muslim. Are we letting in more and more potential terrorists who will be brainwashed when thy're here or are already in that bracket? It's a very easy way for them to get into our country and a lot of them won't even tell the authorities where they come from or their nationality! Very suspicious! jc

 

[Second Summer]

Here's a list showing how many refugees per thousand of population various countries take in. The UK does beat out the US, but that's about it.

List of countries by refugee population - Wikipedia You should read down the list. It's pretty informative.

According to that list, in 2015 the U.K. had a higher refugee population per 1,000 inhabitants than Spain, Italy and Greece, which are the countries where refugees often first land when they come to Europe.

I'm just very suspicious of the number of young men as against the number of women and kids. The vast majority are muslim. Are we letting in more and more potential terrorists who will be brainwashed when thy're here or are already in that bracket? It's a very easy way for them to get into our country and a lot of them won't even tell the authorities where they come from or their nationality!

I don't think there's any conspiracy or similar going on here. It's not so strange many are young men when you think about it. First of all, the journey for many of these refugees can be very dangerous, and I can imagine a young woman would face all kinds of additional dangers because of war, the breakdown of law & order combined with the low status of women in the countries they're fleeing from and fleeing through. Secondly, the journey can also typically be expensive, and because males are first-class citizens whereas females are second-class, the families put their hopes and aspirations in their young men, so they scrape together money to give them a better future. Also, they know how much more dangerous it will be for their women to attempt the same journey.

And yes, many refugees are muslim. Mass immigration of often poorly educated people into Europe poses an enormous challenge for the host countries, and yes, the conflict between radical Islam and the West makes it even harder. However, western countries to this day continue to contribute to some of the conflicts that created the refugee problems in the first place, e.g. in Yemen and Syria. Historically, the West has also helped create a lot of the conflicts and associated refugee problems, e.g. in Africa. So in that sense the West has a particular moral duty to help the refugees.

 

[Mischief]

According to that list, in 2015 the U.K. had a higher refugee population per 1,000 inhabitants than Spain, Italy and Greece, which are the countries where refugees often first land when they come to Europe.

That chart shows the number of refugees who have been allowed to settle in the various countries. I can't speak to Spain or Italy, but Greece has certainly assumed a huge burden with respect to temporarily taking care of refugees until they can move on to settle down more permanently elsewhere in Europe.

I don't think there's any conspiracy or similar going on here. It's not so strange many are young men when you think about it. First of all, the journey for many of these refugees can be very dangerous, and I can imagine a young woman would face all kinds of additional dangers because of war, the breakdown of law & order combined with the low status of women in the countries they're fleeing from and fleeing through. Secondly, the journey can also typically be expensive, and because males are first-class citizens whereas females are second-class, the families put their hopes and aspirations in their young men, so they scrape together money to give them a better future. Also, they know how much more dangerous it will be for their women to attempt the same journey.

And yes, many refugees are muslim. Mass immigration of often poorly educated people into Europe poses an enormous challenge for the host countries, and yes, the conflict between radical Islam and the West makes it even harder. However, western countries to this day continue to contribute to some of the conflicts that create the refugee problem in the first place, e.g. Yemen and Syria. Historically, the West has also helped create a lot of the conflicts and associated refugee problems, e.g. in Africa. So in that sense the West has a particular moral duty to help the refugees.

I couldn't agree more.

Apart from physical risks being the least for young men, they also have the best chance of making enough money so that they can help their families.

Of course, they are damned if they do, and damned if they don't. On the one hand it's "Why are they mostly young men? Very suspicious!" and on the other hand it's "What kind of monsters are they, subjecting women and children and the elderly to such dangers?!"

It's like the magical migrants here in the U.S., who are simultaneously accused of taking all the jobs and being lazy grifters who depend on public services.