The children who survive this will be the stronger for the journey. They are survivors who will be leaders of the future. And they'll have their stories to tell their kids.
I have been desperately poor at times, yet never have I been so poor that I considered trying to sneak into Germany. These refugees are mostly middle class people who have no more options. The cold tone of the majority of these posters and their ignorant, racist nonsense makes me feel sick. Why don't the well-educated readers of the NYT use common sense? No one walks hundreds of miles, sleeps on the streets, and crosses oceans in rubber boats with infants and old people, unless they are truly at the end of any reasonable options.. They are leaving Turkey and Lebanon because the conditions there are nearly as desperate--have people not seen the footage of whole families sleeping on the street, children in camps in Lebanon forced to work in the fields for pennies a day? Sorry NYT posters, but the desperate of the world will not just quietly lie down and die any more--they are going to fight for their kids’ lives just like you and I would. Show more compassion or at least common sense. We have to help these people, as in "have to"--it's not optional any more. Yes, the process needs to be made orderly and rationalized, but Hungary's actions are purely an expression of the right-wing racism, which, decades after their enthusiastic extermination of Jews and Gypsies, is still very much alive. The EU needs to punish Hungary with an immediate embargo on EU monies to Hungary, and all the rational countries in the world, including the US, need to commit to taking refugees.
1
When I look at this my first thought is population enlightenment/control. To continue to breed indiscriminately in a war zone or in poverty is pure insanity. As a matter of fact indiscriminate uncontrolled breeding in a rapidly warming & increasingly polluted world is insanity for all of us. China's one child policy should be applauded rather than vilified. There will only be more war and suffering with overpopulation.
11
Massive overpopulation in the Islamic countries encouraged by their religion and this is what you get. But, hey, all the NYTimes can talk is how terrible Europe is to not want to lose its identity, culture and economy.
No articles sympathizing with the average working Europeans who are being invaded by illegal immigrants, people who are watching their livelihoods stopped because of this invasion. No articles pressuring the rich Muslim countries to stop financing the terrorists and start taking care of their fellow Muslims.
And it's disgusting to see the pictures of their women slaves, lumbering through the heat and mess in their ridiculous, stifling clothing. This is what Europe gets to look forward to because we certainly wouldn't expect the poor illegal immigrants to follow the culture of the countries they're invading. They're just supposed to be taken care of.
No articles sympathizing with the average working Europeans who are being invaded by illegal immigrants, people who are watching their livelihoods stopped because of this invasion. No articles pressuring the rich Muslim countries to stop financing the terrorists and start taking care of their fellow Muslims.
And it's disgusting to see the pictures of their women slaves, lumbering through the heat and mess in their ridiculous, stifling clothing. This is what Europe gets to look forward to because we certainly wouldn't expect the poor illegal immigrants to follow the culture of the countries they're invading. They're just supposed to be taken care of.
21
I agree with most of the comments presented by the readers. The development is surely and undeniably worrisome. Doesn´t matter how horrific the pictures are, these people paid handsome money to the smugglers to cross the Mediterranean. Why? Can any one really say how many of the Jeans-T shirt wearing men would take up arms against the same Europe that is doing all it can to accept them? Who can guarantee that these young men are not members/sympathisers are supporters of ISIS? My appeal to the EU leaders, please do a security check before granting EU passport, please!! Temporary, short term shelter is the only humane way in my opinion to save these fleeing humanity right now. I strongly condemn Angela Markel for openly announcing that Germany would take millions of refugees! Another question is burning: Why can´t Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain can take these Arabic speaking refugees!! Why can´t the UN press these oil rich countries to accept the refugees, just why! Why can´t the security Council sit to find out ways to stop the war? Why we Europeans should suffer ( now and in the future) because of war in Syria? Because of war among a multitude of tribes, apparently though all are Muslims?
15
Why should Europe suffer? Well, in part because practically every European country (except a handful from Eastern Europe) cut and ran out of Iraq (and Afghanistan) in the mid-00s when the going got tough, leaving the U.S. To shoulder alone the peace-keeping burden in Iraq. Eventually, U.S. Political will ran dry, Obama pulled the last U.S. Troops out of Iraq (mistake), ISIS came to power, and, voila, here we are with a massive refugee crisis that will not abate.
2
thats not what the New York Times is reporting. They are putting a human face on the tragedy, and it's a shame you have no human empathy to what those people are going through.
1
The Lesbos Island, almost overnight, has become the newly-improvised Ellis Island of Eastern Europe. Not sure, Greece was quite the bestest fit to adjust down with this brisk turn on events, especially on the heels of a huge internal economical turmoil it is here however pointless to insist upon yet still worth of a quick reminder in light of what lays only a few lines below.
Just as it puts excess pressure on a broken back.
Meanwhile, brushing aside from a sporadic bunch of deflated promises when it comes to provide, down the road of some hypothetical future, possible assistance to the flood of refugees scrambling out the other way towards Europe, in Saudi Arabia everything is quite to a standstill.
Yet, there vast lands where plenty of untapped space engorged with petroleum are being processed, the top goal being to carry on with domestic duties of a higher concern, that is extracting top dollars by the barrel.
Thus, strengthening their own frontiers, acting as if nothing happen sounds more important than flipping the emergency switch hence partake to alleviate at least a faction of a humanitarian disaster undergoing right next to them.
Nope. Not a sound to disrupt the soothing snort and grind made by the columns of horsehead pumps pecking into the dunes...right under the sun, "the ostrich policy" blows its nose?!
Just as it puts excess pressure on a broken back.
Meanwhile, brushing aside from a sporadic bunch of deflated promises when it comes to provide, down the road of some hypothetical future, possible assistance to the flood of refugees scrambling out the other way towards Europe, in Saudi Arabia everything is quite to a standstill.
Yet, there vast lands where plenty of untapped space engorged with petroleum are being processed, the top goal being to carry on with domestic duties of a higher concern, that is extracting top dollars by the barrel.
Thus, strengthening their own frontiers, acting as if nothing happen sounds more important than flipping the emergency switch hence partake to alleviate at least a faction of a humanitarian disaster undergoing right next to them.
Nope. Not a sound to disrupt the soothing snort and grind made by the columns of horsehead pumps pecking into the dunes...right under the sun, "the ostrich policy" blows its nose?!
7
Until you send them back it will never abate. The more you accept the more that will come.
20
It's very nice seeing real pictures, representative of the actual situation. My heart still goes out to all of them but it felt a little disingenuous seeing only pictures of women and children.
8
Deportation policies in the US has created a shortage of farm labor in California. In addition, many of these refugees are educated doctors, IT specialists and engineers-more professionals and tax payers we desperately need. Bring them in, with work and decent pay for their families. We owe them more than anyone.
We do not need more engineers. We need to hire our STEM grads and stop importing cheap engineers on H1Bs.
14
Because of our misguided amateur hour foreign policy (or lack there of) we are watching the fall of Europe.
6
I suppose Times readers can't see how desperate and afraid one has to be to "escape" to a country deeply in debt with no economic prospects. I find their will to live admirable, and consider that if many of these people are -now formerly-middle class, what is happening to the poor, who cannot afford to take a safe passage, stuck in those countries. Thank you W. Bush and Tony Blair, for what you have reaped.
2
Well Kasne, not to be disagreeable, but will to live is instinctive, not admirable. Admirable would have been staying in Syria and fighting for civilization, which would have been a desperately difficult fight. Also Dubya and Tony Blair, for all their faults, had absolutely nothing to do with the Syrian civil war. If you want to blame people, blame us all, for continuing to add to climate change, which destabilized Syria and left it open to rebellion and then holy war. And blaming Islam is reasonable too.
4
Look at these people, mostly men, and they are not the youngest.
Can they even imagine a production plant in germany ?
And we must give them some purpose, or they will go crazy.
Can they even imagine a production plant in germany ?
And we must give them some purpose, or they will go crazy.
6
Good points. Factory work may well be intolerable to people whose temperament and upbringing was not about getting up early every day and going to school. Free spirited people will wither under restrictions, or rebel. (For example, how many of the Roma people have become productive factory workers?) These newcomers will also need (or demand) prayer breaks - even the ones who never prayed before! It will be a rough and bumpy road.
My bigger worry is about another basic human need. These men will want women. Does the German government plan to provide them?
My bigger worry is about another basic human need. These men will want women. Does the German government plan to provide them?
I am writing from the Greek island of Samos, which is closer to the Turkish mainland (1.4k at one point) but has not been as overwhelmed with refugees as Lesbos.
Until you've actually seen desperate groups of people and families, including pregnant women and children, sleeping on the pavement, as we have in the port of Samos Town over the past two weeks, it's hard to comprehend the reality of this situation in 2015.
A few days ago we witnessed a scene that nearly stopped my heart. Two small refugee boys, ages about 3 and 6, were chasing a loose balloon along the harbour's edge, the littler one screaming his head off (I imagine the balloon was a rare and precious distraction). The balloon blew into the water and the older boy went down on hands and knees to try and save it. Within seconds several bystanders ran across the harbour road and pulled the boys back from the edge while another man reached down and snatched the balloon from the water. A refugee adult or two appeared a moment later -- father? brother? uncle? -- and the boys were led away, balloon safely in the smaller lad's arms. One couldn't help but feel that a potential near-tragedy had been averted.
When I asked Greek locals if there were any organised groups to which I could volunteer a few hours, I was either greeted with a shrug, pointed to the Red Cross or told, "Well, Greeks need help too."
And that's the crux of the matter. One tragedy is being imposed upon another.
Until you've actually seen desperate groups of people and families, including pregnant women and children, sleeping on the pavement, as we have in the port of Samos Town over the past two weeks, it's hard to comprehend the reality of this situation in 2015.
A few days ago we witnessed a scene that nearly stopped my heart. Two small refugee boys, ages about 3 and 6, were chasing a loose balloon along the harbour's edge, the littler one screaming his head off (I imagine the balloon was a rare and precious distraction). The balloon blew into the water and the older boy went down on hands and knees to try and save it. Within seconds several bystanders ran across the harbour road and pulled the boys back from the edge while another man reached down and snatched the balloon from the water. A refugee adult or two appeared a moment later -- father? brother? uncle? -- and the boys were led away, balloon safely in the smaller lad's arms. One couldn't help but feel that a potential near-tragedy had been averted.
When I asked Greek locals if there were any organised groups to which I could volunteer a few hours, I was either greeted with a shrug, pointed to the Red Cross or told, "Well, Greeks need help too."
And that's the crux of the matter. One tragedy is being imposed upon another.
16
I love this comments, "On the Greek island of Lesbos, this summer’s refugee crisis shows no signs of abating."
Although I appreciate the writers for writing about the topic, it is clear that they, like our leaders, don't even realize that the crisis hasn't even really begun yet.
It's like ABC with George this past Sunday. They were discussing the question, "Is the U.S. defeating ISIS?" when in fact the U.S....and Europe...and everyone else in the "coalition" hasn't even begun to fight ISIS in earnest.
We are still hopelessly stuck in our "Shock and Awe", "Mission Accomplished" and "The Surge" mentality.
Although I appreciate the writers for writing about the topic, it is clear that they, like our leaders, don't even realize that the crisis hasn't even really begun yet.
It's like ABC with George this past Sunday. They were discussing the question, "Is the U.S. defeating ISIS?" when in fact the U.S....and Europe...and everyone else in the "coalition" hasn't even begun to fight ISIS in earnest.
We are still hopelessly stuck in our "Shock and Awe", "Mission Accomplished" and "The Surge" mentality.
11
This is really mild compared with what's coming. Only a few hundred thousand refugees total so far, nothing at all like the few hundred million that will come out of the Middle East and Africa over the next decade or two. There is no way to stop the flood, as there will not be enough water in that region to support its current population, so everyone will have to leave or lie down and die, and humans do strive to survive most of the time.
Due to that striving for survival, the countries being invaded by the refugees, whose economies are generally going downhill and who will not be exempt from the climate change deprivations, are going to reach the point where they round up all refugees into internment camps. The refugees will, naturally, try to fight this. So later on, those countries on the front lines will gun down the swarms of refugees on sight.
It's not going to be at all pleasant, but it will make people look back on these times of Afghans and Syrians squabbling over who's getting more free food and shelter, and getting beat up a bit with batons, as the peaceful innocent days before it all went bad.
Due to that striving for survival, the countries being invaded by the refugees, whose economies are generally going downhill and who will not be exempt from the climate change deprivations, are going to reach the point where they round up all refugees into internment camps. The refugees will, naturally, try to fight this. So later on, those countries on the front lines will gun down the swarms of refugees on sight.
It's not going to be at all pleasant, but it will make people look back on these times of Afghans and Syrians squabbling over who's getting more free food and shelter, and getting beat up a bit with batons, as the peaceful innocent days before it all went bad.
35
ALL because of the *liberal* policies of Europe's liberal political, academic and media elites. And None Dare Call it Treason.
6
very astute observation. Many social scientists have made the articulate that climate change could in fact be one of the leading roots of terrorism in the middle east. a thorn by any other name....
4
Thank you, Paolo Pellegrin. "Police officers confronting a group of refugees in front of the police booth in the Mytilini port area" should be World Press Photo of the Year.
1
No amount of pictures can change the facts on the ground or the water.
The countries like Greece are being invaded and the Greeks livelihood is being destroyed as no tourists will return/come to this island again.
These are illegal immigrants. They stopped being migrants when they passed through the first "safe" country.
They are benefit and rights shopping among the European nations, wanting to go to Germany or Sweden.
They are primarily young men.
There are many if not a majority of non-Syrians along for the ride.
The NYT and the liberal media, elites and humanitarians, all without a shred of common sense have made a bad crisis worse by encouraging this invading horde.
These do-gooders do a disservice to all the countries and people in them that are putting up with the invasion while they sit back and claim a moral high ground that is neither moral nor high ground.
It is arrogance born of never having to answer to the consequences of their decisions. And it's as bad as going to war for the wrong reasons.
Shame on the NYT for trying to endlessly push this narrative on its readers.
The countries like Greece are being invaded and the Greeks livelihood is being destroyed as no tourists will return/come to this island again.
These are illegal immigrants. They stopped being migrants when they passed through the first "safe" country.
They are benefit and rights shopping among the European nations, wanting to go to Germany or Sweden.
They are primarily young men.
There are many if not a majority of non-Syrians along for the ride.
The NYT and the liberal media, elites and humanitarians, all without a shred of common sense have made a bad crisis worse by encouraging this invading horde.
These do-gooders do a disservice to all the countries and people in them that are putting up with the invasion while they sit back and claim a moral high ground that is neither moral nor high ground.
It is arrogance born of never having to answer to the consequences of their decisions. And it's as bad as going to war for the wrong reasons.
Shame on the NYT for trying to endlessly push this narrative on its readers.
60
Much praise to The New York Times and all media who have helped to alert the United States and the rest of the world to this human tragedy.
2
After we flood them with messages on their timelines..delay with more thn one week...
1
Nothing like seeing men in jeans and tee shirts, while women are covered head to toe in heat and humidity to understand what Islam is all about.
If these abhorrent practices and beliefs about the non-rights of women were anything but religious beliefs, would any civilized person accept them?
If these abhorrent practices and beliefs about the non-rights of women were anything but religious beliefs, would any civilized person accept them?
62
Comparatively speaking, there just isn't that many women and children among these refugees.
7
NigelLives
I doubt that the women are wearing heavy fabric. More likely something along the lines of light-weight cotton.
I doubt that the women are wearing heavy fabric. More likely something along the lines of light-weight cotton.
If we want folks to stay put in their homes and home countries we cannot destroy their homes, their food and water supplies, their utilities, their security and hope for the future, their economies, and their basic ability to survive. All of the nations directly or indirectly complicit in destroying these peoples abilities to survive where they were need to shut up and put out ... You know who you are.
2
Their food and water is insufficient because they had too large of families. That is not something I am responsible for.
No one tricked the people of Syria into having too many children. They did that all on their own.
No one tricked the people of Syria into having too many children. They did that all on their own.
7
Russia, who gives Assad weapons, and Saudi Arabia, whose Wahabism inflames all of Sunni Islam, are doing nothing.
3
Obviously 6 miles of water is not enough to keep anyone from moving from a poor country, at war or not, to a rich one (especially one with generous welfare benefits--as migrants have made clear). So if naive politicians like Merkel say there is "no upper limit" on how many refugees Germany can accept or refuse to enforce the EU's rules on applying for asylum, then yes, you will get "a human flood."
Here's the tweet that apparently started the mad rush: http://www.wsj.com/articles/obscure-german-tweet-help-spur-migrant-march...
"While the wait has led to frayed tempers among both the arrivals and Greek authorities," sticks to the Times open-borders party line: all that matters are the migrants and the leaders, who are either "liberal" and "humane" (thus encouraging people ever further from Western Europe to join the human flood and set out for Germany) or "callous" for representing the interests of their people, not all of whom are greeting the migrants with sandwiches and songs. Instead, many who have already experienced mass Muslim immigration are joining anti-immigrant protests or voting for anti-immigrant parties (Google 'Malmo immigration' and 'Swedish Democrats').
Did the "reporter" have to consult "most all those involved with the migrant issue" to "predict even greater numbers to make the crossing next year"? Does he expect his boat, which leaked last summer, to not leak even more this summer if he has not plugged the hole?
Here's the tweet that apparently started the mad rush: http://www.wsj.com/articles/obscure-german-tweet-help-spur-migrant-march...
"While the wait has led to frayed tempers among both the arrivals and Greek authorities," sticks to the Times open-borders party line: all that matters are the migrants and the leaders, who are either "liberal" and "humane" (thus encouraging people ever further from Western Europe to join the human flood and set out for Germany) or "callous" for representing the interests of their people, not all of whom are greeting the migrants with sandwiches and songs. Instead, many who have already experienced mass Muslim immigration are joining anti-immigrant protests or voting for anti-immigrant parties (Google 'Malmo immigration' and 'Swedish Democrats').
Did the "reporter" have to consult "most all those involved with the migrant issue" to "predict even greater numbers to make the crossing next year"? Does he expect his boat, which leaked last summer, to not leak even more this summer if he has not plugged the hole?
11
Sure they are heart breaking pictures just as it was the plight of black folks during segregation, discrimination and separate but equal hog wash, lynching of people in the south. In some ways conditions are even worst in other parts of thde world with the usual crooked timber of humanity. These folks are all victims of US war on terror in Afghanistan, the US / UK fraud war on Iraq with falsified and manufactured evidence by the Bush/ Cheney war criminals & other cohorts. The War in Syria and the ISIS Islamic state war in Iraq, Syria are related to the Iraq war. And yet the US malignant narcissist, chronic scapegoating, grab bagging, bigot conservative republican menace want nothing better then to expanding the middle east war,which will result in more refugees and displaced people. The ISIS warring Islamist are all mostly Saddam's military , who were banned after Iraq was defeated by Bush victory . The fraud war mass destroyed Iraq. Some over 500.000 innocent civilians were killed indiscriminately & over 5 million plus were displaced and made refugees. Most of these folks ended up in Syria. The Syrian civil war has created more refugees who per the media are escaping to the European Continent. Where small countries like Austria, Netherlands are hard pressed for sources, etc to accommodate and assimilated them. All the while the rich gulf states with Islamic Culture, traditions, customs, religion are doing nothing .
3
People suffering from "extreme" heat and multiple folks passing out from heat exhaustion. The men wearing tank tops and T-shirts still make their wear full Hijab that covers all except face and hand.
34
Horrible images. If ever there were a time for an Islamic Reformation, this is it. You would think there would be one Muslim cleric who might be disturbed by this catastrophic misery and would step up and propose some real reforms for this miserable and failing ideology. Instead we have ISIS taking these poor people on a one way ride to the dark ages.
How about an Islam that didn't throw draperies over women and didn't throw homosexuals off of rooftops? Again, one would think a kinder, gentler, more modern Islam could gain some traction right now. It (Islam) is a valuable brand and it needs a new formulation from some brave cleric with real Arab street cred.
How about an Islam that didn't throw draperies over women and didn't throw homosexuals off of rooftops? Again, one would think a kinder, gentler, more modern Islam could gain some traction right now. It (Islam) is a valuable brand and it needs a new formulation from some brave cleric with real Arab street cred.
28
Hard to count on saviors, prophets and redeemers in an age of secularism. Reason is the way, the light and the truth.
4
And what do you hear...crickets.
4
Powerful pictures. Shows the plight of people less fortunate than us and a Europe paralyzed and lost its humanity. I am ashamed of this.
The irony of all this is that Lesvos has been instrumental for making the image and idea of Europe that we know today. The native place of the poet Sappho and her powerful poetry. Theophrastus successor of the peripatic school of philosophy founded by Aristotle and writer of the monumental work on “historia plantarum” later plagiarized by the greatest plagiarist of all times Pliny the elder. This was the place where Aristotle got most of the ideas reflected in the History of Animals, Generation of Animals, and Parts of Animals that influenced Europe for millennia. Is truly tragic
The irony of all this is that Lesvos has been instrumental for making the image and idea of Europe that we know today. The native place of the poet Sappho and her powerful poetry. Theophrastus successor of the peripatic school of philosophy founded by Aristotle and writer of the monumental work on “historia plantarum” later plagiarized by the greatest plagiarist of all times Pliny the elder. This was the place where Aristotle got most of the ideas reflected in the History of Animals, Generation of Animals, and Parts of Animals that influenced Europe for millennia. Is truly tragic
7
Ah, the fruits of our labor, working to destabilize Israel's enemies has a price after all. Funny how there were no refugees from Syria before we started destabilizing the Assad regime. We evil we do, in the name of "democracy"...
13
there have 3 decades of quiet and peace on the Golan heights,the border, between Israel and Syria. this took place during the rule of the Assads, father and son. it is unclear that Israel would like to see Assad go. by blaming Israel in your post not only do you show your prejudice towards the Jewish state but a basic misunderstanding of the dynamics of the Middle East situation.
3
Heartbreaking. It is scenes from an apocalypse.
12
Ah, this isn't "Europe's Shame". Europe didn't cause the insane holy wars that have led to nearly all these refugees. This is "Islam's Shame". Islam did cause all the insane holy wars that led to this refugee crisis. Stop beating up civilized people for what barbarian people do.
30
These graphic, visually harsh B&W photographs are succeeding in exactly what they're intended to do. Saddening in every way. What are we supposed to do with too many people? How can each and every one be helped?
It must be exceedingly difficult to co-exist and live upon these small Greek Islands and other border towns infiltrated by these 1,000's upon 1,000's of migrants and refugees. Can you imagine this happening in your home town?
Maybe some day we can get the locals views and or opinions.
It must be exceedingly difficult to co-exist and live upon these small Greek Islands and other border towns infiltrated by these 1,000's upon 1,000's of migrants and refugees. Can you imagine this happening in your home town?
Maybe some day we can get the locals views and or opinions.
13
IMHO all immigrants should be requested to sign a pledge at arriving in their country of choice. It would fit on a page and be written in 3 languages: the immigrant's own language, the host country's, and English. It should say something like this:
"I pledge to obey the laws of this country and respect its culture and customs. I will not engage in violent acts of any nature, whether against the country or its individual citizens. I pledge to become a law-abiding, hard-working, productive member of this society. I pledge to obey following: freedom of religion, respect for all religions; respect for the democratic election process; respect for homosexuals and same-sex marriage. And especially: respect for women: No burka, no covering of the face [already forbidden in France] . No headscarves for those women who don't want to wear them. No underage marriages, no forced marriages, no female genital mutilation. Education and equal rights for women and girls."
Allowing this irrestricted avalanche of young Muslim males to settle in Europe preserving their own backward, anti-woman customs is a recipe for a disaster of continental proportions.
"I pledge to obey the laws of this country and respect its culture and customs. I will not engage in violent acts of any nature, whether against the country or its individual citizens. I pledge to become a law-abiding, hard-working, productive member of this society. I pledge to obey following: freedom of religion, respect for all religions; respect for the democratic election process; respect for homosexuals and same-sex marriage. And especially: respect for women: No burka, no covering of the face [already forbidden in France] . No headscarves for those women who don't want to wear them. No underage marriages, no forced marriages, no female genital mutilation. Education and equal rights for women and girls."
Allowing this irrestricted avalanche of young Muslim males to settle in Europe preserving their own backward, anti-woman customs is a recipe for a disaster of continental proportions.
25
Please use the correct language. The people landing on Lesbos are not refugees. They may have been refugees when they arrived in Turkey (seems doubtful for Afghans) but once they left the first safe country they ceased to be refugees and became economic migrants.
Also, I keep asking the NYT to explain why Europe should accept this flood of people, and the NYT keeps failing to do so. I'm with the commenters who want to know why countries like Saudi Arabia are not taking them.
This is similar to the crisis in the US with the Central American children last year. As long as people believe they can move to somewhere with better living conditions (in the case of some European countries, apparently free housing and health care!) they will take whatever risks they have to. The way to stop this is to refuse to accept any but genuine refugees, out of the refugee camps and not at the borders.
Also, I keep asking the NYT to explain why Europe should accept this flood of people, and the NYT keeps failing to do so. I'm with the commenters who want to know why countries like Saudi Arabia are not taking them.
This is similar to the crisis in the US with the Central American children last year. As long as people believe they can move to somewhere with better living conditions (in the case of some European countries, apparently free housing and health care!) they will take whatever risks they have to. The way to stop this is to refuse to accept any but genuine refugees, out of the refugee camps and not at the borders.
32
The U.N. recently released new population projections. The U.N. upped its projection for the continent of Africa in 2100 from the 4.2 billion in predicted back in 2012 to 4.4 billion.
10
Islamic practices refuse to check population growth, indeed it promotes population production first as a naive religious belief that bolsters customarily large households, and second as means of winning against a technologically and socially advanced West of which it is envious but to whose values it refuses to adapt. As Islam spreads in Africa, it gives religious validation to the custom of (too) many children.
How can a social and political system that understands that quality of life matters more than the quantity of lives win against huge populations without reassessing the value of lives comparatively? Why does the life of a productively trained and skilled individual whose society has seen to his/her education and socialization equate with the life of semi-literates whose goal is mere reproduction?
How can a social and political system that understands that quality of life matters more than the quantity of lives win against huge populations without reassessing the value of lives comparatively? Why does the life of a productively trained and skilled individual whose society has seen to his/her education and socialization equate with the life of semi-literates whose goal is mere reproduction?
Amazing, considering the number likely to die by famine, lack of water and disease as AGW hits hard.
Having to pick up something from my local downtown mall on Saturday night, i found it jam-packed with people of all tribes and colour of skins, many of them from the middle east. To me they were all Canadians. And they were all out being consumers and thus contributing to our (actually limping) economy. It may take a while, and it may take some leaning over backward, but since most western countries are multi-racial, is there such a problem in letting these refugees in to each country in sensible numbers with sufficient safeguards? Had I, too, lived in Syria I would also have been on a boat. As for those who comment on the style notes of the women refugees - when it's a case or life or death I would say that what they wear is totally irrelevant.
2
Go to Vancouver and see what unfettered immigration does. Try speaking English or French in Richmond. I don't want to spend my time among women (or men) in burkas. If you can't manage to adopt the customs of your host country, you don't belong there.
4
How frivolous to term the dress of the women refugees "style notes."The way those women refugees are dressed in heat and humidity can certainly contribute to their death.
3
The overwhelming number of young men in these pictures doesn't augur well for Europe. While the Times would have us believe, based on their heartrending photos, that most of the migrants are families with young children, these photos, closer to the truth, show a different story. Large groups of unattached, unemployed young men, culturally unassimilated, no language skills, in European cities? Sounds like a prescription for potentially violent civil unrest for Europe.
47
These refugees come from predominantly Muslim countries. Until they accept their own hand in supporting and propping up their religious governments and shed their own brutal practices such as female genital mutilation they will continue to be victims of their centuries old jihads. The Arab world has done little to demand change. Islamic religious leaders have either fueled war or stood silent. How much of the oil wealth has been used to enhance life for the masses including education. Just how many religious fanatics are among those thousands fleeing to the EU and what will they do to the social stability in those countries. This is truly a tragedy but one largely of their own doing.
27
It's Islam's Shame, indeed. I don't have sympathy for fundamentalists of any religion.
23
Mr. Stackhouse,
We're all about the same, that is, we're all pretty silly in our beliefs, religious or otherwise. You certainly clearly make this point. Boil us down to tribes is fine, but we all want the same thing: to feel safe and possibly wanted.
You may be surprised that one day soon, maybe sooner than you think, you or your kind may be seeking refuge too.
We're all about the same, that is, we're all pretty silly in our beliefs, religious or otherwise. You certainly clearly make this point. Boil us down to tribes is fine, but we all want the same thing: to feel safe and possibly wanted.
You may be surprised that one day soon, maybe sooner than you think, you or your kind may be seeking refuge too.
2
Alas, we are not all the same. Some of us apparently want violent jihad and a new worldwide caliphate, and therein lies the rub.
7
I feel helpless to help. Where is the leadership from Washington? How about setting up a program where any town in American that wants to sponsor a cluster of refuges (each cluster comprised of a few extended families) can do so with some federal support and guidance, but mostly with support from townspeople themselves. Churches, Scouts, schools, local Rotary, etc. could all be mobilized to unite and to help for the short term and the long term. I have no doubt that my town would rally. I am sure other towns would do the same. Can Washington think like this ? This is no time to be hand wringing.
8
"Where is the leadership from Washington?" You are looking to the wrong place for 'leadership"
I'd rather see the army and navy mobilized, thanks.
1
My goodness, I cannot believe some of the comments here. To react to such pictures with slurs against the refugees themselves, calls to stop the boats, etc. amazes me. Were I still living in Europe, I might well have doubts and fears about the thousands trying to immigrate but I hope that I would also see this as what it is: a humanitarian crisis. One for which the West — and the conveniently isolated U.S. in particular — bears much responsibility.
9
If it was a humanitarian crisis then why didn't they stop in Turkey. This is just a group pf people trying top game a system run by liberals and they know they can count on their guilt.
1
These photos are just heartbreaking. We're looking at a human tragedy of massive proportions. Every nation that can accept these people should be taking them in, but what is happening is exactly what happened to European Jewry during and After WW II.
Nobody wants them.
Nobody wants them.
14
If they were the kind of people people wanted, they'd have a working society, and vice versa.
18
That's why Israel was established for the Jews after WWII and I can assure you, they would take all Jews in if they had to (unlike the hypocritical, wealthy Arab countries who turn a blind eye). Every single time the Jews had to leave their countries and find refuge someplace else (with nothing but the shirts on their backs), they looked within themselves to not only survive but to thrive. Their contributions to every country they have gone to as well as to humankind in general has been tremendous. Thus far, Muslims in Europe have not assimilated well and refuse to adhere to the laws of their adopted countries.
1
My sympathies are actually for the Greeks, on a small island inundated with migrants. Where is the relief for them? Who will compensate them for their costs and the loss of income from tourism?
109
Yes, Greece has been burdened and so have many other nations in Europe and the ME. But to compare, let alone diminish, the horrors experienced by war refugees who have lost family members, friends, communities, homes and their possessions to Greece's real but temporary burden is heartless and ludicrous. It sounds like all the complaints of racism by European-Americans because a small number of ethnic minorities are given preference in certain programs or institutions.
You mean the Greeks who have been financially bailed out by the EU because they didn't know how to manage their own country and nearly brought the global economy to its knees? Everyone, somewhere, sometimes needs help - I guess it feels good to blame the Syrians for their own mess and forget the nations who have sought and got help from the world. Btw, is the UN even alive ?
Saudi Arabia and Iran should take 100% of these refugees. It is high time the Arab world deals with the Arab world.
81
Iran isn't an arab country. And 10% of Syrians are Christians.
Iran is not an Arab nation. The fleeing Syrian refugees are mostly Sunni Arabs, though among them there are also persecuted Yazidis, Kurds, and other non-Arab groups. Iran is helping Assad, who is an Alawite, and other Shia-protected minorities. Many Arab nations, such as Lebanon and Jordan, have already accepted millions of Syrian refugees. The far richer Gulf monarchies have accepted none. They should be the target of your anger.
1
Iran is not an Arab country.
4
The idea that this is going to be some utopian assimilation into Europe is quite naive; ignoring the fundamental extreme differences in culture and tolerance. Germany is an open tolerant and welcoming society but, one must wonder about the migrants who are arriving for mostly economic reasons and not for their embrace (or acceptance) of western culture and norms. The Obama administration has steered clear of a commitment to receive more refuges for this very reason.
50
The little 3-year-old boy who famously drowned, apparently drowned because his father was a human trafficker. A woman on his boat has come forward to hold him accountable. Her story, that the boy was brought as a false advertisement of safety on the board (him not wearing a life jacket, and so, causing the others to also come on board without life jackets) makes much more sense than the father's ridiculous story that he was just a passenger until the unknown and unnamed pilot, frightened by stormy waters, jumped into those very stormy waters, never to be seen again.
Now remind me, why is the solution to someone dying of human trafficking, to encourage that trafficking so that millions more will come, and tens of thousands will drown?
Now remind me, why is the solution to someone dying of human trafficking, to encourage that trafficking so that millions more will come, and tens of thousands will drown?
62
Funny thing is, Germany is encouraging refugees, Hungary is passing them through, and that boy is still dead. People will not stop drowning until they get the message that they can't come.
6
Verification please! Cite your sources!
Notice how despite all evidence to the contrary, including crystal clear comments from Bavarian officials yesterday stating that the majority of these invaders are economic migrants, the Times is now calling all of these people illegally immigrating "refugees." It's as if the Times is taking some perverse glee in antagonizing its readership with its never-ending bias in its coverage of this invasion. And instead of actually doing in-depth reporting on this crisis, the Times publishes pictures instead, preferably in black and white to make them extra "heart-rending." The Times agenda is on crystal clear display daily, and it is getting quite tiresome.
110
The Times, NPR, The BBC, the CBC, the Globe and Mail in Toronto, the Guardian..... Its getting sickening. Kind of like Pravda's coverage of Brezhnev in the 1960s or Iran's daily mass market newspaper's coverage of the Islamic Revolution. There is only one side of this story people. We will tell the Proletariat what is good for them.
If we encourage illegal immigration and elicit readers' sympathy with photo essays like this the surge will never stop.
55
"If we encourage illegal immigration and elicit readers' sympathy with photo essays like this the surge will never stop."
Pax,
The NYTimes has been encouraging illegal immigration from our southern neighbors for decades through it's 'oh! The poor undocumented immigrant' stories. And thousands of reader comments describing what it is to have one's neighborhood inundated with illegal aliens haven't enlightened the editorial board one iota.
Pax,
The NYTimes has been encouraging illegal immigration from our southern neighbors for decades through it's 'oh! The poor undocumented immigrant' stories. And thousands of reader comments describing what it is to have one's neighborhood inundated with illegal aliens haven't enlightened the editorial board one iota.
4
Is there any refuges, that have Russia as a destination? The coverage is just of a European crisis. If there are people headed to Russia, I would like to hear about it and the Russian response to an influx of refuges.
8
When the Allies defeated Germany and Japan, they "crushed" the enemies military and government. This is what has to be done here. Theocracy (Islam) is the driving force in their lives. This is where they've ended up as a result. Europe went through the same period of the Reformation. Catholicism and different sects of Protestantism slaughtered each other for many years. This is nothing new. The only thing different here is that we get to watch it live as it happens on television and in print. Where it ends up is anyone's guess. All I can think is, Thank God we're not in the middle of it --- yet.
24
And just what is the US doing about accepting these poor refugees? Nothing. Just like during Hitler's Holocaust. Shameful.
6
Dr. D.,
Wrong. We accepted Jews who fled when they could, before the fighting got too intense, and we are currently planning on accepting at least 100,000 Syrian refugees. So check the facts before the knee-jerk self-hating American comment, please.
Wrong. We accepted Jews who fled when they could, before the fighting got too intense, and we are currently planning on accepting at least 100,000 Syrian refugees. So check the facts before the knee-jerk self-hating American comment, please.
How long before families from Compton (Los Angeles) begin showing up in Santa Monica fleeing the very real dangers of gang violence, the despair of education and economic disparity?
Pick your local ghetto or barrio. . no actual civil war, unless you count the daily violence and occasional urban riots.
Pick your local ghetto or barrio. . no actual civil war, unless you count the daily violence and occasional urban riots.
19
Here's a great opportunity for the UN to get involved in something and be useful for once. If this Greek Island is once of the "ground zero" points for the refugees, the UN should set up a camp and registration center. Each and every one of these people should be registered. Then given a temporary camp spot while the UN works with a host country, preferable a muslim host country such as Turkey, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, one of the Gulf States, among others to take them in. And they should do this in every known entry point for Europe. This whole mess has been going on for years and is only going to build up into something that is not going to go well for anyone and very possibly could end up with even more tragedy for these people, and Europe. These people really need to be settled among their own kind and in a culture that they can be instantly a part of. Most of them are Sunni Muslims, and they should fit right in in any of the countries I mentioned above. Its time to start pressuring those countries very heavily to take care of their fellow Muslims.
Unless, of course, they have another agenda.
Unless, of course, they have another agenda.
52
They just have security concerns, that's all. Like any right thinking country.
3
oh please. 85% are young men of military age. Many come equipped with GPS enabled cellphones for navigation. They are fully aware of what welfare benefits they are entitled to in each country, more so than any of us are, and they make a choice accordingly. They pass through many safe countries in order to reach their favored destination. Its the sense of entitlement i find most unsettling. They make a mockery of the asylum laws which date from the 1940's when the world population was only 2 billion, and people had neither the means nor the information to travel long distances. It was meant as a way of sheltering people in the first safe country. It is clearly now being abused, and all these conventions need to be re-written for the 21st century.
118
Not much for accountability are you, these people did not ask America and its masters to destroy their country, but now that we have, you blame those with no power over their plight. If you want to blame someone start with yourself, for supporting a country that causes such needless suffering, all based on geopolitical goals (Israel), NOT support the people of this region.
[[Caezar Europe
oh please. 85% are young men of military age. Many come equipped with GPS enabled cellphones for navigation.]]
Yes. The point about smartphones was made in the Times a few weeks ago. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/26/world/europe/a-21st-century-migrants-c...
“Every time I go to a new country, I buy a SIM card and activate the Internet and download the map to locate myself,” Osama Aljasem, a 32-year-old music teacher from Deir al-Zour, Syria, explained as he sat on a broken park bench in Belgrade, staring at his smartphone and plotting his next move into northern Europe.
“I would never have been able to arrive at my destination without my smartphone,” he added. “I get stressed out when the battery even starts to get low.”
oh please. 85% are young men of military age. Many come equipped with GPS enabled cellphones for navigation.]]
Yes. The point about smartphones was made in the Times a few weeks ago. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/26/world/europe/a-21st-century-migrants-c...
“Every time I go to a new country, I buy a SIM card and activate the Internet and download the map to locate myself,” Osama Aljasem, a 32-year-old music teacher from Deir al-Zour, Syria, explained as he sat on a broken park bench in Belgrade, staring at his smartphone and plotting his next move into northern Europe.
“I would never have been able to arrive at my destination without my smartphone,” he added. “I get stressed out when the battery even starts to get low.”
2
If the EU starts accepting more people, more people will come, and more will die making the dangerous journey. You can't just allow people to come in because they showed up at your door step or you'll invite many more people to take the risk. It sounds harsh, but turn them back - stop them at Turkey, then maybe Turkey will stop them at the border. Turkey has no skin in the game if it thinks that the people will just quickly pass through.
56
Indeed it should turn away people who come to its borders and instead take them from refugee camps (to make sure they are actually refugees). Turkey registered 2,138,999 refugees, Lebanon -1,196,560, Jordan -629,245, Egypt - 133,862. The Gulf countries and Iran should start taking refugees in and refugees who are eventually granted asylum status should be proportionally distributed in Europe instead of expecting the migrant's preferred destination to simply take them in.
1
Would you take the same position if you were in a situation as desperate as these refugees?
I'd be more than happy to share my home. They have left for safety and a better life. My hand is open.
11
Shame on Assad!
8
Shame on Obama and Hillary for conducting a foreign policy that backs Al Nusra, Al Qaeda and ISIS rebels against Assad. And for overthrowing Qaddafi in Libya and backing the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
1
What strikes me in these photos is how the women are covered from head to toe, hobbling and hindering their identity and movement, while the men are wearing Western clothing. I feel complete dread allowing these people from regressive cultures and religions, who haven't been able to crawl out of the dark ages for the last 1,400 years to move into the West.
149
I could not agree more. As a European, I am sick and tired of this being called "Europe's shame," when a) it was primarily instigated by America, and b) the nations with most space (Australia, Asia) refuse to lift a finger. Meanwhile the Gulf States pretend it isn't happening.
I have been to Lesbos, and it is a stunningly gorgeous little island with a faithful tourist community, many of whom have been going there for years. I cannot imagine what the visitors and residents must be suffering, with migrants defecating in their streets and carrying their internal conflicts to a strange country.
I share the previous commenter's dread. Currently, bands of Muslim youths regularly harrass young English women for their fashions, and our only safety lies in greater numbers. Assimilation is a pipe dream with numbers like these, especially when you're dealing with people whose fundamental beliefs and behaviors are anathema to Western life. America needs to stop lecturing Europeans and admit its own shame.
I have been to Lesbos, and it is a stunningly gorgeous little island with a faithful tourist community, many of whom have been going there for years. I cannot imagine what the visitors and residents must be suffering, with migrants defecating in their streets and carrying their internal conflicts to a strange country.
I share the previous commenter's dread. Currently, bands of Muslim youths regularly harrass young English women for their fashions, and our only safety lies in greater numbers. Assimilation is a pipe dream with numbers like these, especially when you're dealing with people whose fundamental beliefs and behaviors are anathema to Western life. America needs to stop lecturing Europeans and admit its own shame.
85
It's not just distressing to see the women wrapped up and hindered; it's distressing that there are so few of them. Most of the pictures show an overwhelming majority of these refugees as able-bodied young men. You know, the people who should have stayed behind and tried to make a better place for their families. Too many times I watch the cameras actually have to pan to pick out the women and children among the swarm of (frequently angry) young men.
90
One reason you see so many young men is that their families don't want them drafted into either Assad's army or the insurgency, Further, precisely because these are patriarchal societies, the families value their young men more than others.
1
O.K. I got the picture, again. I'm sure at least one will be up for a Pulitzer Prize. However, the answer is not to allow unlimited immigration into Europe from these countries that are hotbeds of religious intolerance.
122
FYI Syria is/was a multi-cultural and very tolerant society. You are confusing Syria with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States.
10
I'd like to see a REAL picture of these migrant, that is, that 80 percent of them are young men. Exactly who are these people? Have they left large families behind? How will they take care of themselves? Who will rebuild the countries they left behind? How will they assimilate into the host countries, if at all? How many are terrorists? Why do they insist on breaking the rules, and being angry and disorderly? Is that the reason their own societies broke down, and their children became radicalized? Did Germany ask any of these questions before they made the offer of refuge? Did Germany consider the welfare of the rest of western Europe, as well as their own citizens? Do they see Greece any differently, today? I now believe that Germany's offer was not, in the least, altruistic. They had another agenda. What was it?
3
Anonymous: '...FYI Syria is/was a multi-cultural and very tolerant society...'
And yet the men are in tee shirts and jeans, while the women are covered head to toe.
No civilized country wants any immigrants who believe their religion justifies treating women as chattel.
And yet the men are in tee shirts and jeans, while the women are covered head to toe.
No civilized country wants any immigrants who believe their religion justifies treating women as chattel.
16
One of the greatest songs... Pink Floyd's "On the Turning Away" should, I think be played all over the world.
4
Great photos and I am thankful that someone is documenting this. It's really sad to see this, and I know this spells trouble for all involved. No winners here, and the suffering is bound to spread. This dire situation may not be simple to explain and more a result of factors too complicated to consider, including climate change.
These sad faces may be the canary-in-the-coalmine. We're all one step away from being in their shoes.
These sad faces may be the canary-in-the-coalmine. We're all one step away from being in their shoes.
9
Ah, actually no. People in most countries in the world are very far from being in these refugees' shoes. Nobody in America is going to be on the run from insane holy war anytime this century, same could be said of much of the world.
Everyone in the Middle East and Africa is a step away from this, undoubtedly, except for some lucky few in the few stable countries in Africa.
Everyone in the Middle East and Africa is a step away from this, undoubtedly, except for some lucky few in the few stable countries in Africa.
1
"We're all one step away from being in their shoes."
If we let them invade us, we will be even closer to being in their shoes.
If we let them invade us, we will be even closer to being in their shoes.
1
Turkey the new Mexico? Instead of preventing the flow of refugees, actually facilitating the flow into neighbouring countries.
31
Establishing the new caliphate....
18
Exactly-and the US is quiet on Turkey because is am ore closer ally on parer the Greece or Italy-
4
Turkey has registered 1.938,999 refugees. Let't be generous and say Germany underestimated and instead of 800k economic migrants/refugees, 1 million economic migrants/refugees will be going there. 938,999 people will still be in Turkey. Excessive amount of economic migrants or refugees is unsustainable for any country regardless of what future benefit they are hypothesized to bring in the future. Ideally, Germany should stop acting as a magnet so that more migrants and refugees aren't given an incentive to make a the perilous journey to Europe and quotas are established so that families to at least a proportional distribution of men, women and children are given asylum.
1
The Europeans have brought this situation on themselves by permitting the migrants to cross the Mediterranean. There would be no such scenes if the European navies had stopped the boats.
78
Are you suggesting that these families should just stay home, even as it's being bombed, and they're under constant threat of death, with no work, no way to access even the basics of living a normal life?
3
As harsh and cruel as it may sound yes these people need to be made to confront the demons in their midst. For centuries they have clung to barbaric religious practices and supported tribal factions and their ridiculous jihads. They continue to subjugate women. They do not demand change.
2
As if Greece does not have enough of problems to begin with...
75
Greek islands have collapsed and Turkey had a strategy for this in the midst of hthe summer so they can take advantage and divert tourists to their coastline- in addition the routing of refugees though Turkey has created a microeconomy based on racketeering and "baksiss" for the local officials and police connected with the traffickers who are having a party with Erdogan's blessing-
17
When I see these pictures, I think of the Jews in WW2. This is a massive human tragedy.
11
The situation is very similar to the refugees fleeing Germany around WWII era. We should not turn our backs even though helping in the short run will cause some discomfort on our part. Grumpy folks will grump, so let them. Helping will lead to benefits all around--increased numbers of workers both skilled and unskilled, vibrant migrant communities building new businesses and eager to strive for the sake of their children, and greater intercultural understanding of the host countries and the arriving peoples. This is how we spread new ideas and mutually benefit. Time and again history has shown us the benefits of welcoming the poor huddled masses: the Irish, the Germans, the Italians, the Jews, and so many other groups. For a long while even reformers like Jacob Riis said that the Italians would never assimilate but were peculiar people destined to stay in their enclaves and speak their own languages. Italians suffered discrimination for generations. It always feels like a new group won't join us in full, but they do eventually, they do, and they show us a way to move forward in new exciting directions with delicious cuisine. If not welcome these people now, when will we do so?
13
You can also "think" of the Balkans, Indian partition, the Crusades, the Turkish genocide of the Armenians, the Japanese slaughter of the Chinese....the list goes on and on. The bottom line is that the Europeans can't absorb these hoards
40
Having new types of cuisine does not justify having a culture changed irrevocably in ways no one can predict. The description of the outcome of this 'immigration' could also include violence, poverty, lack of employment, the formation of gangs, formation of a new welfare state, lack of education for girls, etc. We should be careful not to make the false assumption that the people fleeing Syria are equivalent to Europeans coming to America or Latinos immigrating to the US. These are people who have a repressive, foreign and archaic culture - most especially for women. They are not coming to Europe to fulfill a dream. They are fleeing death and destruction in desperation. So their desire to be a citizen of Europe is not the driving force. and it will show in their self identity (separate and distinct from the country they walked into) and their lack of loyalty to their new country - in fact is already has. The idea that they will assimilate and we will all benefit and live happily ever after is just a nice idea.
5