Syrian refugees in standoff - demanding entry to UK

[Bev]

Calais Ferry: Dozens Of Syrians In Stand-Off
More than 60 Syrians are demanding entry to the UK and two are threatening to jump off a ferry terminal building.

More than 60 Syrians who want to enter the UK are in a stand-off with French police at the Calais ferry terminal.

The group have occupied a footbridge at the terminal in northern France since Wednesday, and today police moved in to clear them.

Two of the Syrians have climbed on to the ferry terminal roof and are threatening to jump off if their demands are not met. Twenty of the group are on hunger strike, according to reports.

France has offered the migrants the right to seek asylum. But the group said they wanted to start a new life in Britain and were treated "worse than animals" in France.

Around 50 riot police moved in early this morning to try and clear the refugees from the footbridge.

But they backed off when two of them climbed on top of a nearby building and threatened to jump off if officers approached.

Denis Robin, the prefect of the Pas-de-Calais region, then went to the site and offered the Syrians, who are currently illegal immigrants, the right to asylum.

"Today, the Syrians present here are caught in a stalemate. What we can do is to offer them a status on French territory ... in other words to make a request for asylum," he told reporters.

He said each demand for asylum had "95% chances of success", adding that he was in contact with the British Embassy in Paris.

"We cannot take any decision on their access to Britain," Mr Robin said. "I am not persuading them to settle in France but trying to legalise their status."

French foreign minister Laurent Fabius has pledged to fast-track the asylum applications of Syrians fleeing the civil war.

But the refugees, most of whom arrived in Calais a month ago, have been critical of their treatment.

"We thought that France was the country where human rights are respected," said Tarik, a 19-year-old engineering student from the southern Syrian city of Deraa.

"But we live outside like dogs, hunted down by the police, we see we are not welcome, how can we seek asylum here?"

He said he was convinced he would find "more humanity" in Britain and eventually bring over his mother and younger brothers currently living in Egypt.

Ali, 38, said that although President Francois Hollande had taken a strong stand against President Bashar al Assad's regime for allegedly using chemical weapons, the French were not welcoming at all.

"Why does [Mr Hollande] say one thing and the police another?" he said, adding that he had spent £8,700 (€9,500) to come to a country where the "President said 'we must help Syrians'".

"Here even animals are better treated than us," he said.
Syrians in stand-off with French authorities in Calais Some of the Syrians are on hunger strike

The group has written a letter to British Home Secretary Theresa May demanding to speak to an official from her department.

"We have the right to claim asylum in England, but how do we get there? There is not a legal way to cross," they wrote.

"David Cameron has pledged to ‘lead the world’ on aid for Syrian refugees. The situation of the Syrians protesting in the port of Calais offers a perfect opportunity to support Syrian refugees at our borders, turning this rhetoric into action.

"Failure to do so will open the Government to accusations of hypocrisy."

A UK Border Force spokesperson told Sky News: "The responsibility for legal and illegal migration in France is the responsibility of the French authorities.

"We work very closely on matters of border security with the French authorities to maintain the integrity of the controls."

The UN refugee agency has said 17 countries, including France, have agreed to receive quotas of refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria.

France has had only 850 registered demands for asylum from Syrians since the start of this year, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said late last month.

A P&O spokesman told Sky News: "The protest is not disrupting any services out of Calais."

http://news.sky.com/story/1150179/ca...s-in-stand-off

Comments from those who danced in glee at the thought of attacking Syria?

[Bev]

'Take us to the UK': Syrian refugees go on hunger strike in Calais demanding asylum

DOZENS of Syrian asylum seekers were today occupying a roof and footbridge in Calais and demanding: "Take us to the United Kingdom".



Riot police were trying to control the group, all of whom want to claim housing and benefits in Britain rather than France.

Around 40 of them have gone on hunger strike and refuse to move from the bridge in the Calais ferry port. Some have also climbed on a roof and threatened to jump off unless their demand to be taken to England is met.

"We are treated like dogs in France and do not want to stay here," said one migrant, who said his name was Majid.

"Britain is a fair country, and that is why we want to go there - we will be treated will by the British government."

Placards held up by the 60 plus refugees include slogans including "Take us to the UK" and "We want to talk to David Cameron".

Riot police tried to clear the refugees from the gangway, but they backed off when they saw the two men on the roof threatening to jump off.

Britain dispatched extra border agents to northern France as tensions among the migrants grew.


Denis Robin, the prefect of the Pas-de-Calais region, said: "The Syrians are in a stalemate. What we can do is offer them asylum in France", adding that they all had a "95 per cent chance of success."

Mr Robin said: "We cannot take any decision on their access to Britain. I am not persuading them to settle in France but trying to legalise their status."

France has only registered 850 asylum claims from Syria this year, according to the UN.

A spokesman for Calais port said there was "no disruption to ferry services" so far caused by the protest.

Syria has close historical links with France, which has promised to speed up asylum claims from those who have escaped the civil war.

But the process is slow in France, with few benefits made available while migrants are waiting.

French President Francois Hollande had led the calls for military action against Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad's regime, but his government has been criticised for not doing enough to help Syrian refugees.

Those sleeping rough are quickly moved on by the police, leaving them to rely on homeless charities.

The Calais group includes women and children, all of whom say they come from towns which have been bombed continually.

One woman, who said she originally came from 'near Damascus', said: 'The procedures for us to claim asylum are far simpler and quicker in Britain.

"Once there we will be well treated, and can bring our families too. We can start new lives in Britain."



Calais is a notorious magnate for migrants from all over the world, many of whom try to get into Britain illegally, either in the back of lorries crossing the Channel by ferry, or by hiding in trains.

Increased security at the port has made illegal passages far more difficult however, with the French working to control the flow with their British counterparts.

Seventeen countries including France are liaising with the United Nations receive quotas of refugees fleeing war in Syria, which has claimed more than 100,000 lives since it started in early 2011.

Some two million refugees have been created by the conflict, many of whom are in Syria's neighbours including Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/...manding-asylum

[Bev]

French police moved in to clear the protesters yesterday morning but were forced to retreat when two men threatened to throw themselves from the roof of a terminal building.

The group, who are all fleeing the Syrian civil war, descended on the site on Wednesday and refused to move until they are allowed to cross the Channel for a better life.

They have written to Home Secretary Theresa May pleading for her to intervene and grant them refuge in Britain.

The letter says: “There is nowhere safe for us to shelter in Calais. We are here just for one thing and that is to have asylum in England.

“We are now demonstrating in the port of Calais. We will not leave until you let us go to England.”

Britain has said it will not intervene in a French immigration matter.

One hunger striker named as Majid said: “We are treated like dogs in France and do not want to stay here. Britain is a fair country, that is why we want to go there. We will be treated well by the British government.”

A woman, who would not give her name, said: “The procedures to claim asylum are far simpler and quicker in Britain. Once there we will be well treated and can bring our families, too. We can start new lives in Britain.”

French foreign minister Laurent Fabius pledged to fast-track asylum applications from Syrians fleeing the civil war. But the refugees, most of whom arrived in Calais a month ago, are critical of their treatment.

Tarik, 19, an engineering student from Deraa in southern Syria, said: “We thought that France was the country where human rights are respected. But we live outside like dogs, hunted down by the police. We see we are not welcome, how can we seek asylum here?”

He said he was convinced he would find “more humanity” in Britain and eventually bring over his mother and younger brothers, who live in Egypt.

Ali, 38, hit out at President Francois Hollande for taking a strong stand against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime but failing to welcome the refugees. “Why does Mr Hollande say one thing and the police another? Here, even animals are better treated than us,” he said.

The refugees are sleeping on the gangway and have drawn up placards saying: “Take us to the UK” and “We want to talk with David Cameron”.

They are surrounded by about 50 French riot police.

British officials from the Border Force are supporting their French colleagues but will not meet the protesters or negotiate with them.

A Border Force spokesman said: “Migration in France is the responsibility of the French authorities.”

Historically, Syria has close links with France and it had promised to speed up asylum claims from those who have escaped the civil war.

But the process is still notoriously slow and, unlike Britain, migrants are given few benefits while waiting to hear the outcome of their claims.

Those sleeping rough are quickly moved on by the police, leaving them to rely on charities.

Last night, the prefect of the Pas-de-Calais region, Denis Robin, said: “The Syrians are in a stalemate. What we can do is offer them asylum in France.” He said each claim had “95 per cent chances of success”, adding that he was in contact with the British Embassy in Paris.

“We cannot take any decision on their access to Britain. I am not persuading them to settle in France but trying to legalise their status.”

P&O said its ferry services were not affected by the demonstration.

On Monday, Kent County Council is due to publish a report showing how it expects to face an additional bill of more than £3million a year when visa restrictions on 29 million Romanians and Bulgarians are dropped at the end of the year.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage wrote in his Daily Express column yesterday that council leaders are worried that pressure on GP surgeries and hospital A&E services – along with demand for extra school places – will leave local taxpayers footing a massive bill.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/...ken-to-Britain

[Bev]

Britain should take in more refugees from the Syrian war to ease the mounting humanitarian crisis in the region, campaigners have urged.




The Refugee Council, Refugee Action, and the Scottish and Welsh Refugee Councils urged David Cameron to establish a "substantial and co-ordinated resettlement programme".

Germany has arranged to take in 5,000 Syrians, including women at risk, people with serious medical conditions and others with special needs - and granted them the right to work for two years. The groups want the British Government to put in place a similar arrangement to ease the pressure on Syria's neighbours and set an example to other European countries to do the same.

In an open letter to the Prime Minister, they said providing aid to the region was no longer sufficient as Syria's neighbours were now being utterly overwhelmed by the exodus from the conflict.

More than 97% of the two million people who have so far fled the bloodshed are being hosted by countries in the immediate region, the bulk in huge camps that are struggling to cope. As of the end of August, this comprised 110,000 in Egypt, 168,000 in Iraq, 515,000 in Jordan, 716,000 in Lebanon, and 460,000 in Turkey.

Mr Cameron has led calls for the international community to massively increase its contributions to the United Nations appeal, which remains massively below its target level. But the campaigners said that while the UK's lead on international aid was very welcome, it needed to do more to help directly.

Syrians "with a connection to the UK", especially the families of those already granted refugee status in this country, should be helped to come to this country, they urged the PM.

There should also be "an immediate programme of emergency humanitarian evacuations" of refugees judged most in need and urgent work to establish "a substantial and co-ordinated resettlement programme" in the UK and other EU member states.

The acceptance rate of asylum claims by Syrians arriving in the UK by their own means is presently high but the groups said others should be assisted to make the journey and guaranteed asylum.

"We are greatly alarmed at the scale of the current refugee crisis and are aware that these concerns are shared by the UK Government whose commitment to date to providing very substantial humanitarian aid is to be commended," they wrote. "However, we understand from the UNHCR that the crisis has escalated to such an extent that the countries bordering Syria are struggling to cope with the numbers of refugees, despite the financial support offered by the UK and others. We now believe that additional practical support, in the form of practical responsibility sharing measures, must be provided to help those displaced by the Syrian conflict and to relieve some of the pressure on Syria's neighbours."

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/430...refugee-crisis

They just can't help themselves, can they?

Trouble is, the massive publicity and the thought of yet another influx is likely to make people ask why we can't just intervene and make Syria a safe place to live. Just wait and see.

[fyc]

personally, i'd give them their own boat to sail here, and then detonate an incendiary device via remote once they are in the middle of the channel just to give them an authentic mediterrean asylum seeker experience

[Bev]

UK border police 'to consider entry' for Syrian refugees waiting in Calais
British border police have agreed to consider allowing Syrians who are blocking a gangway at Calais ferry port to enter the UK “on a case by case basis”, after the refugees refused to budge unless they win asylum in Britain.

Setting a precedent. Kick up a fuss and score.

After hours of discussions, Mr Robin announced that British authorities were prepared to examine the Syrians’ requests on a “case by case basis” but only those that had already had family in the UK would be considered for entry.

“However, the Border Force said they were open to examining on a case by case basis whether there were Syrian nationals who had family ties on British soil. And in this case, they are not against organising them reuniting them with their families,” he said.

And you know damn well that one Syrian who already has rights to be here will claim every one of these are his cousins. They're very well organised, as proven by this next quote:

One migrant told French media last month that he had paid people smugglers $7,500 (£4,680) to reach France after fleeing the war in Syria. The smugglers were asking for a further $1-2000 to reach Britain

Natacha Bouchart, the mayor of Calais, said: ‘The government must act. We also need people to open their eyes in Europe and for the English to take a decision. It’s unacceptable that it is France and in Calais that we have to control immigration.”

What the mayor actually means is the English must take a different decision.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...in-Calais.html

[Bev]

Dozens of Syrian refugees have blocked an entry ramp to English Channel ferries in northern France’s port of Calais. Displaced by war, hounded by misery and tracked by police, they say the journey will only end once they reach England, or die trying.


Mohamed Al Kayed left Syria to escape the bloody civil war one year ago. He has since travelled through Jordan, Egypt, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Italy, before arriving in France.

The young refugee says he walked for two months straight until he reached the northern port of Calais. But his final destination lies on the other side of the English Channel, in London. He swears he will get there, or die trying.

Mohamed is part of a group of 65 Syrian migrants whom police attempted to dislodge on Friday morning from an access ramp to a Calais ferry port. Two-thirds of them began a hunger strike at the sit-in this week, aimed at gaining the attention of the British Home Office.

“We have two options left. Either we die in Calais or we get to England. We call on the British authorities to study our case,” Mohamed, who unsuccessfully appealed for asylum in the British diplomatic mission in Jordan months ago, says. “We are also calling on members of the Syrian National Coalition in France. Aren’t they supposed to represent us? Where are they?”

The young man admits he has no interest in staying in France. His fellow Syrians blocking the ferry ramp brandish signs pleading their cause and appealing directly to Britain’s prime minister: “Help us Mr. Cameron, we are Syrians”.



Mohamed also deplores the “inhuman” conditions that he has suffered in France. “I did not flee one regime to face repression elsewhere,” he told FRANCE 24 by telephone on Thursday.

He recalls how French police continuously tracked him and other Syrian migrants during the past few weeks, repeatedly expelling them from several makeshift homes and barely giving them a moment’s rest.

“Every time we find a place to stay they kick us out. We can’t even sleep in the streets,” complains Mohamed, adding that after being detained by police for 16 hours last week, he was allowed to walk free after signing a document he was unable to read.

“Later, some interpreters told us that it was an order to leave the French territory. In my case, according to French authorities, I must be back in Syria one week from today!” he said incredulously.

Mohamed Ouhab, who works for the humanitarian group Doctors of the World and was at the scene of the Syrian sit-in in Calais, says the Syrian refugees have been left with no other recourse than the sit-in and hunger strike.

“Their plight has not received much media attention, but there have been several heavy-handed evictions from places where the Syrians and their families had found refuge,” says Ouhab. The activist added that many of the evictions were carried out without the court order French law mandates whenever a squat has been occupied for more than 48 hours.

French authorities appeared to be singing a different tune on Friday. In an attempt to negotiate the Syrians' voluntary departure from the ferry port, police prefect Denis Robin promised to help them obtain the legal paperwork that would allow them to stay in France while they applied for asylum in the country.

Sweetening the offer, Robin told them Syrian asylum seekers were now considered a priority by authorities and that they had 95-percent chance of securing a new life in France.

Time running out

However, the refugee Mohamed says that after his experience in Calais, he expects nothing from French officials. His dreams lie on the opposite shore. “All of us here have family or friends in [England]. My father and brother are in London, where they obtained refugee status is less than a month,” he says.

“In theory, the British authorities could offer visas to these Syrians, which would allow them to cross the Channel and file their asylum applications over there,” said Maël Galisson, a volunteer with a local Calais migrant protection group. “These people are within their legal right to ask for Europe’s protection.”

The offer of asylum in Calais now poses a new and difficult question for Mohamed and his friends. Because of international and European accords, being granted asylum in France would make it almost impossible for the refugees to claim asylum elsewhere. An open door in France will likely mean closing the door to the dream of life in England.

http://www.france24.com/en/20131004-...-hunger-strike


bolding 2 - told you they all had family here.

bolding 1 - So much for the first safe country.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...legal-position

The immigration rules state, however, that the secretary of state will only remove an asylum seeker to a safe third country if there is clear evidence that the country concerned will admit the person. This will be so if the person has arrived in the UK via another safe country and had an opportunity at the border of or within that country to claim asylum. The mere fact that the person has passed through another country does not necessarily mean there was an opportunity to claim asylum; if an agent planned the journey and the person was hidden in a vehicle for the duration of it, for example, there is unlikely to have been any realistic opportunity for the person to approach the authorities.

Well, France appears to have offered these people help.

However:

The legal basis for the protection of refugees is contained in the 1951 Geneva convention relating to the status of refugees, as amended by the 1967 protocol to the convention (together known as "the refugee convention"). A refugee is defined as a person who …

"… owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence … is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it."

Article 33 of the convention prohibits "refoulement" of refugees – ie removal to places or countries where their lives or freedom would be at risk on account of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. The convention also imposes other obligations on states, such as to secure equal treatment for refugees and issue special travel documents to refugees, which can be used instead of their national passport.

I wonder if any of them has thought of claiming they can't stay in France because of the burka ban which restricts their freedom of religion?

[Dawn Cannon]

$13,000! $13,000! Where the h*** is all that money coming from?

From the Standart (they need a little better English translator, but you will get the idea):

Some of the Syrian refugees in Bulgaria may be terrorists as Syria currently trains terrorists which it spreads around the world, terrorism expert Col Ivan Boyadzhiev told on Nova TV today citing two Israeli sources.

The expert supported his claim with the fact that some of the Syrain illegal border crossers to Bulgaria carry large amounts of cash and valid IDs. [pay attention to this business about "refugees" with large amounts of cash----ed]

According to Boyadzhiev, the Syrian terrorist cells are seeking less protected countries, as they get caught fast in the USA. [I don't know what that means, how many are getting into the US across our borders???---ed]

Th ecolonel noted that having a refugee shelter in the Sofia suburb of “Vrazhdebna” just ”meters away” from the Bulgarian capital’s airport was an ”alarming” idea.

Boyadzhiev also alerted that some Iraqis, Jordans and people from across the Middle East are trying to enter Europe through Bulgaria by presenting themselves as Syrian refugees without ID papers. [We are hearing this all over the world even as far away as Australia! Everyone is a Syrian now!----ed]

He was also adamant, that Bulgaria needs European help in dealing with the current refugee situation which is runnining out of control.

It is definitely running out of control!

Also:
I hear Al Azraq calling! That is the state-of-the-art UN refugee camp in (ZOG's) Jordan that sits empty. How about packing all of the demanding Syrians up and taking them there (including the ones now plaguing Bulgaria). Such action would send a message and other Syrians would think twice before heading off to Europe. It is a simple solution, but too sensible for the UN.


http://refugeeresettlementwatch.wordpress.com/

[Bev]

$13,000! $13,000! Where the h*** is all that money coming from?

Funny you should ask that.

From the Telegraph yesterday:

Charity millions 'going to Syrian terror groups'
People giving money to help millions of refugees from the civil war in Syria are inadvertently supporting terrorism, the charity watchdog has warned.

Some of their cash was “undoubtedly” going to extremist groups, said William Shawcross, the chairman of the Charity Commission.

Peter Clarke, a former head of anti-terrorism at the Metropolitan Police who sits on the board of the commission, said that donations could fall into the wrong hands once the money arrived in Syria or surrounding countries.

“Once you get into these very difficult, dangerous areas it is hugely difficult for charities to track the final destination of their funds,” he told The Telegraph.

“It is one of these 'fog of war’ issues where stuff can be diverted.”

He said it was also possible for terrorists to set up fake charities in donor countries to attract funds.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...or-groups.html

Although this article refers to funding actual terror in Syria, of course it's perfectly feasible that some of the money could be finding its way into the pockets of people smugglers or the asylum seekers themselves.

[Tony Houseman]

Charity millions 'going to Syrian terror groups'
People giving money to help millions of refugees from the civil war in Syria are inadvertently supporting terrorism, the charity watchdog has warned.

Some of their cash was “undoubtedly” going to extremist groups, said William Shawcross, the chairman of the Charity Commission.

Just like what happened with Live Aid. I read somewhere that Ethopia's population has trebled since the 80s famine.

[fyc]

not a single one of these cunts should be allowed into any area of Europe

[Carl Corey]

The Arab Spring could be Al-Qaeda's strategy for filling European refugee quotas.

A matter of supply and demand.