Let me begin by quoting an abhorrent man, who makes a clever point, Joseph Stalin, “when one man dies, that is a tragedy, when thousands die, that is a statistic.” This is one of the reasons why much of the world was able to overlook the years old Syrian refugee crisis – until recently, where a three-year-old boys body washed ashore in Turkey, creating a media frenzy. Aylan Kurdi drowned with his five-year-old brother, and mother trying to get to Greece, his father Abdullah, survived and returned to Syria to bury his family. He was then offered a chance to resettle in another country, in which he responded with “Now I don’t want anything, what was precious is gone.” – Words that should haunt those responsible. Before going onto the individuals who are responsible, I need to address the correct terminology that has recently been circulating the Internet. For one thing, it is not a migrant crisis, on the grounds that migrants decide to leave their homes in quest for better education, employment and more opportunities. Refugees, in which case I will cite the UN HCR; “are persons fleeing armed conflict/persecution. These are people for whom the denial of asylum has potential deadly consequences.” Since the 1951 Refugee Commission, refugees have had certain rights under international law. Including the right not to be returned to their country of origin if their safety cannot be guaranteed (somebody remind Greece;) the right not to be punished for entering a country illicitly in the event that they ask for asylum, and the right to life, education, security, religious express, all free.These Syrians that are fleeing their country, who are evidently by definition refugees, have all these rights under international law that all of Europe and basically the world has agreed to for the last 65 years! Although there are also real migrants trying to get into countries for better opportunities, most of the people we are hearing about on the news are refugees, and the distinction is incredibly important. STATISTICS
Yet, the issue with them moving to neighbouring countries (such as Turkey,) is that they are under legal limbo outside of camps, as they are not allowed to work. So although many have good education and labour skills, they cannot make a living – hence in search of lasting refuge, in which case, they turn to Europe. Who is responsible? The media, William Kristol, the President, Lindsey Graham, Samantha Power and so on. They said the Arab Spring would be better for individuals, despite the fact that 98,000 people were slaughtered in Syria. Significant results, demise and hopelessness for each one of those in the Middle East and the same individuals responsible are currently saying more arms, more war, and more devastation. The Asaad regime additionally have some fault, yet so do Iran, Russia and China who are giving direct/indirect support to the regime and doing next to nothing about the subsequent refugee crisis. The Arab States of the Gulf, albeit promising financial support have acknowledged zero refugees. Australia’s refugee record is abysmal and potentially disregarding International law. US have acknowledged less refugees, substantially less than countries, such as Brazil, regardless of them asserting the Arab Spring, and being fully involved in mass pulverisation of Syria and their people. To make matters worse, the way the government is managing this has turned out to be progressively bigot and irrational. We frequently hear migrants are excessively prone to carry out criminal acts, yet that is just not true. A huge body of data says that refugees and first generation immigrants to the US commit crimes much less crimes than other Americans. Ultimately, when the oppressed and marginalised are dying because they are oppressed and marginalised, those in power are at fault. Three year old Aylan Kurdi would be alive today and many others who have experienced the same fate as him, if they were welcomed by the European Union, Canada, Australia, US, Brazil etc. What world leaders and those in power need to remember is that although we do have legal obligations under International law, we also have ethical obligations towards the refugees. (Twitter - @JUUUKES.) Lowkey's lyrics express the essence of the refugee crisis. World Leaders need to do more, we need to push them to do more.
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Dallas; already a byword for political violence before Thursday’s massacre – the place where Lee Harvey Oswald shot John F Kennedy in 1963 and shattered America’s post-war innocence. Some may say it was doomed to live through violence since; apparently the worst attack since 9/11 according major American news outlets. Guns. Race. Mass death. America cannot seem to get beyond this divisive toxic mix that seems to just keep cycling through its modern history like a rinse and repeat cycle stuck without repair. You would think after the events in Ferguson and the murder of Mike Brown the police would be cautious before pulling the trigger on unarmed men. Maybe America is prone to repeating history; it has proven to be a nation, which really does not learn from their mistakes. Children are watching their loved ones die right in front of their eyes - Philando Castille. Some children are not even granted the chance to see their dad come home from work - Alton Sterling; but the list does not end there, the body count keeps increasing. Watching someone die through the lens of a mobile phone camera gives most of us a visceral combination of emotions. But seeing the fatal police shootings this week of Sterling and Castile through the eyes of their children stirs an even more raw sense of tragedy and helplessness. “I want my daddy;” these three words by Alton Sterling’s son expresses exactly why we cannot stay silent, why people are so angry despite their skin colour, because the voices are not being heard, nothing is being done and the same children from the same background keep losing the people they love. To Sterling’s son, though, this wasn’t simply another story about a black man killed by police. This was his daddy – and it is now his story. How many more children must witness such destruction, how many more broken homes and families? How many more childhood memories of a police officer shooting their loved ones does it take? But why Black Lives Matter? Well, that’s an ignorant question. For Black Americans, innocence was lost long ago. Violence has been the norm for centuries. A study conducted last year found that black Americans are more than twice as likely to be unarmed than whites when killed in incidents involving the police[1]. The protest at the centre of Thursday’s horror was a response to the “death-by-cop” this week of two more black men. America prides itself on being an ongoing experiment in democracy that guarantees the rights of all. Yet racism remains a fact of every day life. One hundred and fifty years after slavery was ended and 50 years since segregation was outlawed, some black citizens still live in fear of their own police and given the events, maybe rightly so. It always was: racism is its original sin. Ta-Nehisi Coates once observed, “America begins in black plunder and white democracy.” He was right. There are those who argue that black people get arrested or even shot more often than whites because they commit more crime. This overlooks certain problems. The first is a history of institutional racism – of militias, police forces and individual citizens arming themselves specifically out of fear of supposed black criminality. Racism in America has often been official policy, and that official policy has, over the decades, left an imprint on the minds of some white people. There is an irresistible correlation between the dogs and water hoses being turned on civil rights protestors in the 1960s and the invidious “stand your ground” laws that today empower citizens to shoot if they feel threatened. Why on earth are they being arrested for practicing their First Amendment? – “The right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Gov’t for redress of grievances.” One study found that juries sitting on a “stand your ground” case are twice as likely to convict the perpetrator of a crime against a white person than against a person of colour. People sometimes question why the campaign group Black Lives Matter insists on saying “black” rather than “all lives matter” – but the uneven application of the law suggests that their political bias is a rational response to the bias they experience in everyday life. Be it the shooting of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and dozens of others or the ambush of police officers — these raw painful final moments showing the violent end of someone's life are now everywhere. When African-Americans saw what happened to the two Black men they saw themselves — their lectures to their children of what can happen if they do not fully "comply" with police stops, sank on their shoulders like lead. We often think of online activism, as a shallow bid for fleeting attention, but this movement is helping to lead has been able to sustain the country’s focus and reach millions of people. Among many Black Americans, long accustomed to mistreatment or worse at the hands of the police, the past year has brought on an incalculable sense of anger and despair. For the world as a whole, we have come to learn the names of the victims — Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Tony Robinson, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Mike Brown; Mark Duggan, Sheku Bayoh, Faruk Ali, Sarah Reed (the UK is not innocent either) — because the activists have linked their fates together in our minds, despite their separation by many weeks and thousands of miles. [1] http://mappingpoliceviolence.org/unarmed/ (Twitter - @JUUUKES.) Say his name: Alton Sterling. Alton was 37 years old and selling CDs; he also had permission to do so from the surrounding establishments. Alton was executed in cold blood. I need you to have the courage to admit this was fucked up and happens far too often. I need you to have the decency to accept this was no accident. Alton did not resist arrest – however, he was pinned down by two Louisiana police officers. The state of Louisiana permits gun possession without the need for a warrant or a licence. Alton could not reach for his gun despite the outcry of the officers and the dispatch caller. Alton was lying on his back with two men on top of him and was complying with the officers' demands. There was no danger posed to these trigger happy policemen.
My heart is full and heavy and broken. The double standard; the disrespect, the language, the police narrative measured against the truth are infuriating. These are not themes I've arbitrarily mentioned; it's a constant pattern present in the death of POC from armed officials. Do not tell me 'all lives matter' as a movement is in the best interest of all lives. The movement, contrary to its name, does not appear to extend to people of colour. The media chose to use Alton's mugshot; it was conscious choice of whatever producer or director put together the segment. I'm active on Twitter; I've seen the family photos of Alton – images of a caring, loving man. The use of a mugshot automatically reduces Alton to a criminal; the value of context, honesty and fact are blurred by the choice of imagery to skew sympathy towards the police officers who committed murder. Alton was a victim. If you think white privilege is a made up concept – explain why Brock Turner's Stanford ID was used for the face of his crime but a mugshot is being used to symbolise Alton Turner as a victim. If you think white privilege doesn't exist, tell me why videos of the crime are kept off of TV and social media 'out of respect' for white families but I've had to watch Alton Sterling's execution repeatedly, from different angles, today. Tell me why Alton Sterling suffered 6 bullet wounds and the media used his mugshot but the 18 year old white girl from Santee had her selfie aired after committing her crimes. These videos of black people murdered at the hands of police are shared constantly. The tenuous line between raising awareness for activism in the name of justice and desensitising the masses becomes increasingly blurred. We have been exposed to this violence, to ignorance, to hatred and misconduct to the point where we run the risk of feeling nothing when these injustices, these tragedies occur. I implore you to stop sharing these videos, the work to dehumanize black death. Why have I had to watch Alton's 15 year old son collapse into himself on national TV, wailing as grief robbed the air from this lungs? Why have I had to watch Alton's wife struggle to speak in front of the press on the murder of her husband? Attorney of the store owner says Alton Sterling began carrying a sidearm out of fear of being robbed. I'd like to think the 2nd Amendment crowd would rush to his defence however, I have the distinct feeling the pro-gun community doesn't speak with black people in mind when rights are discussed. The uniform comes with a code of silence. How can your partner trust you if they feel you could speak on how badly they fuck up? You're supposed to protect one another and the department when you murder indiscriminately, right? I mean, why would you want to have to take accountability for your actions? As long everyone can keep their mouths shut, as long these body cameras just happen to 'stop working', as long as you don't have to suffer the consequences – it's okay. Both officers were in possession of non operational body cameras. Luckily, the footage was caught on an iPhone. We need change, it is long overdue. It must come on many fronts – one of which is from within the police force. There needs to be internal criticism with consequences whether it be training or unemployment. This force was created in the interests of protecting the people, it no longer serves this purpose. The people are afraid. We wake up, as people of colour, and feel unsafe because our skin is criminal. There is no space for anyone to say the way one dresses influences their chances of survival; too many have died to testify to this idea. There is no amount of puffery to stem this very deep, very real, fear. To be a person of colour and innocent and risk being slaughtered as you step onto the street by the men and women who swore to protect you. These people hide behind their badge – they murder with impunity. Neutrality has only ever served in favour of the oppressor, it always will. There is too much at stake, too much blood has been spilled, to many have died for you to stay silent in an attempt to stay on the fence. Is your silence motivated by your inability to empathise? Do you not feel anger and upset when lives are so brutally lost? Are you blind to the systemic racism plaguing these apparent institutions of protection? Hashtags are not enough, they've been far too reductive for far too long. It's not enough to just speak on it. We must move on it, too. I write for a living and I'm running out of words to elucidate the way this heart breaks for humanity, or the lack of it. I'd like to sign off with the following quotes: Jesse Williams said it best when it comes to the police - “it's time we restructure their function in our [society]”. “If you are silent about your pain, they'll kill you and say you enjoyed it” - Zora Neale Hurston By Jas (Twitter @JasvinderGrewa1) A generation given everything: free education, golden pensions, and social mobility, have voted to strip my generation’s future. A statement, from a commenter on the Financial Times website that has been widely shared, summed up the sense of furious betrayal among the young: “The younger generation has lost the right to live and work in 27 other countries. We will never know the full extent of lost opportunities, friendships, marriages and experiences we will be denied. The older generation took freedom of movement away in a parting blow to a generation that was already drowning in the debts of its predecessors. But what I will say is that if you are young and you are experiencing feelings of fury and heartbreak about the result, you are justified in doing so. The political is personal; the way that the future weeks, months and years play out will have powerful, definable consequences on the way you live. This is one of those momentous turning points in our personal timelines; if you are pissed off, you are right to be ready drowning in the debts of its predecessors.” Affects on young people: Young people today have found themselves part of a jet-set generation. This is a group of people who have never experienced the worries of visas to live, work and travel across a common European zone and it has shaped how they see their place in the world. Free movement is an inherent part of their ethos. The EU debate leaves young people with many questions about their own futures, which few have answered thus far. The average life expectancy of someone who voted Brexit is far lower than a Remain voter, according to a CNN journalist citing apparent YouGov and ONS data, meaning that “those who must live with the result of the EU Referendum the longest want to remain”. Leader of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron described the result as a “great injustice to future generations. Their future has been taken away by older generations,” he said, in a speech following the result. It is a tragedy that older voters, the people who have been able to benefit from European integration, have removed the opportunity for those coming behind them. For decades, young Britons have enjoyed the freedom of Europe, able to work, study and travel freely on the continent, and enjoy healthcare and other privileges while they do so. - Megan Dunn, the outgoing NUS president. “It’s possible you would need some kind of visa to work abroad and this would impact on your ability to acquire a job.” Freedom of movement across the EU currently means young people have a wider pool of graduate jobs to choose from, as more and more organisations work across Europe or specific targeted industries graduates find attractive are booming in other EU countries,” she said. Restricting freedom of movement means finding a job abroad becomes much harder for young people. If Brexit does prompt a recession, it is young people who are most likely to suffer. Research shows that graduates who enter the jobs market during a recession earn less than those who do so in a buoyant economy, and that the differential persists for years. Researchers at the Centre for European Reform (CER) note that if unemployment were to rise, it would be the under 30s who would be most vulnerable. But on a national level, a drop in immigration would not necessarily help young people looking for work because of the impact on the economy. Remain campaigners repeatedly make the point that immigrants put in more to the economy in terms of taxes than they take out. “Immigration into the UK is positive, it boosts the economy and it makes our society richer and more diverse,” said Vieru. Also, not all migrants come into the UK to do graduate-level jobs, they fill roles right across the jobs market. Leaving the EU is likely to have an impact on businesses wanting to set up and develop in the UK, and that is what will have an impact on the graduate jobs market, not immigration. The prospect of Brexit has already hurt the pound, and if sterling were to fall dramatically in the days and weeks ahead, it would have an inevitable impact on inflation, making the cost of living dearer. George Osborne’s threat of an emergency budget would take further steam out of the economy. The effect of Brexit on the economy is the key reason for many young people supporting remain. The process of the UK leaving the European Union would not be complete until late 2018 at the very earliest, assuming Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty is triggered when a new prime minister is appointed in the autumn of this year. Even then, that’s just the basic settlement — trade deals and movement regulations could take decades to hammer out - Put simply: The long-term effects of Brexit will not be felt by those who overwhelmingly voted for it. Because they will be dead. This is a final middle-fingered salute to the young from the baby boomer generation. Not content with racking up insurmountable debt, not content with destroying any hopes of sustainable property prices or stable career paths, not content with enjoying the benefits of free education and generous pension schemes before burning down the ladder they climbed up, the baby boomers have given one last turd on the doorstep of the younger generation. My generation will not enjoy the free movement to 27 different countries and the workers’ rights that rescued Britain from the "sick man of Europe" era of the 1970s. For us, there will be no golden age of economic hope and glory. UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage’s sickening elation at "independence day for the United Kingdom" (surely a joke, given the context of violent colonialism that Britain herself exported to the world over the last centuries, yet sadly deadly serious) heralds nothing but a grim forecast of turmoil. It didn’t matter. The UK voters ignored them. In fact, Michael Gove, a leading figure in the Leave campaign, and a potential candidate for the next prime minister of the United Kingdom, not only said, "Britain has had enough of experts," but also likened those same experts to Nazis. There was a total and institutional rejection of the advice of economic experts by the Leave campaign. Their campaign peddled lies, and our country will pay the price. My parents voted Remain, and understand the negative consequences of Leave. But the generation before them, seem blind to what they have unleashed. They don’t see the hypocrisy of adopting a staunchly anti-immigration stance in line with the Leave campaign’s xenophobic tactics I am a member of a generation that was supposed to represent hope — we were meant to solve the problems left by the last generation, usher in an era of progressive and unified humanity. We were meant to be the people to finally harness the technological potential of the 20th century for something other than a world war. We were the eternal optimists. The United Kingdom is anything but united. With this vote, the cynicism that my generation was supposed to have left behind has been reborn. The vote will undoubtedly erode the last of any optimism that we could have carried forward from the last few years. It’s a lesson that I feel my own generation learned too late, the result of which has been apathy, a lack of political engagement, and the feeling that there is no point participating in a system that does not have our interests at heart. And so we do not vote as much as we should, or even bother to register, and then politicians continue to make policy without considering us. Because why should they tailor their policies to you, when they do not feel they need your vote? Depressingly, and despite having the power to swing the result, it is predicted that turnout among young people was low – though we won’t know exactly how low just yet – and for this we can only blame ourselves. If you are young, and especially if you voted, I hope that the outcome of this referendum doesn’t put you off voting again. Yes, as a demographic, we have lost, but at the same time we have made a powerful statement about the kind of country we want to live in. That we are to be deprived of it is a crying shame, but at least we know that we are part of a collective of people who want a better world. Don’t let that feeling dissipate; mobilise, organise, strategies, and above all hope. Take heart in the fact that you’re more than likely part of this optimistic, open-minded gang, that there is a potential there simmering beneath the surface. By all means feel bitter, and miserable, and worried about what is going to happen next, but after that, please take heart: you are the 75%, and what you voted for was noble, and one day will be again. By (Twitter - @JUUUUKES.) - For Rozina, who has motivated me to keep writing and has always pushed me to increase my knowledge, just so I can keep her up to date. |