Arguably the largest displacement of people of the 21st Century, the Syrian Refugee Crisis has claimed countless victims, and turned millions of lives upside down. Yet the origins of the conflict have been lost in obscurity, as governments and media outlets focus on the movement of migrants, rather than the causes of their forced departure in the first place. This in turn places an underhand blame on those seeking refuge, focusing on the issues their arrivals allegedly cause, rather than understanding what they are fleeing from. In order to properly aid migrants, as they look to rebuild their lives, forcibly shattered by war, we need to understand the origins of their struggle.
What is the Syrian Refugee Crisis?
The Syrian refugee crisis dates back to March 2011, when Syrian citizens first rebelled in peaceful protest against the Bashar Al-Assad Regime, opposing its corruption, and demanding democracy. The Assad regime had been in place since the 1980s’, with Bashar Al-Assad taking over in 2000, following his fathers death.
Though described as a ‘civil war’, conflict in Syria involves global players; Syria, the US, Iran and Turkey all have stakes in the war. Russia and Iran back the Syrian government, whilst the US, UK and France and Turkey give support to the large agglomeration of groups which make up the ‘rebels’.
It’s important to understand that there are widely varying factions within this group.
The US, the UK and France purport only to support the more ‘moderate’ groups, and have more recently opted to offer non militarised assistance, after Jihadist groups became heavily involved. The situation, complex as it is, hosts a variety of competing interests, few of which seem to actually support the will of the Syrian people. Their initial protest for democracy is a right which every citizen should be entitled to in the modern age; the fact that support still exists for the Syrian government is chilling.
Moreover, it shows that there is still so much progress to be made, both politically and ideologically, in the quest for an equal and just world. The stance of the Syrian people is one which all human beings, by their birth right, are entitled to; and though it is yet unrealised, it should be a plight supported by all countries who themselves purport to be democratic.
Present Day:
March 15th 2020 marked 9 years since the eruption of chaos and violence within Syria, which has caused half of Syria’s pre-war population to be displaced internally, and abroad, leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians.
The ensuing refugee crisis which followed the outbreak of war in 2011 has shaken the West, unfortunately not in a positive way either. Media rhetoric both in the UK, and other western European countries, has demonised the victims of the conflict to a horrific extent. In 2015, David Cameron (at the time Prime Minister of the UK) described those fleeing the conflict as ‘swarms of migrants’ heading towards Britain, language deemed as both dehumanizing and highly inflammatory.
These comments divulge the idea that refugee presence in the UK is somehow cause for fear, and worry; the word ‘swarm’ conjures up images of a hive of locusts, devouring anything and everything in their path, leaving a barren plain. Instead of offering support, condolence, or understanding to the citizens of Syria, now fleeing for their lives, the former Prime Minister chose language to suggest that the refugee crisis was, at best, a nuisance to the UK, and at worst, a threat.
Unfortunately, this rhetoric has not subsided; in August 2020, the Home Office released a highly problematic video, in which ‘activist lawyers’ in the UK were condemned for providing legal assistance and defence to those fighting deportation. The video has been criticised by a range of MP’s, and the UK Bar Council, which noted that lawyers were just doing their jobs, in reference to the cases of asylum seekers. This comes after Priti Patel promised the UK, in late 2019, that migrants seeking refuge in the UK would be cracked down upon.
Patel’s stand looks to tackle the crossing of people across from France to the UK. So far, approximately 4100 people have made the perilous journey across from Calais in 2020; compared to Turkey, which currently hosts 3.6 million refugees. Patel very much emphasises the illegality of migrants arriving upon British shores, whilst failing to actually take into account why this is taking place.
A letter penned to Patel from a group of Tory MP’s criticises the aids (financial help and hotel stays) given to those asylum seekers who arrive in the UK unofficially. Apparently, risking one's life to cross the Channel, having escaped your war torn homeland, should not garner any special or tailored aid in regards to your legal status. The desperation of refugees is completely overlooked; they are depicted as criminals, their accession of guilt being their determination and will to secure themselves a life of peace.
UK and Asylum Seekers:
Statistically, the UK has only housed a minute proportion of asylum seekers( Britain hosts less than 1% of global total refugees), in comparison to other countries both in Europe, such as Germany, and beyond (Jordan, Lebanon, Iran).
The anti-immigrant rhetoric purported by politicians and media is both harrowing, and highly misleading. It completely dismisses the peril refugees face having fled their war torn homes, losing friends and family, purporting them to be greedy, in search of an ‘easy’ life.
This rhetoric skews public favour against refugees, instead of depicting them for who they are; people who having had their world torn apart, are seeking a life that allows them and their family to live in peace. The treatment of migrants on the European borders very much reflects this cruel, exclusionary narrative. Many attempting to get across from Turkey into Greece, and then wider Europe are met with horrific, violent treatment. Reports show that asylum seekers are beaten, robbed, stripped and swiftly deported by Greek border forces, measures which have been praised and supported by top EU officials. This treatment is inhumane; surely those fleeing a war zone should be helped, not hindered in their journey to safety?
Brussels IV, a UN and EU co-chaired conference was held on 29 and 30 July 2020, the latest in a series of conferences attempting to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria. Over eighty countries were involved in the virtual meeting to discuss the situation in Syria, which is now compounded with the global pandemic, and thus worse than ever. The conference cumulated in the collective pledging of 5.5 billion US dollars for 2020 alone in efforts to mobilise humanitarian aid to Syria. Emphasis was also put upon the need for political resolution, in order to bring long withstanding peace to Syria. This, of course, is much easier said than done; since December 2019, 900,000 more civilians have had to flee, as a result of persistent, Russian backed bombing by part of the Syrian government. More recently, there has been a minor clash between US and Russian troops patrolling the area, which although not resulting in deaths or serious injuries, does not help to de-escalate the situation.
The situation in Syria remains dire, and the depiction of refugees still unfalteringly harsh and misleading. However, cracks in the narrative are beginning to show; with the covering of stories told by the people who have fled war torn Syria.
Steve Ali, a Syrian refugee living in London, was recently featured in the Evening Standard, dispelling the issues with current depictions of the refugee crisis. He is co-founder of Refugee Media Centre, a platform which puts journalists in contact with displaced and undocumented people. This gives a real voice to those who have been caused to leave their homes, and meets a need in the media to change the narrative surrounding migration.
Written By Lizzi Philokyprou
[Image from Pixbay by Alexas_Fotos]
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