Hungary, Denmark Discouraging Migrants From Syria As Other EU Nations Pick Up Slack

Last week, the Inquisitr reported on the drowning of Syrian toddler Alan Shenu (Al Jazeera is reporting that initial Turkish reports identified the boy as “Alan the Kurd,” or Aylan Kurdi, causing confusion about his name,) which shifted the world’s attention to the Syrian migrant/refugee crisis. The problem has caused many people to ask sensible questions. Is there a difference between migrants and refugees? Why are migrants fleeing Syria?

What is the difference between migrants and refugees? There is a big difference between migrants and refugees. A Canadian or American deciding to move to England to pursue better employment opportunities would rightly be called migrants — the term implies an individual that is moving voluntarily. A refugee is a person who is being displaced from their home involuntarily because of war, oppression, or other intolerable conditions. Referring to true refugees as migrants, especially by those who understand the difference, displays a glaring lack of empathy. RT explains the difference well.

It may then be understood that asking, “Why are migrants fleeing Syria?” is really not the right question. More appropriately, one might ask, “Why are refugees fleeing Syria?” Syria was plunged into civil war in early 2011 under the brutal regime of President Bashar al-Assad. More radical Syrians, displeased with al-Assad, broke off into factions, such as ISIS and al-Nusra, among many other groups. ISIS is largely comprised of former al-Qaeda members, but now holds al-Qaeda as its enemy. Al-Nusra, by contrast, is aligned with al-Qaeda.

None of these three groups is seen as desirable by most Syrians. Fighting between them has left large portions of Syria in ruins and is responsible for the deaths of over 80,000 civilians, according to reports from the Center for Documentation of Violations in Syria. Reuters reports that over 4 million Syrian refugees have fled the country and 7.6 million have been displaced within Syria itself.

Earlier today, the Inquisitr reported on the paltry number of Syrian refugees who have received help from counties that neighbor Syria, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain. Elsewhere in the world, nations have split into two groups: one that has been stepping-up efforts to accept Syrian refugees and one that is discouraging them.

Denmark, for example, recently published advertisements in Lebanon media outlets outlining measures aimed at discouraging refugees from attempting to flee to Denmark. Tightened restrictions are emphasized, such as “Reduce the social benefits significantly. The social benefits for newcomer refugees will be reduced by up to 50 percent,” among many others.

Denmark trying to scare off would-be migrants with these ads in #Lebanon media: pic.twitter.com/8uQasJJBF6

— Sara Hussein (@sarahussein) September 7, 2015

Hungary, which is a major entry point for Syrian, and other refugees, arriving over land routes through Croatia into the the European Union has asked for help from Germany in discouraging refugees from attempting to travel. Thousands of Syrian refugees are currently waiting in limbo at railway stations and in open fields, for a chance to board buses and trains, which do not have anywhere close to the capacity needed to handle them all, as reported by Sputnik News.

The Independent has reported on the number of first-time refugee asylum claims among EU members in the first quarter of 2015. Germany leads the list with 39.6 percent, followed by Hungary with 17.8 percent, Italy with 8.2 percent, France with 8 percent and Sweden with 6.2 percent. Denmark has received only 0.8 percent, making it 13th among EU members.

Hungary, as an refugee entry point, is understandably overwhelmed and is asking for help. Italy, to a lesser though still significant extent, is also a refugee entry point: numbers of refugee asylum claims demonstrate this. Germany, France and Sweden are each physically removed from entry points — asylum-seekers must travel through other countries before landing in these nations, making their asylum claim cumbers all the more noteworthy.

The Huffington Post recently reported on why the Syrian refugee crisis really shouldn’t be one. The population of the EU is close to 500 million and the number of refugees expected is about 340,000 or 0.068 of the population. By comparison, the United States has a population of 300 million and is currently home to an estimated 11 million undocumented persons (both refugees and migrants) or about 3.5 percent of the U.S. population. Estimates for the number of undocumented persons (both refugees and migrants) in the EU range from 1.9 to 3.8 million: below 1 percent of the EU population. The EU is home to about half as many people born in foreign countries compared with the United States.

As the Huffington Post points out, the United States is “hardly exemplary” in its handling of asylum seekers. Republicans, such as Donald Trump, seek to discourage migrants and unceremoniously evict these 11 million migrants and refugees. However, based on sheer numbers, the EU should be more than well-equipped to take in another 5 to 10 million migrants and refugees without undue strain on social systems, who could instead provide a boost to the EU economy.

“An influx of people with the proven perseverance and wit to escape war and repression back home and navigate the deadly hazards along the route to Europe would seem to provide an injection of energy and drive that Europe arguably needs.”

Discouraging migrants and refugees is seen by a growing number of nations as the wrong move from a humanitarian standpoint. Discouraging migrants and refugees may be the wrong move from an economic standpoint as well.

[Photos by Dan Kitwood / Getty Images]