"It is completely false that refugees are refusing to come to Portugal", guaranteed the coordinator of the Refugee Support Platform (PAR).
Rui Marques was this tuesday in Faro, to participate in the conference "Refugee crisis: a challenge for Europe", where he not only denounced the falsity of recent news, but considered it "even more serious that refugees are blamed for the inertia of the European Union", which, despite having agreed to host 160 people, in September, so far has only accepted 159. "There are 159 and not 159!"
The main face of PAR joined António Branco, rector of the University of Algarve, and Elisabete Rodrigues, director of Sul Informação, entities that belong to the Platform and that co-organized this debate with it. In addition to giving a well-informed perspective on what the refugee crisis really is, through Rui Marques, who was a few days ago in the refugee camps in Lebanon and experienced the drama of the people held there, the session served to raise awareness about the need to provide correct and factual information, without getting into alarmism or feeding prejudices.
One of the ideas made is that Muslim countries are not welcoming refugees from the Syrian war and other conflicts in the region. Also here, says Rui Marques, there is a profoundly wrong notion in Europe. “We in Europe are very impressed with the 700 refugees on our doorstep. But in Lebanon, Syria's neighbor, which has a population of 4 million inhabitants, there are 400 million refugees living in camps, XNUMX of which are minors,” he said.
Despite their "miserable GDP" and a historical burden that would give them reasons to reject the population of the neighboring country, which occupied Lebanon until 2005, the Lebanese "remarkably welcome those who until recently were their enemies , because they are aware that they are people fleeing war and destruction».
The most recent exodus to Europe is linked to the growing lack of conditions in refugee camps in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan, which have seen international food assistance cut "by 40 percent". This leads to many trying to reach Europe, risking their lives and those of their children.
“Europe imposes a real test of survival on refugees. If they make it to Europe, they have a chance. But along the way, there are thousands of people, including many children, women and the elderly. We have to decide which Europe we want to be: the Europe that saves, or the one that lets die», considered Rui Marques.
Calling the way in which the European Union is managing the refugee crisis "a scandal", the coordinator of PAR argued that the delay in the process of receiving refugees "is a combination between a buffer of European bureaucracy and a lack of political will" . He even considers that "the European project has been transformed into a project of accountants, based on the purchase of services, in which everything is solved with euros" and that "barring refugees is ineffective, imbecile and deeply unfair".
Getting this and other messages across, allowing the Portuguese to overcome their fear of the unknown, is one of PAR's greatest challenges, admits its coordinator. But the platform has had greater difficulties in doing its job since the attacks of 13 November in Paris and, more recently, due to news that reported a possible refusal of refugees to come to Portugal.
Information that “couldn't be more false”, assured Rui Marques, for the most diverse reasons. First, because “refugees are not given the opportunity to choose where they want to go”. “Each family is offered a relocation opportunity and the family can, of course, choose to accept it or, alternatively, stay in the country they are already in,” that is, Italy, Greece or Hungary.
"Does anyone believe that, of these 160 people, only 159 have accepted the relocation and the others don't want to go to any country in the European Union?", he asked.
Rui Marques also challenged the popular ideas that circulate about refugees. One is "the iniquitous confusion between refugees and terrorists." He made a point of remembering that the recent attacks in France were carried out by people "who were born, grew up and who, deep down, were educated in Europe". There is also a phenomenon that he considers worrying, the number of European jihadists fighting alongside Daesh in Syria.
According to the coordinator of PAR, based on testimonies of victims, there will be around 20 thousand of these European jihadists and they are "among the worst class", that is, the most violent, of the members of that terrorist organization. In Syria, things "will have gotten a lot worse" since the European fighters started arriving.
Also the generalization, which leads all Muslims to join terrorism, is wrong and even dangerous. This is because it can lead us “to the dehumanization of the other” and, ultimately, to a clash of civilizations that would be “catastrophic”. “In many ways, what is happening today is the same as what happened in the 30s in Germany”, referring to the process that culminated in the persecution of Jews and their mass annihilation by the Nazis.
Hence, he argues that this situation should be discussed "with frankness and serenity", but never "demonizing positions and attitudes", which are based on "fears that are understandable", although, in many cases, unfounded. Not least because it is important to avoid extreme positions.
This is a role that belongs not only to PAR, but also to civil society in general. In this field, both UAlg and Sul Informação they are ready to do what they can to make a positive contribution to the refugee crisis response.
In the case of the University, António Branco does not hide that his personal opinion is that all possible help should be given to refugees, as a matter of ethics and humanity. As rector, he considers that “UAlg has to say present, without hesitation, to the urgent appeal of refugees” and place its vocation, education, at the service of those whom Portugal welcomes.
“We can start by teaching the language and culture, which is the best form of integration. But we don't need to stop here and we can provide training to those who wish," he said, recalling that UAlg has been involved in this cause for a long time, currently hosting a Syrian student who was prevented from continuing his studies in his country torn apart by war.
Yes, Elisabete Rodrigues he recalled the role of Social Communication, which “in addition to informing, must also train”. This will be one of the cases in which it is necessary to assume this pedagogical mission, “so that everyone can have an informed opinion on the matter”.
“Since the beginning of the refugee crisis, I notice that there has been some care, in the media in general, not to inflame tempers in relation to refugees. But there are examples of bad work and, unfortunately, I don't think it was innocent, since the choice of titles was not innocent, since the body of the pieces explained the issue well," he said. Elisabete Rodrigues.
In the case of the Algarve, and as a regional newspaper, the director of Sul Informação he highlighted the work that this body has been doing in monitoring the various initiatives of the Algarve's civil society to help and welcome refugees.
But, although some have even motivated denials, the negative news caused a "great impact" and led, since November 13, to "public opinion is much more hostile".
Accusations of ingratitude and widespread criticism of refugees, for various reasons, intensified. But for Rui Marques, there is a common denominator to the vast majority of people who take militantly hostile positions against refugees and those who intend to help them. “These people are characterized by the three Ns: They never did anything for anyone”, he considered.
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