No one has a plan for how to deal with the Syrian refugee crisis, and some countries have resorted to brutality and violence rather than helping.
Tear gas and water cannons were used on refugees attempting to cross the border into Hungary earlier this week. Refugees were attempting to cross the Hungarian-Serbian border, and Hungary refused to open it.
Many fear the European Union does not have the resources available to support the thousands of migrants now flooding into their countries.
With all the economic problems caused by the financial crisis in Greece and the falling value of the euro, the EU is in a tailspin. Even with all these things in mind, the use of violence is excessive and unnecessary. Hungary is not the only nation guilty — Greek police have been involved in brutal clashes with refugees attempting to cross their border.
There have been reports of migrants suffocating while trying to cross the borders into safety, and a heart-wrenching photo of the body of a dead 3-year-old boy that washed up on a Turkish coast went viral, with many calling for action.
With economic troubles in mind and with limited resources, we cannot expect that the EU will be able to give sufficient care to these refugees.
Luckily, a few plans are now in place to deal with the crisis, though they are heavily criticized and have made some more nervous than reassured.
Germany had a hero’s welcome for the migrants, worrying not about how they could afford it, but what they could do to help. Austria opened its borders to allow Syrians to cross either into their country or pass through. Yahoo reported that Germany will accept 31,000, France 24,000 and Spain 15,000 refugees.
It is clear the EU is trying to solve the crisis, but no one seems to agree on how to handle the problem. No one seems to have a plan in place, and it is unclear what countries can and can’t help.
But what has shocked me is the staunch refusal by some to allow even one Syrian across their border, instead electing to beat them back with water and tear gas and to refuse them shelter.
These people are suffering. To have one nation willing to give them shelter and another trying to send them away with water cannons is unacceptable.
Even if Hungary cannot accept Syrian refugees, even if it cannot provide food or resources, Hungary does not have to respond with violence.
At a certain point, it stops being politics and starts being an issue of human rights and human dignity.
ewenning@indiana.edu
