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Feature: Syrian refugees lament Europe's non-humanitarian blockade

Xinhua, September 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

Ahmad al-Ali, displaced from Syria's Aleppo and taking refuge in Lebanon, packs in a small bag what he and his wife need for their departure to Germany, their new destination he has chosen to continue his studies, but wonders whether it is a "worth adventure" to take.

"I will take the adventure of traveling to Germany to continue my studies or to find a job in a company that respect the human rights, but those who travelled to Europe ahead of us, and are facing bad treatment, make my trip with no calculated results," Al-Ali told Xinhua.

Amer el-Shoufi, displaced from Idlib, also worries about "the harsh treatment of the security apparatus in the EU countries," but still decided to take the trip, putting aside what is circulating in the media about "the death of hundreds of illegal immigrants in the sea following the sinking of their boats."

"In Syria, death is a wholesale, displacement is a slow death. But dying in the seas would make of us useful to the fish who would eat our bodies," el-Shoufi said.

He added that "I will take the adventure whatever the cost is. I managed to collect 3000 U.S. dollars which is enough for the trip to Germany, and once there I will try to manage."

El-Shoufi lamented the "hostile atmosphere and the mistreatment of the security agencies in Europe to the Syrian refugees," calling these measures as "non-humanitarian and "blaming the policies of these countries for "all the destruction in Syria."

He said that "the European measures against the Syrian refugees are stupid and reflects the true feelings of those countries pretending to be democratic and free."

Adham el-Souki, displaced from Damascus neighborhoods, told Xinhua that "I decided to leave to Europe to continue my degree in pharmacy," pointing that "we exhausted all the possibilities in Lebanon and our last choice was to travel despite the hatred that we are faced by European countries."

He said that "we lost hope in the future of our country as the general atmosphere does not show us any near solution for the crisis in Syria, and my family is dispersed between Lebanon and Turkey and suffered from poverty and disease."

Salima Abou Hamad, displaced from Aleppo, said that she explains the new wave of Syrians immigrating to Europe despite all the mistreatment and abuse they are subjected to, as "the last opportunity for the Syrian youth who can see no near end for the war in our country."

According to the United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Lebanon host more than 1.2 million Syrians who fled their country since the uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in 2011.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a statement on Monday calling on other EU countries to accept more migrants.

The German government has already said it has suspended the Dublin rule to allow Syrians traveling to the country from other EU member states to apply for asylum.

According to the country's authorities, Germany expects over 800,000 migrants this year, more than four times last year's figure. Endit