The fall of Assad has given some Western countries a political excuse to force Syrian migrants to return to Syria
Syrian migrants are worried about be forced to return to Syria (Picture: World Bank)
By Thomas Foster
Thursday 19 December 2024
SOCIALIST WORKER Issue 2936
European leaders have used the fall of the bloody Assad regime as an opportunity to ramp up racism against Syrian refugees. They hoped to outflank far right and fascist parties that are gaining ground—but it has only boosted their confidence to demand mass deportations.
European states suspended processing Syrians’ asylum applications in the wake of Assad’s fall. They include Britain, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, Croatia, Switzerland, Poland and Finland.
Over one million Syrian refugees settled in Europe after the Assad regime launched a civil war to destroy the Syrian Revolution of 2011. The intervention of imperialist and regional powers, including the United States, Israel, Turkey and Russia, intensified the refugee crisis.
The majority of Syrian refugees in Europe are in Germany, which hosts almost 60 percent, and Sweden, which hosts 11 percent.
Germany led the way in shutting the door to Syrian refugees, suspending applications at a time when more than 47,000 asylum claims are pending.
This leaves many refugees in a state of utter limbo. One Syrian refugee told The New Arab newspaper, “I have no idea what will happen after that.
“Will they approve my case? Will they deport me? The situation is completely uncertain, and the future is unclear.”
Many Syrians have nothing to return to in Syria, and they would be forced to relive many of the traumas they experienced.
The German coalition of the Labour-type SPD, the Greens and free market FDP collapsed last month, with elections scheduled for February.
The far right Alternative For Germany (AfD), which is led by fascists, made a series of breakthroughs in regional elections this autumn.
The coalition government fuelled its rise by failing working class people and scapegoating refugees. After the Solingen knife attack in August, all the mainstream parties called for a tightening of asylum rules—which only legitimised and boosted the AFD.
AFD co-chair Alice Weidel has demanded Syrian refugees leave en mass straight away. “Anyone in Germany who celebrates a ‘free Syria’ evidently no longer has any reason to flee,” she said. “They should return to Syria immediately.”
In Austria, the Tory-Green coalition government went further. As well as halting any processing of asylum applications from Syrians, it has also launched a review of all cases where asylum has been granted.
‘We must not normalise the AfD’—interview with German anti-fascist
The interior minister, Tory Gerhard Karner, announced, “I have instructed the ministry to prepare a programme of orderly repatriation and deportation to Syria.”
The Tory OVP formed a government even though it came second in the Austrian general election in September. The fascist FPO won the most seats and the OVP-led government wants to out-racist the fascists. But the move only drags politics rightwards, legitimising the anti-refugee racism and the fascists.
The far right is increasingly setting the agenda over immigration, whether it’s in government or in opposition.
This state racism has been met by some resistance. In the Netherlands, Syrian refugees and local activists joined protests organised by Stop Racism and Fascism. There needs to be more of this, with anti-racist activists mobilising to defend refugee rights.
In Britain, the Labour government has suspended around 6,500 asylum seekers after the fall of Assad. That’s part of it ramping up scapegoating partly in a bid to stop Nigel Farage’s far right Reform UK eating into its vote.
It’s scapegoating only lends legitimacy to racist ideas—and helps deliver some of its own voters to Reform UK. Farage opportunistically seizes on issues such as Labour stealing winter fuel payments. But his main appeal is that Reform UK the only party that takes “concerns about immigration” seriously.
Anti-racists have to campaign against Reform UK and the Labour government’s racist scapegoating that fuels it.
European leaders have used the fall of the bloody Assad regime as an opportunity to ramp up racism against Syrian refugees. They hoped to outflank far right and fascist parties that are gaining ground—but it has only boosted their confidence to demand mass deportations.
European states suspended processing Syrians’ asylum applications in the wake of Assad’s fall. They include Britain, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, Croatia, Switzerland, Poland and Finland.
Over one million Syrian refugees settled in Europe after the Assad regime launched a civil war to destroy the Syrian Revolution of 2011. The intervention of imperialist and regional powers, including the United States, Israel, Turkey and Russia, intensified the refugee crisis.
The majority of Syrian refugees in Europe are in Germany, which hosts almost 60 percent, and Sweden, which hosts 11 percent.
Germany led the way in shutting the door to Syrian refugees, suspending applications at a time when more than 47,000 asylum claims are pending.
This leaves many refugees in a state of utter limbo. One Syrian refugee told The New Arab newspaper, “I have no idea what will happen after that.
“Will they approve my case? Will they deport me? The situation is completely uncertain, and the future is unclear.”
Many Syrians have nothing to return to in Syria, and they would be forced to relive many of the traumas they experienced.
The German coalition of the Labour-type SPD, the Greens and free market FDP collapsed last month, with elections scheduled for February.
The far right Alternative For Germany (AfD), which is led by fascists, made a series of breakthroughs in regional elections this autumn.
The coalition government fuelled its rise by failing working class people and scapegoating refugees. After the Solingen knife attack in August, all the mainstream parties called for a tightening of asylum rules—which only legitimised and boosted the AFD.
AFD co-chair Alice Weidel has demanded Syrian refugees leave en mass straight away. “Anyone in Germany who celebrates a ‘free Syria’ evidently no longer has any reason to flee,” she said. “They should return to Syria immediately.”
In Austria, the Tory-Green coalition government went further. As well as halting any processing of asylum applications from Syrians, it has also launched a review of all cases where asylum has been granted.
‘We must not normalise the AfD’—interview with German anti-fascist
The interior minister, Tory Gerhard Karner, announced, “I have instructed the ministry to prepare a programme of orderly repatriation and deportation to Syria.”
The Tory OVP formed a government even though it came second in the Austrian general election in September. The fascist FPO won the most seats and the OVP-led government wants to out-racist the fascists. But the move only drags politics rightwards, legitimising the anti-refugee racism and the fascists.
The far right is increasingly setting the agenda over immigration, whether it’s in government or in opposition.
This state racism has been met by some resistance. In the Netherlands, Syrian refugees and local activists joined protests organised by Stop Racism and Fascism. There needs to be more of this, with anti-racist activists mobilising to defend refugee rights.
In Britain, the Labour government has suspended around 6,500 asylum seekers after the fall of Assad. That’s part of it ramping up scapegoating partly in a bid to stop Nigel Farage’s far right Reform UK eating into its vote.
It’s scapegoating only lends legitimacy to racist ideas—and helps deliver some of its own voters to Reform UK. Farage opportunistically seizes on issues such as Labour stealing winter fuel payments. But his main appeal is that Reform UK the only party that takes “concerns about immigration” seriously.
Anti-racists have to campaign against Reform UK and the Labour government’s racist scapegoating that fuels it.
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