politics for the 99%

ACTUALLY – RT on Air: tensions at the Slovenian-Austrian border …

Published on The Independent.co.uk, by Jamie Merrill, Oct 29, 2015.

Kawphar Zangana would not say how his wife died. It was too much for him. “They [Isis] took her from me in Iraq. Now I can only help my children get to Germany.”  

Mr Zangana had travelled from Iraqi Kurdistan with his sons Hiwa, 14 and Brham, 10, and his daughter, Dilnia, 14. It had been a three-week journey during which they crossed into Turkey before paying smugglers to take them across to the Greek island of Lesbos on a rubber dinghy.

At Sentilj, on the border between Slovenia and Austria, that journey temporarily stalled as the family faced a night outside in the cold. “We made a fire because we don’t know how long we will be here,” Mr Zangana said. “The Austrian police tell us nothing. We have not eaten in a day. There is no water. We won’t go back to the Slovenia camp. We will wait here.

A hundred metres away an Austrian border guard was using a loud hailer to make himself heard above the noise of screaming refugees and a circling helicopter as thousands prepared to spend the night in a wooded no man’s land … //

… Fryeak Ibo, a Syrian businessman travelling with his niece to meet his wife in Germany, agreed. “We did not realise it would be so bad here. I swear to God, if Syria was just 1 per cent safe I would stay there, but is not. I had to leave,” he said.

“We are tired, we are sick and we are hungry but we are almost there,” said Mr Ibo’s niece. “Please just open the door.” Soon her demand was answered, and as several hundred refugees broke away to outflank the Austrian border guards, the gates were thrown open. Within half an hour no man’s land was virtually empty. Another few thousand refugees had completed their next step on the way to Germany. It was not clear for how long others will be able to follow.

(full text).

Refugee Links:

• Genocide Agenda – Al Jazeera Investigates, 48.15 min, uploaded by Al Jazeera English, Oct 26, 2015 … Documents obtained by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit expose the inner workings of the Myanmar government, providing “strong evidence” of genocide against the Rohingya minority. Website: Genocide Agenda, Al Jazeera English;
• Talk to Al Jazeera – Syrian refugee: I’m scared of the way they look at us, 23.35 min, uploaded by Al Jazeera English, Oct 24, 2015 … Hundreds of thousands of refugees are making their way to Europe. Although this number is smaller than the millions pouring into Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, it is a crisis dividing Europe. Many Europeans are uneasy and concerned about what they feel is a lack of control and wonder who is coming and whether their societies can cope. So what are the refugees seeking in Europe? And what do they have to say to Europeans who do not want them to come to their countries?
• Why Is Germany Taking In So Many Refugees? 3.56 min, uploaded by Seeker Daily, Oct 23, 2015
• Journey through Europe – Refugees, uploaded by PressTVnews Videos: part I, 24.01 min, Oct 2015; part II, 15, 23.25 min, Oct 24, 2015 … for weeks, Macedonia has blocked passage into its territory for thousands of mainly Middle Eastern refugees seeking entry into Europe. The Macedonian government has said they cannot take the strain, echoing statements made by other European politicians. “The migrant crisis threatens Europe’s soul,” says the Italian foreign Minister. But what about the refugees themselves?

in german:

• Constanze Schulze zur Lage in Passau: Pappkartons gegen die Kälte, 2.51 min, von Tagesschau News am 29. Okt 2015 hochgeladen … in Passau ist es eisig, es nieselt, und es werden wieder Tausende Flüchtlinge erwartet. Um Platz in den Aufnahmelagern zu machen, müssen die Ankömmlinge aus der vergangenen Nacht mit Zügen weiterreisen, doch niemand weiß, wann sie fahren. Schutz vor der Kälte bieten Pappkartons;
• Flüchtlinge: Krankenhäuser stehen vor dem Zusammenbruch, 1.24 min, von Auge des Argos am 25. Okt 2015 hochgeladen … deutschlandweit steigt die Belastung in den Kliniken aufgrund der ansteigenden Flüchtlingszahlen. Sprachbarrieren in der Notaufnahme sowie Krankheiten, die hierzulande selten sind wie die Tuberkulose oder die Krätze, bringen das Krankenhauspersonal an seine Grenzen. So gäbe es allein in diesem Jahr 150.000 zusätzliche Patienten. Laut Verdi fehlten jedoch schon vor dem Flüchtlingsansturm 70.000 Krankenschwestern und die Krankenhäuser müssten Personal aufstocken und mehr Geld zur Verfügung gestellt bekommen. Droht nun der vollständige Kollaps im Gesundheitssystem? Ich hab das Ganze mal etwas hinterfragt;
• Junge unbegleitete Flüchtlinge im Bistum Passau, 3.45 min, von Kirche in Bayern am 23. Okt 2015 hochgeladen … Schönberg ist ein idyllischer Markt mitten im Bayerischen Wald. Tradition und Brauchtum werden hier hochgehalten und auch Touristen kommen gerne zum Erholen und Kraft-Tanken. Doch die Marktgemeinde ist nicht nur fest in seine Kultur verankert, sie ist auch offen für Neues. Die Einheimischen zeigen das seit einigen Monaten. Sie engagieren sich, wo sie können für die unbegleiteten minderjährigen Flüchtlinge. Untergebracht sind die Jugendlichen im Haus Sankt Vito;
• Flüchtlinge retten, Schlepper jagen – die NDR-Reportage, 28.48 min, von ARD am 22. Okt hochgeladen … eigentlich soll die Fregatte “Schleswig-Holstein” im Mittelmeer Informationen über Schlepper sammeln – doch momentan ist die Crew auch immer wieder im Rettungseinsatz;

Other Links:

Video: Man hunted for rescuing Yazidi slaves shares his story with RT, 3.47 min, on Russia Today RT, Oct 28, 2015;

Iran to be invited to participate in Syria talks – US, on Russia Today RT, Oct 27, 2015;

Syrian War: Syria, Russia, Iran versus U.S., Saudis, Qatar, Turkey, ISIS, on The People’s Voice.org, by Eic Zuesse, Oct 27, 2015;

Washington Accuses Putin. Russian Airstrikes are Targeting “Our Guys” in Syria, on Global Research.ca, by Prof Michel Chossudovsky, Oct 26, 2015: … ‘our guys’ in Syria are: CIA Operatives, Military Advisers, Mercenaries, Special Forces, … Instead of ISIS Terrorists;

Vollständige Rede von Wladimir Putin vor dem Waldai-Club – in deutscher Übersetzung, 28.14 min, von RT Deutsch am 26. 2015 hochgeladen … vergangene Woche hat der russische Präsident Wladimir Putin vor dem Internationalen Diskussions-Klub „Waldai“ (russisch Международный дискуссионный клуб «Валдай») seine Rede zum Tagungsthema „Gesellschaften zwischen Krieg und Frieden – Überwindung der Konfliktlogik für die Welt von morgen“ gehalten. RT Deutsch präsentiert die Rede in voller Länge und deutscher Übersetzung. Mehr auf unserer Webseite RT Deutsch;

NATO to Deploy More Troops Near Russia’s Borders, on The People’s Voice.org, by Stephen Lendman, Oct 9, 2015;

Greece is now a protectorate of the European Union, on Voltairenet.org, Sept 10, 2015: According to the revelations in the Greek Press on the 5th September 2015, concerning the secret agreement signed by the Tsípras government, « the new government of Greece will be under the strict supervision of Brussels». The deputy director of the Commission for Economic and Financial Affairs, Holland’s Maarten Verwey (photo), will preside over the new work group.