Refugee Action Coalition statement
The shocking terror attacks in Paris have produced horror and condemnation across the world. Such loss of civilian lives is tragic and deplorable, whether in Paris or in attacks in Lebanon, Syria or anywhere. But they should not be used as an excuse to spread fear against refugees, nor to spread division through blaming the Muslim community for the atrocities.
Sadly we have already seen Poland respond to the attacks by announcing that it would refuse to accept its quota of 4500 Syrian refugees. Hungary, Austria and Slovenia had already been throwing up fences in an effort to keep Syrian refugees out. Shamefully, 26 US state governors are saying they no longer want Syrian refugees.
Out of seven of the Paris attackers identified so far, six are European nationals. Although a Syrian passport was found near the body of one of the attackers, whose fingerprints matched those of someone who travelled through Greece, the passport may be a fake and it is not clear the attacker was even from Syria.
This is consistent with the evidence from previous terrorist attacks. Despite the hysteria about refugee boat arrivals, none have ever been involved in terrorism in Australia. Refugees must not be assumed guilty by association.
The boat journey into Europe is hazardous, as is the journey to Australia by boat. This year so far 3500 have drowned in the Mediterranean. Only the most desperate and poor, who have no other choice, will risk such a voyage. Terrorist groups with resources and planning are unlikely to travel using these dangerous routes.
All the evidence is that they are much more likely to use more conventional means of travel in order to avoid the heavy scrutiny that falls on refugees, who face stringent identity checks in order to be allowed to stay.
The overwhelming majority of refugees fleeing Syria are escaping Daesh and similar groups, as well as the dictator Bashar Al Assad. They have experienced the horror of Daesh’s brutal methods on a daily basis.
Syria, with over four million refugees, is a humanitarian crisis on an enormous scale, as the influx of refugees into Europe this year has demonstrated. Further bombing and intervention by outside powers will only create more chaos and more refugees.
We need to generously welcome those fleeing the conflict, not close our borders. In a rare moment of empathy, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has rejected suggestions that Syrian refugees coming to Australia are a threat. But the government’s discriminatory selection process and its extreme anti-refugee policies have already played a significant role in encouraging Islamophobia in the Australian community.
As the first of the 12,000 Syrian refugees start arriving, we should welcome them. But we also must demand a serious increase to the annual intake of refugees. In particular, we need to demand closure of the camps, an end to mandatory detention and to welcome all asylum seekers who arrive by boat and bring those on Nauru or Manus to the mainland.
The government’s anti-refugee policies have also left tens of thousands of asylum seekers trying to survive in the Australian community on bridging visas without work rights and refugees on temporary protection visas unable to travel or unite with their families.
These people have fled conditions and atrocities in their own countries in many cases commensurate with those imposed by Daesh in Syria, Iraq, and now France. Instead of making them suffer poverty and uncertainty here, we should be giving them permanent protection and including them as full members of society.
