Public Address | Cafe | Speaker: Refugee fear-mongering must stop

Sofie Bribiesca

Sat, 19 Sept 2015 11:12:38 +1200

This Government stoops to a new low, actually just their old low.

But not only was it factually incorrect to accuse a Maori woman of white person's guilt, it's also an insult to the climate change refugees who may only be days away from deportation to Kiribati.

Saud Al

Thu, 17 Sept 2015 16:15:40 +1200

I do not agree with this statement "America’s greatest ally in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, is continuing its illegal war in Yemen; bombing and starving the Yemenis with arms and logistical support provided by the US".
The war that Saudi Arabia and other countries are having in Yemen are…

chris

Mon, 14 Sept 2015 15:27:37 +1200

Thank you very much for that Bart, it’s very much appreciated. From a distance and with so little exposure via the media beyond the negative I find it all to easy on a personal level to lazily categorically file the whole gamut of middle eastern countries under the category “war…

Bart Janssen

Mon, 14 Sept 2015 14:27:18 +1200

You mentioned on that thread that you visited Syria about a decade ago Bart, so I was wondering if you’d be willing to paint more of a picture as to how things were there, especially in terms of attitudes towards the Government, unrest, emigration etc as you’d have a much…

chris

Mon, 14 Sept 2015 12:52:04 +1200

Worth remembering the gung ho Russian intervention as well

It’s no secret that Syria has been the Russia and the USSR’s closest middle eastern ally for some time, so these close ties would no doubt have been considered by the west when deciding which of the [[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/world/middleeast/cia-said-to-aid-in-steering-arms-to-syrian-rebels.html?_r=0 |anti-Government factions to…

Bart Janssen

Mon, 14 Sept 2015 12:02:59 +1200

Thank you Donna. There need to be more personal accounts like yours to slam home the reality that these are real people, not merely numbers in a spreadsheet.

Bart Janssen

Mon, 14 Sept 2015 12:00:18 +1200

macho gung-ho western

Worth remembering the gung ho Russian intervention as well. The conflict in Syria exists in no small part because of Putin's support of Asaad. Several people have argued (reasonably IMO) that Asaad should be mentioned every single time that ISIS is mentioned

Nowhere, more than in Syria,…

chris

Sun, 13 Sept 2015 22:23:36 +1200

It is a shame that people who make this argument did not apply it to the deployment of our troops to the Middle East.

I don’t know what makes me more uncomfortable. Obviously those who make that argument are wrong and they’ve been overruled to a degree in this instance.…

andin

Tue, 08 Sept 2015 07:01:37 +1200

There is little doubt that the misguided American and European policies have contributed significantly to the creation of millions of refugees in Syria, Iraq. Afghanistan and Libya.
Thats an incredibly generous assessment of the fucked up policies of the west for decades now. I know this post is not about…

John Holley

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 20:54:35 +1200

When you see it up close and personal, you understand why people risk their lives for the chance to live in the west.

Hebe

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 20:30:29 +1200

Thank you Donna. Moving, informative and perceptive. Getting our priorities right is the key.

Sofie Bribiesca

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 17:05:50 +1200

So 750 over 3 years. 100 this year.

Oh,600 according to Stuff

chris

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 16:28:56 +1200

The decision to take part in the war in the Middle East obliges us to also take responsibility for the consequences of that war.

That reminds me of this quote:

If there’s any good news, it’s that no one will expect New Zealand to do anything in the foreseeable future.…

Donna Miles-Mojab

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 16:11:22 +1200

Thank you Peter. I am truly disappointed with the lack of clear leadership from our PM and the politicians.

Donna Miles-Mojab

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 16:09:02 +1200

Thank you Simon. I have been frustrated at the lack of context and background to the discussions about the situation of refugees. As Robert Fisk says: "nothing happens without a history; nothing, zilch".

simon g

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 15:22:44 +1200

Thank you for that, Donna. One of the best pieces I've read on the subject.

Peter Malcolm

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 15:06:07 +1200

Wonderful writing Donna. Everybody including our Prime Minister and all the politicians.
Peter Malcolm

Russell Brown

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 14:49:38 +1200

If you want to see the scale of this issue across Syria and Africa (refugees and IDPs) have a look at the UNHCR portal.

Yeah, that's the next step, surely: addressing the whole problem.

John Holley

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 14:46:53 +1200

If you want to see the scale of this issue across Syria and Africa (refugees and IDPs) have a look at the UNHCR portal.

Rich of Observationz

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 14:41:29 +1200

And maybe the next step will be that the Censor bans all the alternative flags on the grounds that their dissemination promotes dissent and disorder (that could maybe amount to a criminal act).

Rich of Observationz

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 14:26:58 +1200

I can't believe that we have a law in place that allows text (and music, games, plays and works of art) to be censored – and on the say-so of one person. IMHO, unless a work involved (as opposed to depicts) a non-consensual act, then it isn't a valid subject…

Lucy Telfar Barnard

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 13:52:14 +1200

That's one way of looking at it, Sofie. The other way is the "no publicity is bad publicity" approach. When my mother had her books published she sent them to Patricia Bartlett in the home that Miss Bartlett would call for them to be banned, which she figured would do…

Sofie Bribiesca

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 13:27:23 +1200

Although this seems a tad off topic, I'm appalled that in this day and age, a kids book has been banned. WTF! As the Author says "Will I be burnt next?"
I'm wondering just what is happening here in NZ ? I despair at this self righteous attitude where "I…

Donna Miles-Mojab

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 13:21:57 +1200

Would love to Anke. Will email you direct.

Donna Miles-Mojab

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 13:20:30 +1200

Thank you.

Sofie Bribiesca

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 13:13:19 +1200

At the very least.

At least another 1200 as proposed here from the church

chris

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 12:13:49 +1200

There are really no excuses for not doubling our quota.

At the very least.

Kumara Republic

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 10:08:45 +1200

How many of those calling for the drawbridge to be raised:

– bang the drums of war, but otherwise go out of their way to avoid serving their country? They're called 'chicken hawks' in America.
– are descended from refugees of the Highland Clearances, the Irish Potato Famine, Dickensian England,…

RuralJohnny

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 10:06:22 +1200

I respect you Donna Mojab.

Anke Richter

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 09:23:47 +1200

Fantastic piece, Donna. Thank you. Maybe you could speak publicly at a refugee event here in ChCh?

Public Address

Mon, 07 Sept 2015 09:23:47 +1200

Discussion from blog post.