September 2023 - East West for Rights and Freedoms

Amid criticism from rights groups
Belgium: We will receive refugees from families only… and there is no room for single men

September 28, 20232 mins

The Belgian government did not find a way to overcome the shortage of places allocated to accommodate refugees, other than taking a controversial decision to suspend granting accommodation to unmarried men. The Minister of State for Asylum and Immigration, Nicole De Moor, explained that all places in the reception facilities will be allocated to families,…

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They say they are being treated like slaves… Migrant workers in France demonstrate to demand an improvement in working conditions

September 27, 20234 mins

“The company treats us like slaves, does not adhere to occupational safety and health standards, and does not provide us with masks or belts.” This was said by one of the company’s migrant workers on the occasion as dozens of them demonstrated in front of a waste sorting center in Paris, to demand improved working…

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The left considered it an attack on liberty
France bans wearing the Islamic abaya in public schools in defense of secularism

September 26, 20237 mins

The French government considered the controversial decision of National Education Minister Gabriel Attal to ban the wearing of the abaya in public schools as a response to the need to confront a “political attack” targeting secularism, as well as to the demand of school principals, who called for issuing clear directives on this issue. French…

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Oxfam sounds the alarm
Climate change may cause the number of migrants to rise to 216 million by 2050

September 25, 20234 mins

In a recent report, the non-governmental organization Oxfam expected famine to rise by a third in the worst climate zones, and explained that the number of climate migrants worldwide may rise to 216 million people by 2050, noting that the response of rich countries to these challenges is still much less than expected. In a…

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The far-right in Greece holds migrants responsible for forest fires

September 24, 20236 mins

Greek firefighters continue to fight the “largest” forest fire in the European Union in 23 years, while the far-right accuses migrants of being behind the fires, which killed about 20 people, most of them migrants. The fire that broke out on August 18 in the northeast of the country, near the coastal city of Alexandroupolis,…

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Germany: Political controversy following a proposal to restrict asylum policies

September 21, 20234 mins

The ruling coalition in Germany expressed its rejection of a proposal by leading elements of the conservative bloc in Parliament, calling for the adoption of strict policies towards immigrants, in light of the increasing influx of asylum seekers into the country. Jens Spahn, a member of the Presidium of the German Bavarian Christian Social Party…

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Rome seizes 3 migrants rescue ships within two days
A “ship battle” erupts between the Italian government and humanitarian organizations

September 20, 2023September 20, 20233 mins

A ship war has erupted between the far-right Italian government and non-governmental organizations, which Rome accuses of violating new, controversial immigration legislation, by rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. On Wednesday, August 23, the concerned non-governmental organizations announced that Rome had detained 3 rescue ships in the Mediterranean within 48 hours. The Spanish non-governmental organization…

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German solidarity to stop the deportation of a Syrian refugee to Malta

September 19, 20232 mins

About 200 German citizens gathered in front of the “Matthäuskirche” Church in the city of Darmstadt in the state of Hessen in central Germany, to protest against the Immigration Service’s decision to deport a Syrian refugee to Malta, carrying banners calling for “protection for all,” expressing their support for the Syrian refugees to remain in…

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German Employment Agency: 10% unemployment rate among refugees in Berlin… The Greens: Government failure

September 18, 20235 mins

The Federal Employment Agency indicated that the unemployment rate among refugees in the German capital, Berlin, has increased to approximately 10%, at a time when Germany is suffering from a labor shortage, which the Green Party considered a “governmental failure” par excellence. According to the agency’s regional data on employment in the context of refugee…

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Far-right in Finland is pressing to deny refugees free health care

September 17, 2023September 17, 20234 mins

The government coalition in Finland is moving to take a new package of steps to tighten immigration procedures, the most important of which is denying irregular refugees access to free health care, amid human rights criticism and signs of political division. Conservative Prime Minister Petteri Orpo intends to abolish a law requiring local authorities to…

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Germany: A new citizenship law that reduces the period of required residency and allows dual citizenship awaits parliamentary approval

September 14, 20234 mins

In an interesting development, the German Cabinet approved a new draft law to facilitate the naturalization process by reducing the required bureaucratic procedures, and finally allowing dual citizenship. The law still needs Parliament’s approval to enter into force. Under the law, which was approved by the federal government on Wednesday, August 23, foreign persons who…

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After 22 smuggling operations using “taxi boats”… France decides to establish a new floating dam in the Canche River

September 13, 20233 mins

Local authorities in northern France decided to erect a new floating dam in the Canche River, which flows into the English Channel, in an attempt to limit the waves of smuggler boats to Britain through the use of “taxi boats”, one week after at least 6 irregular migrants died In the English Channel. The French…

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