Refugees
European Union chiefs determined to reach deal with Turkey to deter refugees
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 18 March 2016
EU-Turkey summit marks another grim chapter in the establishment of “Fortress Europe.”
Refugees face death and despair on Greek-Macedonian border
By Katerina Selin, 17 March 2016
Shocking images from northern Greece expose the brutal nature of Europe’s refugee policy.
Tsipras acts as gatekeeper for Fortress Europe
By Katerina Selin, 16 March 2016
The Syriza government in Greece is playing a key role in blocking refugees from traveling from the Middle East on to Europe.
What is behind the electoral success of the Alternative for Germany?
By Peter Schwarz, 16 March 2016
The Left Party created the conditions that enabled the right-wing nationalist AfD to tap into social frustration and anger and channel it in a reactionary direction.
Europe’s attack on refugees produces humanitarian catastrophe
By Martin Kreikenbaum, 11 March 2016
With its agreement with Turkey to seal borders, the European Union is trampling elementary principles of international refugee law underfoot.
The refugee crisis and the polarization of Europe
By Peter Schwarz, 11 March 2016
Large sections of the population look on the brutal conditions of refugees with horror and disgust, but the official political debate takes place within a narrow spectrum ranging from the right to the ultra-right.
Photo essay: Volunteer at French refugee camp speaks to the WSWS
By Jill Lux and Toby Reese, 10 March 2016
The camp at Grand-Synthe epitomizes the squalid conditions facing people who have fled their homes amid the greatest refugee crisis since World War II.
EU countries and Turkey move to seal refugee routes
By Peter Schwarz, 8 March 2016
The 28 EU member states worked out a deal Monday with Turkey that would make it even more difficult for the millions of people fleeing the wars in the Middle East to enter Europe.
Three men sentenced for petty crimes at New Year’s event in Cologne, Germany
By Dietmar Henning, 8 March 2016
Two months after the New Year’s Eve events in Cologne, allegations of mass sexual assaults that day are increasingly being exposed as groundless.
Refugees face disastrous conditions in Greece
By Katerina Selin, 7 March 2016
Tens of thousands of refugees fleeing to Europe are trapped in Greece, leading to a humanitarian catastrophe.
Leaked Australian document reveals plans for mass surveillance of immigrants
By Max Newman, 7 March 2016
The Australian government is preparing continuous monitoring of immigrants and more severe visa and citizenship tests to block access to permanent residence.
European Union threatens summary mass deportations of refugees
By Alex Lantier, 4 March 2016
As growing numbers of refugees flee imperialist wars in the Middle East, the EU is preparing draconian attacks on democratic rights to prevent them from coming to Europe.
German chancellor demands end to “waving refugees through the borders”
By Johannes Stern, 4 March 2016
At a press conference with the Croatian prime minister, Merkel attacked refugees with a brutality typically associated with her right-wing critics.
NATO commander calls refugees a weapon of ISIS, Russia and Syria
By Patrick Martin, 3 March 2016
US General Phillip Breedlove said that Russia, Syria and ISIS were using the refugees streaming out of Syria as weapons against Europe.
France attacks refugees, launches destruction of Calais camp
By Francis Dubois and Stéphane Hugues, 2 March 2016
The expulsion in the middle of winter of thousands of refugees fleeing war, including women and children, is part of the escalating persecution of refugees throughout Europe.
German parliament adopts anti-democratic “Asylum Package II”
By Verena Nees, 2 March 2016
The new package of measures agreed in Germany fundamentally restricts the right to asylum and robs a section of the population of democratic rights.
Macedonian police tear-gas refugees trying to cross Greek border
By Alex Lantier, 1 March 2016
Police fired stun grenades and tear gas at hundreds of desperate Syrian and Iraqi refugees seeking to travel through the Balkans towards Germany.
Swiss voters reject xenophobic anti-refugee initiative
By Marianne Arens, 1 March 2016
The rejection of the initiative “to enforce the deportation of criminal foreigners” is largely due to the unusually high turnout.
NATO operation in Aegean heightens threat of war with Russia
By Johannes Stern, 29 February 2016
The dispatch of warships under German leadership to the strategic Aegean Sea to deter refugees heightens the risk of NATO intervention in Syria.
University of Leipzig students speak out against right-wing professor
By Christoph Vandreier, 27 February 2016
The xenophobic and militaristic tirades of University of Leipzig Professor Thomas Rauscher have met with opposition from both students and faculty.
Anti-refugee xenophobia and the danger of war
By Peter Schwarz, 27 February 2016
Tens of thousands of refugees who have escaped the hell of war in the Middle East are being deprived of all rights and used as pawns in conflicts between the European states.
Austrian-led conference closes Balkan route for refugees and divides Europe
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 26 February 2016
The move by West Balkan countries to block refugees from leaving Greece will unleash a humanitarian crisis and intensify tensions throughout Europe.
Germany: Racism in Saxony and political hypocrisy
By Ulrich Rippert, 24 February 2016
The racist attacks in Clausnitz and several other cities and communities in Germany are a direct result of the xenophobic policies of the federal government.
German historian calls for harsher measures against refugees
By Katerina Selin, 23 February 2016
Under the cover of scholarship, an increasing number of academics and intellectuals are using the media to propagate backward, right-wing ideas.
Hundreds demonstrate in Berlin against harsher asylum law
By our correspondents, 22 February 2016
Many young people and refugees joined a demonstration in Berlin last Tuesday to protest against the tightening up of asylum laws.
German Chancellor Merkel’s refugee policy and the growing danger of a war with Russia
By Ulrich Rippert, 19 February 2016
Merkel wants to expand Germany’s close collaboration with the Turkish government, which is pressing ahead with military confrontation with Russia in Syria.
Europe at the breaking point
By Alex Lantier, 17 February 2016
France's denunciations of Germany's policy of accepting Middle Eastern refugees fleeing to Europe have exposed deep divisions within the EU.
Closure of Balkan refugee route deepens rifts in the EU
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 16 February 2016
Diplomatic tensions between the EU member states are intensifying in the run-up to the meeting of heads of state and governments this week.
Australian government refuses to help children trapped in Syria
By Mike Head, 13 February 2016
The government’s reaction to the plight of these six Australian children displays its true contempt for the millions of victims of the predatory US-led war in Iraq and Syria.
NATO sends a flotilla to repulse refugees in the Aegean Sea
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 13 February 2016
The purpose of the NATO flotilla is to ensure that the escape routes to Europe via Turkey are blocked, stranding refugees fleeing regions destroyed by US and European imperialism.
Report: Berlin police delayed search for murdered refugee boy
By Sven Heymanns, 12 February 2016
Berlin police failed to carry out a thorough search for the missing four-year-old but instead placed the child’s entire family under suspicion
International Viewpoint joins in racist anti-refugee agitation
By Johannes Stern, 12 February 2016
While the hysterical campaign over the events of New Year’s Eve at Cologne’s main train station has subsided somewhat in the bourgeois media, it continues in pseudo-left circles undiminished.
Greek military to play main role in setting up refugee concentration camps
By John Vassilopoulos, 10 February 2016
Whether enforcing the EU’s reactionary refugee agenda or implementing austerity, the Syriza-led government relies heavily on the police and army to force through its measures.
Human Rights Watch underscores Australia’s abuses of refugees
By Max Newman, 10 February 2016
The report documents Australia’s stripping of asylum seekers of basic democratic rights and the build-up of repressive police powers.
Australia’s High Court backs indefinite offshore detention
By Mike Head, 9 February 2016
The ruling sets a new global benchmark for the incarceration of innocent and desperate people in what amounts to Guantanamo Bay-style legal black holes.
Slavoj Žižek: From pseudo-left to new right
By Peter Schwarz, 8 February 2016
In an article published in Der Spiegel, Slovenian academic Slavoj Žižek gives free rein to his hatred of the oppressed.
Pro-refugee organisation comes under political attack in Germany
By Verena Nees, 6 February 2016
A false report about the death of a refugee has served as the pretext for a right-wing campaign against volunteers assisting refugees in Berlin, Germany.
Australia: Thousands protest High Court ruling upholding offshore refugee detention
By our reporters, 6 February 2016
The demonstrations expressed widespread revulsion at the persecution of asylum seekers, but the organisers promoted Labor and the Greens.
German government steps up attacks on refugees
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 4 February 2016
Germany’s grand coalition government is adopting ever more drastic measures against refugees and paving the way for far-right forces in the process.
Australian High Court sanctions indefinite offshore detention of refugees
By Mike Head, 4 February 2016
The decision sets a new global benchmark for the incarceration of men, women and children in conditions that amount to torture.
Austrian municipalities impose ban on refugees using swimming pools
By Markus Salzmann, 2 February 2016
The ban on refugees in two Austrian cities, unless they are accompanied by an “escort,” recalls the darkest chapters in Austrian history.
Neo-Nazi mob assaults immigrants in Stockholm, Sweden
By Jordan Shilton, 1 February 2016
The emergence of a fascist movement on the streets of a major European city is a result of the anti-refugee hysteria being whipped up by the political establishment across the continent.
German government restricts right to asylum
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 30 January 2016
The new measures underscore the ruthlessness and brutality with which the government is acting against refugees, in the full knowledge that the provisions being adopted will result in the loss of life.
Greek Syriza government colludes with EU in refugee crackdown
By John Vassilopoulos, 30 January 2016
Syriza boasts that they have deported 130 people back to Turkey in the space of 15 days.
Sweden announces plans to deport up to 80,000 refugees
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 29 January 2016
Sweden’s announcement came the same day as Human Rights Watch published a scathing indictment of the curtailment of democratic rights in Europe in response to the refugee crisis.
Cameron’s attack on migrants spearheads appeal to far right in the UK
By Julie Hyland, 29 January 2016
Comments this week by UK Prime Minister David Cameron make clear that anti-immigrant propaganda is an integral part of a pro-corporate agenda of austerity and war.
European governments step up offensive against refugees
By Marianne Arens, 28 January 2016
Proposals made at the EU meeting amount to the transformation of Greece into a giant concentration camp for refugees.
Austria closes its borders to refugees
By Marianne Arens, 26 January 2016
As Europe is firmly in the grip of winter, one government after another is closing its borders.
Berlin town hall meeting protests discrimination against refugees
By Verena Nees, 26 January 2016
Many of those attending the mass meeting were appalled at the treatment of refugees, confined in airport hangars and other mass accommodation.
The end of liberal Europe
By Peter Schwarz, 23 January 2016
The shift to the right by the European elites is rooted in explosive social, economic and political contradictions that have been building up since the collapse of the Soviet Union 25 years ago.
New Year’s Eve in Cologne, Germany: Growing inconsistencies
By Ulrich Rippert, 23 January 2016
After three weeks of intense investigations, what really took place at the central train station in Cologne, Germany on New Year’s Eve remains unclear.
Dozens of refugees drown near Greek island of Farmakonisi
By Thomas Gaist, 23 January 2016
The deaths come amid escalating state repression and military operations by the European powers targeting refugees.
Imprisonment periods lengthening in Australian immigration detention centres
By Max Newman, 22 January 2016
Detainees are now being incarcerated for an average 445 days, resulting in severe mental distress.
Supreme Court to rule on Obama immigration program
By Bill Van Auken, 20 January 2016
The court’s announcement came amid rising anger and fear over the roundup and deportation of Central American refugees.
Danish and Swedish governments step up attacks on refugees
By Jordan Shilton, 20 January 2016
Measures once associated with fascist regimes are again being employed against refugees fleeing war in the Middle East.
Berlin police raid: A civil war exercise
By Gustav Kemper, 19 January 2016
The illegal raid involving hundreds of police officers was intended to intimidate an entire neighbourhood.
German Left Party joins anti-refugee campaign
By Dietmar Henning, 15 January 2016
The parliamentary group leader of the Left Party, Sahra Wagenknecht, has joined in the far-right agitation against refugees and is calling for more police powers.
German government moves to loosen restrictions on refugee deportations
By Martin Kreikenbaum, 14 January 2016
Amid the racist hysteria whipped up by the media and politicians in the wake of alleged sexual assaults by refugees, the German government is moving to further restrict the right to asylum.
New Year’s message for refugees in Berlin: It will get worse!
By Verena Nees, 13 January 2016
The onset of winter has worsened conditions for the approximately 40,000 refugees in Berlin.
German media incites racist hysteria
By Peter Schwarz, 12 January 2016
Unsubstantiated and racist allegations of mass sexual harassment are being used to witch-hunt immigrants and legitimize German preparations for an expanded military intervention in the Middle East.
German media and politicians demand increased state powers in response to Cologne assaults
By Dietmar Henning, 11 January 2016
Alleged sexual assaults by refugees in Cologne are being used as a pretense for pumping out racist agitation and cracking down on refugees.
The refugee tragedy and the European Union: The balance sheet for 2015
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 11 January 2016
The mistreatment of refugees fleeing to Europe has assumed proportions that would have been unthinkable twelve months ago.
Obama administration rings in new year with deportation of children
By Andre Damon, 6 January 2016
More than 100 people were taken into custody over the weekend in a series of nationwide raids targeting refugees fleeing violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
Large numbers of refugees brutally deported from Germany
By Elisabeth Zimmermann, 4 January 2016
Since the tightening of restrictions on the right to asylum in October, the number of deportations has grown sharply, and inhumane treatment has reached a new level.
On the threshold of the New Year
By Joseph Kishore and David North, 31 December 2015
It is characteristic of a period of crisis that more and more the essential nature of capitalism—a system of exploitation, inequality, war and repression—comes into alignment with the everyday experiences of broad masses of people.
After Paris attacks, anti-Muslim riot erupts in Corsica
By Kumaran Ira, 30 December 2015
The anti-Muslim riots in Corsica are the product of the incitement of racial hatreds by the entire French political establishment.
German trade union chief agrees to €1 an hour jobs for refugees
By Dietmar Henning, 29 December 2015
The government, the corporations and the trade unions in Germany are collaborating to deport most refugees, while using those who remain for cheap labour.
Obama administration prepares raids on Central American immigrants
By Patrick Martin, 28 December 2015
Most of those targeted are women and children who have sought to escape gang attacks, drug-related violence and brutality by US-backed security services in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
The fracturing of the European Union
By Peter Schwarz, 28 December 2015
In the last century, great power aspirations, nationalism and fascism made the continent the focus of two world wars, which claimed nearly 100 million victims. Now, these same tendencies are spreading once again.
Refugees confront misery in Berlin
By Verena Nees, 28 December 2015
The terrible conditions facing newly arrived refugees in Berlin are deliberate and aimed at deterring other refugees from travelling to Germany.
One million people fled to Europe in 2015
By Andre Damon, 23 December 2015
The wars stoked by American and European imperialism in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq have helped turn more than 60 million people worldwide into refugees.
Germany doubles number of deportations
By Marianne Arens, 23 December 2015
According to official figures from Germany’s interior ministry, 18,363 people were forcibly deported in the first 11 months of this year.
American Nazi web site acclaims Humboldt Professor Jörg Baberowski
By Johannes Stern, 19 December 2015
Professor of Eastern European History Jörg Baberowski is gaining growing recognition in international right-wing and fascist circles.
Conflicts over refugee policy dominate EU summit
By Peter Schwarz, 18 December 2015
As European governments move sharply to the right, deep-rooted conflicts of interests are threatening to tear the European Union apart.
Syriza government sends Greek riot police to attack refugee camp
By John Vassilopoulos, 16 December 2015
Prior to the raid, police moved all journalists, photographers and aid workers three kilometres from the camp.
Trudeau’s refugee “welcome” and the real agenda of Canada’s new government
By Roger Jordan, 15 December 2015
Trudeau is giving his government “progressive” and humanitarian hues to provide political cover for continuing the Canadian elite’s aggressive foreign policy agenda.
Violent attacks on refugees increase in Germany
By Philipp Frisch, 12 December 2015
Independent investigations by German media outlets suggest that the authorities probing right-wing anti-immigrant violence systematically downplay and even defend it.
Indonesian government discusses offering Australia an island to detain refugees
By Max Newman, 11 December 2015
As a result of Australia’s “turn back” policy, more than 13,000 asylum seekers are now living in some of Indonesia’s most impoverished provinces.
Dozens of refugees drowned last week in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas
By Stefan Steinberg, 10 December 2015
Even as they work to seal Europe’s borders, the EU powers are expanding the wars that have forced millions to flee.
EU Council president wants to seal off Europe from refugees
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 5 December 2015
European Council President Donald Tusk wants to intern refugees for 18 months after their arrival and has pleaded for sealing off Europe’s foreign borders.
The European refugee crisis and international law
By Mike Head, 5 December 2015
The blatant abrogation of the 1951 international Refugee Convention, despite the terrible plight of asylum seekers, is an indictment of the capitalist nation-state system.
Berlin: Hundreds demonstrate against ill treatment of refugees
By Christoph Dreier, 4 December 2015
Hundreds of people demonstrated last weekend in Berlin to protest against the inhumane treatment of refugees.
EU-Turkey conference reaches deal at refugees’ expense
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 2 December 2015
Turkey has pledged to prevent refugees from entering the EU and in exchange will receive €3 billion and a commitment to speed up negotiations for EU membership.
Humanitarian disaster on the Balkan refugee route
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 30 November 2015
Germany and France are stepping up their efforts to prevent refugees arriving in the EU via the Balkan route.
Refugees rescued off West Timor after being dumped by Australia
By Max Newman, 30 November 2015
Asylum seekers who disappeared for a week after being intercepted by the Australian navy were found stricken in a small boat without fuel off the Indonesian coast.
Canada’s government rewrites refugee plan to appease right
By Roger Jordan, 28 November 2015
The Liberal government has reduced the numbers of refugees to be accepted by year’s end and imposed discriminatory restrictions on who will be allowed to find asylum in Canada.
Canada: Right seeks to whip up backlash against refugees
By Janet Browning and Roger Jordan, 24 November 2015
Declaring Syrian refugees a “security threat,” the Conservatives are demanding the government drop its plan to accept 25,000 refugees by the end of 2015.
Thousands of refugees stuck on the Balkan route
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 24 November 2015
Under pressure from France and Germany, the Balkan countries are refusing to allow those deemed “economic migrants” to cross their borders, a violation of international law.
Turkish video shows Greek coast guard trying to sink refugee raft
By Kate Randall, 23 November 2015
More than 600,000 refugees from the Middle East and Africa have made the treacherous journey to Greece by sea, and thousands have drowned making the attempt.
From Roma refugee to attorney in Germany: Nizaqete Bislimi’s Durch die Wand (“Through the Wall”)
By Elisabeth Zimmermann, 18 November 2015
Roma author Nizaqete Bislimi describes how she overcame the obstacle of Germany’s inhumane immigration laws after her escape from Kosovo.
Thousands of refugees crammed into airport hangars in Berlin, Germany
By Verena Nees, 16 November 2015
The Berlin city government is housing refugees under insufferable conditions in an abandoned airport built under the Nazis.
EU Summit in Malta strikes dirty deal to keep refugees out of Europe
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 14 November 2015
African dictatorships are to be paid by EU member countries to act as Europe’s border guards and accelerate measures to take back deported migrants.
German Left Party leader rails against refugees
By Johannes Stern, 14 November 2015
Oskar Lafontaine’s right-wing slogans arise directly from the nationalist, pro-capitalist and imperialist orientation of the Left Party.
Australian government considers removing refugees to Kyrgyzstan
By Max Newman, 14 November 2015
Kyrgyzstan, one of a number of former Soviet Union countries being considered for transferring refugees, ranks among the 50 poorest countries in the world.
Germany moves to seal external borders against refugees
By Christoph Dreier, 13 November 2015
The announcement that Germany will deport refugees to the first EU country they entered will have catastrophic humanitarian consequences and further intensify tensions within Europe.
Refugees stranded at processing camp outside Heidelberg, Germany
“When will we finally be allowed to learn and to work?”
By Anna Rombach, Philipp Sonde and Marianne Arens, 12 November 2015
The refugee camp at Patrick Henry Village is expected to become one of the new rapid processing centres.
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