More than 44,000 people have died trying to reach the ‘bright lights of Europe’ since 1993
This Saturday, the Groningen refugee committee will participate in the national campaign “44,000 names”, being organised by the NGO MiGreat. Since 1993, people fleeing war and persecution across the world have tried to travel to the ‘liberal democracies’ of Western Europe.
Many have perished on their travels, with still more dying at Europe’s borders. The names of the people, the place of origin and the place where people were found are written on wooden memorials.
These memorials together form a national memorial, which will be put together on June 20 (World Refugee Day) on the beach in Scheveningen as a large pop-up monument, reports OOGTV.
With so many people dying whilst trying to reach safety in Europe, questions are being asked whether EU countries bear some responsibility for their deaths. Despite what populists across Europe say, seeking asylum due to a fear of persecution or death is a human right, and countries with safe and stable political systems have an international duty to take in refugees when requested.
Photo by Ricardo Resende on Unsplash
