them-witches:polishyourpolish:prismatic-bell:aozorasoann:meimagino:did-you-kno:Source© VALERIO VINCE
them-witches:polishyourpolish:prismatic-bell:aozorasoann:meimagino:did-you-kno:Source© VALERIO VINCENZOWebsite | Facebook | TwitterI am American and I have never seen photos like this. I had no idea there are borders like this. Even though I LOVE the idea of open borders, I am staring at these pictures like “wait…people can just…walk across some stones or grass and BE IN ANOTHER COUNTRY??? and nobody stops them?? how does that WORK?!” So you can tell that my country’s propaganda has gotten to me by convincing me that this CAN’T work even though…it…obviously can.These pics just seem unreal to me. I’ve been taught my whole life that this can’t exist. In 27 years no one has ever sat me down and gone, look, here’s how it is elsewhere. It isn’t impossible at all.French person here and where I live right now? I can take a walk and end up in Belgium by accident without even realizing it. Not kidding, when I first moved here, I took a small walking path and quickly ended up on a road I’d never seen before. I hadn’t taken my phone because I didn’t expect to be out for long (and even like that my walk lasted barely one hour). To make sure I wouldn’t get lost, I asked for directions and followed the road.The next thing I knew, a “Bienvenue en Belgique/France” sign was in front of me. I had walked into Belgium without noticing and the man I asked for directions didn’t even blink when I asked for a French village. Because it’s that normal here.The idea of taking this kind of walk and ending up in front of armed lines is terrifying to me and I’m so sorry that it’s what some people are used to.The fact that you didn’t get detained or even questioned blows my mind.The more I learn about the rest of the world, the more I realize why our education is so shitty here: they don’t want us to know how bad it really is.I once took a ride on a bike to visit my ex from Germany, I live so close to there Here’s some other pics from the borders of Europe:It is irresponsible to decontextualize “open borders” between European Union countries when increasingly the external borders of the EU are becoming militarized and enforced, to the extent that countries are now criminalizing and attempting to prosecute NGO rescue operations to save drowning people in the Mediterranean, accusing rescuers of being people smugglers. In the background at an institutional level, the EU makes disastrous deals with Turkey and Libya in order to capitulate to right wing anti-migrant sentiment at the expense of human lives and commitment to the right of asylum. In 2019, nearly 1100 people drowned trying to cross to Europe. In the first 6 weeks of 2020, 99 people have already died. I don’t say this to lecture anyone, but it is an extreme misrepresentation of the situation to discuss “open borders” in Europe and remove it from the broader reality where these borders are violently enforced - directly by police or militaries and indirectly by policy - against certain “categories” of people. I don’t think this discussion can be had without understanding who is excluded and why. These pictures represent a false image of a free world that falls apart when examined even a bit critically.The western world consistently militarizes its borders in order to maintain its control over who has access to its resources, whether that border is in the desert between Arizona and Mexico or the sea between Italy and Libya.“open borders” in Europe means that you can take a stroll to the neighboring country but you WILL get arrested if you try to stay there for a prolonged period of time and try to gain access to free WiFi/water/electricity. Plus, see how quickly those “free” nations with open borders closed their borders to refugees from Syria, loading Greece with 11% of refugees of EU. At this point, Greece has become Europe’s borders. Those countries want you to see how progressive and liberal they are while using a sole country - Greece - as their border to the East. When Turkey sent tens of thousands of its economic immigrants to the Greek borders of Evros Europe was WORRIED that these people would pass to Greece and then to their own precious countries. So they sent help to Greece and allowed it to close its borders from asylum seekers for a month. (Let’s be honest though, mainly Pakistanis, Afghans and Somalis were spotted in Evros. And they were armed! There were no refugees. They were refugees when they came to Turkey, the first country they set foot on. After that they are considered economic migrants). But this monthly prohibition WAS a violation of human rights, which happened because the whole of Europe didn’t want to open it’s borders. In conclusion:OPENBORDERSMYASSThey open their borders only when it’s super convenient to them and then they virtue signal to the clueless Tumblrinas. And then blame countries like Greece who guard their closed borders. To them I say: Try to open your border to the nation who committed genocide against you 100 years ago. P.S. Germany finances Erdogan’s military actions in Syria and then denies the Syrian refugees this war creates. YIKES -- source link
#open borders#politics#greek politics#immigrants