Solidarity in the face of the refugee crisis?
– a European dialogue about the challenges of a new practice –
The current flood of refugees into the countries of the European community and the reactions to it involve queries to those who are engaged in educational work on development policy, human rights work and in anti-racism work. At issue are the readiness to take in refugees in different European societies, the understanding of solidarity within the European countries and the solidary support for the shaping of better life perspectives in the refugees’ countries of origin.
Apart from a great willingness to help, we observe a more or less open refusal in relation to the acceptance of people who are refugees. The negative attitude toward refugees which we observe in different countries and regions of the European Union, challenges us
- to engage in a European discussion
- to examine our own concepts of work and to the exchange of experiences
- to a joint exploration of attitudes, fears and concerns
- to the identification of steps toward lasting solidarity