Slowly, but surely, leaders of liberal Europe are coming to terms with the massive wave of humanity flowing into the continent from the war-torn Middle East – namely, that those seeking shelter are bringing with them a culture that is far different from and, in many cases, even hostile to Western mores.
One of the most recent European leaders to understand this is the leader of the Czech Republic, Milos Zeman, who recently characterized the current refugee wave as little more than “an organized invasion,” adding that the young men from Iraq and Syria, especially, ought to be remaining behind to “take up arms” against the Islamic State.
“I am profoundly convinced that we are facing an organized invasion and not a spontaneous movement of refugees,” Zeman said in his Christmas message to the nation, as reported by the World Bulletin.
Millions coming
Zeman said that while compassion was “possible” for refugees who are older or perhaps ill, and also for children, it wasn’t for young men whom, he believes, ought to be back in their home countries fighting against the tyranny of ISIS.
“A large majority of the illegal migrants are young men in good health, and single. I wonder why these men are not taking up arms to go fight for the freedom of their countries against the ISIL,” (another name for the Islamic State), said Zeman, 71, Czech president since early 2013.
He went on to note that young men fleeing their countries, and not fighting to retake them, only makes ISIS stronger. He compared the flight of young Syrian and Iraqi men to that of Czechs who fled their country after it was occupied by Nazi Germany from 1939–1945.
The Czech leader’s comments were not the first regarding the mass wave of migrants entering Europe, the worst since the end of World War II.
As the World Bulletin further reported:
“In November, the leftwinger attended an anti-Islam rally in Prague in the company of far-right politicians and a paramilitary unit.
“The country’s Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, who has previously criticised the head of state’s comments, said Zeman’s Christmas message was based ‘on prejudices and his habitual simplification of things.'”
The Czech Republic, and Slovakia – both former communist members of the Soviet Union-led Warsaw Pact – joined the European Union in 2004. Both have rejected the EU’s quota system for the distribution of the refugees pouring in. More than 1 million such migrants arrived in Europe in 2015, with the majority fleeing violence and war in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
The crisis has tested the governments comprising the EU, and has tested European sensibilities. Tens of millions of Europeans – including 70 percent of Czechs – oppose allowing mass numbers of mostly Muslim migrants into their countries, and that number is only rising following a series of incidents involving migrants and Europeans.
In Germany – the EU member that has taken in the most migrants by far – scores are protesting Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to take them in after citizens, and especially women, have been sexually and physically assaulted by Middle Eastern men who obviously don’t share the same European values.
‘Merkel out!’
As reported by the Global Post, members of the right-leaning PEGIDA movement protested recently, following a number of assaults in Cologne over the New Year’s Eve holiday.
Many chanted “Merkel Out!” and carried signs calling the migrants “rapefugees.”
“Merkel has become a danger to our country. Merkel must go,” a member of PEGIDA told a crowd, which repeated the call.
German authorities investigating the assaults said that the majority of suspects were foreign-born.
Some rallies turned violent, with Reuters reporting that police were forced to break them up using force.
Reuters added further:
“The attacks, ranging from sexual molestation to theft, shocked Germany, which took in 1.1 million migrants and refugees in 2015 under asylum laws championed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, despite fervent opposition.”
Sources:
