EU leaders need a new narrative if they want public opinion in eastern states to demonstrate more sympathyWhy are central and east European countries so reluctant to assume their honest share of refugees? You’d think their history would make them rather sympathetic towards those who flee war,persecution and dictatorship. At the start of the summer, I was in Bratislava when several thousand people took to the streets to demonstrate against migrant quotas and immigration generally. Some banners read “Against the Islamisation of Europe”, or “This is our home”,and “Slovakia is not Africa”. Traffic was blocked and there were scuffles with the police. It was a dismal scene, particularly for those of us who had witnessed, or 25 years ago,the democratic transformation of eastern Europe, with slogans such as “treasure and truth will prevail over hatred and lies”. It is equally absurd if you consider that Slovakia has taken in just 200 refugees from Syria and insisted that all of those had to be Christian. Related: The day a refugee became allotment of my family | Michael Freedland Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com