CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION IN EUROPE
A FAMILY TRAVELS WITH A DONKEY CART THROUGH THE DESERT
BOAT REFUGEES NOT WELCOME IN FORTRESS EUROPE
At a certain moment in the history of Mankind, a man leaves his
home with his pregnant wife, in search for a better existence.
They travel on a donkey cart, under the burning sun.
No pleasure for a mother to be, but better than walking, like
the other refugees.
When they enter a remotely city, they can’t rest anywhere,
as poor as they were.
But compassionate farmer shows them a cabin, where they
can sleep.
That night the woman gives birth to a child.
But they can’t stay there for long, because the local
ruler hates foreigners and already killed many of them
in a massacre.
So they have to run away with a newborn baby to
another country.
They were lucky to have been born two thousand years
ago, because had they fled to Europe with its
killing asylum policy, their refugee story had not
been believed and they were sent back to the place
of death and destruction they came from.
And Christmas had not been celebrated.
FORTRESS EUROPE
The same horrible flight this Family made, is now
being done by boat refugees, two thousand and
fourteen years later, who cross the Mediterranean Sea
in the hope for a better future.
A normal thing to do, you would say,
because who doesn’t want to escape a life of
poverty and war?
But the European rulers have a different line of
thinking and picture those refugees as villains ,
criminals and ”gelukzoekers”[ Dutch for searchers
for fortune and happiness]
So what:
Are we not all searchers for happiness and fortune?
Have not European emigrated to other countries,
in search for a better life?
But egoism rules.
Egoism of capitalism with its ruthless dictate
of who is useful to the economy and the system and
who is not.
Capitalism that doesn’t care about human beings.
When those boat refugees were to be used economically
as the former Turkish and Moroccon domestic workers
in the Netherlands [and other European countries], the
door would be open to welcome them.
Now capitalism can’t use them, they try to keep them outside
Europe with any means possible.
Rich Europe [which exploits and makes its profits out of the
countries of the refugees] is militarising its borders with
Frontex European Agency, to make it impossible
for reaching Europe on a safe and normal way.
Therefore they have to take dangerous and unseaworthy
boats.
By the policy of ruthless European gangster rulers, the
Mediterranean Sea has become a graveyard for
thousands of boat refugees.
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION IN EUROPE
Actually it is strange, that every year, Christmas celebration in Europe
becomes more luxurious.
Because it is the celebration of a poor Child, who was not welcome,
like the boat refugees.
I wonder, how all those European Christmas celebrators
[I don’t mean them, who care about refugees, of course],
would have reacted, when the Child of Bethlehem would
come to Europe now, as one of those boat refugees, who
they call criminals and ”gelukzoekers” [ Dutch for searchers
for fortune and happiness]
”Not welcome”
”Coming to benefit from our wealth”
”Stay in your own country”
”Another would be terrorist”
The story of Christmas is not different from the refugees tale,
for who was no place in the safe world.
In Fortress Europe.
In the Netherlands.
Anywhere in the world.
Only when refugees are no longer considered as
criminals or ”collateral damage”, but are welcome
in Europe, The Child of Bethlehem is welcome.
And has Christmas a true meaning.
For everyone
MERRY CHRISTMAS
JOYEUX NOEL
Astrid Essed