10 ms·

I just fail to understand how the BBC can portray this as something great. I mean the guy tries to enter Britain 2 times with fake passports and he was already

• oolongCat 10y ago
  Well, let's hear what you would do if you were in a war torn country, if you had to fear for your life, if you were tortured by horrible people. There are so many innocent people, who has nothing to do with the violence. Show some compassion towards your fellow man, please.
  • jvdl 10y ago
    Last I checked, France was not a "war torn country". He was already in France, then obtained a fake passport to illegally cross into the UK.
  • DominikR 10y ago
    I would get myself a gun and start killing ISIS maniacs. Because I'm not ever going to give up my country to these radicals.
• joosters 10y ago
  What makes you think that the BBC are portraying this as 'great'? The report contains no views other than the asylum seeker himself (and of course he thinks it great, it was his aim after all!)
  • DominikR 10y ago
    Oh come on, just listen to the music they overlay at the end when he has tears in his eyes because he is so happy that he made it. Sounds like a happy end to me. Edit: And he is no asylum seeker in my book. He was in France so what is he fleeing from?
    • wercab 10y ago
      I hope in your hour of need that you don't encounter someone such as yourself.
      • DominikR 10y ago
        Someone that tells me I can't move to UK with a fake passport, I must stay in a safe and industrialised Western country like France? Must be terrifying!
        • jamespo 10y ago
          Congratulations on your escape from Syria
          • andybak 10y ago
            You are all arguing past each other and being difficult. Make an attempt to interpret each other in the way you actually suspect they intend and respond to that rather than trying to trip them up.
        • JshWright 10y ago
          Personally, I would think 'we' (humanity as a whole) would prefer him to be in a country where he is more likely to be able to contribute meaningfully to society. Unless his French is as good as his English (which is certainly possible), the UK seems like a better place for him to be.
• jvdl 10y ago
  I agree. I find this terrifying. This just shows how easily a terrorist could have done something similar.
  • deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  • ggus 10y ago
    Getting on a plane in EU with EU passport is easy. Getting off the plane in London will get you to a proper security check. They would have caught him there, hadn't he declared his syrian nationality.
    • atomwaffel 10y ago
      Hell, most of the times I've flown between European countries, nobody even looked at my ID. If somebody did, it was usually check-in staff, so there would have been nothing preventing me from checking in under my own name and then handing my ticket to somebody else.
  • simonh 10y ago
    This has very little to do with terrorism. I'm sure you can find the odd counter-example, but most terrorists enter their target country perfectly legally and are often radicalised while resident in the West. Terrorist organizations know that such people can operate much more easily and are less likely to be monitored by authorities so that's where they focus their recruitment and operational activities. Anyone conflating illegal immigration with terrorism is snowing you in order to push an agenda.
• throwawaydavex 10y ago
  Because the whole 'refugee crisis' is planned. Just look up what are the EU's objectives, who were it's founding members and their agenda. It's purposeful relocation, that's why gov. officials do not care.
• mjpuser 10y ago
  RE: what is he fleeing from in Franch? Maybe he doesn't know, and doesn't want to learn French? RE: something great or terrifying Classic case of "do the ends justify the means." It's not a simple thing.
  • DominikR 10y ago
    There is no right for asylum seekers to pick and choose where they want to live once they are in safety, not even by UN and human rights conventions. I couldn't care less if he doesn't want to learn french or hates baguette, what kind of ridiculous excuse is that? Do we soon have to enable refugees to live in Monaco, Disney Land or Hawaii just because they feel like it?
    • corobo 10y ago
      > what kind of ridiculous excuse is that? A made up one. Your parent made up "learn french" and you made up "hates baguette". I think you've invented something to argue against here.
    • ggus 10y ago
      Short answer: Yes. There is more to life than just "safety". Do you think that you yourself should be able to pick where to live and work? If yes, why shouldn't he? I definitely do. I am happy to be EU citizen able to move and relocate freely in EU. I would be even happier being a world citizen able to move wherever I would feel like. Alas asylum seekers are pinpointed to the place where they ask for asylum. While this (badly designed) solution stands, the countermeasure they have to pursue is to ask for asylum in the final destination of your journey. And I cannot see a good reason why Monaco, Disney Land (seriously?) or Hawaii should be exempted from helping asylum seekers.
      • DominikR 10y ago
        > Do you think that you yourself should be able to pick where to live and work? If yes, why shouldn't he? No, I don't want this. And I don't want anyone to being able to settle in my country just because they would like to. Anyone that believes otherwise (like you do) denies all members of a society the right to control and choose who can join and live with them. If we take in people they should be sufficiently educated to have a chance on the job market and willing to be a part of our society and culture.
• jay-saint 10y ago
  > And then there's the fact that this guy had contacts to criminals that can create fake passports. The fact the you are reading this on HN probably means that any one of us could have contacts capable of creating fake passports. I am certain that most tech savvy people with the right motivation could easily learn to use dark net tools and purchase fake documents within a few hours. This is 2016, contact with criminals no longer means hanging out in seedy drug dens or back alleys.
  • gtirloni 10y ago
    Absolutely not what was stated. Being able to create a fake passport or contacting someone who can do it is in no way comparable to actually doing those things. It's 2016, where engaging in criminal activity is still a crime.
    • arca_vorago 10y ago
      Tell me that when Hillary Clinton gets indicted, or Tony Blair gets charged, until then I will continue to say that the rule of law is increasingly farcical and the elite are not subjected to nearly the same kind of justice as the middle class or poor.
• Broken_Hippo 10y ago
  People in all sorts of desperate situations find different ways to get their needs and goals met. You might not think that you are a theif, but go hungry enough and you might change your stance. Simply being on such a refugee journey can get you certain contacts for this sort of thing, I'm guessing, and as the previous poster mentioned, the internet and technology makes things much easier. In addition, folks work and walk alongside criminals (who may or may not have gotten caught) every day, and they don't realize it. Stereotypes generally aren't true, and some have less truth than others. Not everyone is doing technically criminal things to hurt others, nor are outwardly bad folks.
• djaychela 10y ago
  I would respectfully request that you watch the series of programmes the BBC has just shown highlighting the journeys these people undertake - indeed the guy in question was in the last episode, shown here in the UK on Wednesday. His testimony of his treatment in Syria was heartbreaking. It's easy to say that these people are this and that, and that we wouldn't do what they have from the comfort of our homes. The reality of it, when subjected to the same treatment would probably be quite different. And yes, I live in the UK, and am glad he made it.
• audunw 10y ago
  > and he was already in France. (what is he fleeing from in France?) You seem to have no idea how the asylum system works. If this was a valid reason for not getting to seek asylum in the UK, then the UK would for all practical purposes be exempt from having to accept asylum seekers. As others have pointed out, his main reason for wanting to seek asylum in the UK, is probably that his english is good, which makes it easier and faster for him to be a productive citizen there than in France. Most people involved with this is aware of the fact that there's problems with the asylum system. If you think this is so awful, how about you propose an alternative system that distributes asylum seekers evenly and fairly across industrialized nations in a way that doesn't require them to cross borders illegaly. We sure could use more people who think about solutions, rather than pointing out problems that everyone is aware of.
• oneloop 10y ago
  I read your other comments, and I have a honest question for you. First let me say that I completely agree with you in that when a refugee illegally moves from France to the UK, he is doing so for his own convenience. You're right, after he's in France he's not running for his life, he's doing something illegal just because he prefers one over the other. But at the same time, I would like to understand why you are so vehemently opposed to him being legally allowed to pick wherever he prefers. If I'm born in France I can legally move and work in the UK, what in your mind is the rationale for not extending the same privileges to someone who's been given refugee status in France? Honest question.
  • buckbova 10y ago
    A nation should protect its sovereignty and the welfare of its people. Perhaps the UK would prefer to do its own background check on the man before just letting anyone in.
    • gakada 10y ago
      In the documentary they said that ~70% of Syrians who made it to the UK were granted asylum. So evidently the UK is doing its own background checks.
  • DominikR 10y ago
    I see it this way: If somebody is about to die or be seriously harmed giving refuge is the moral thing to do. But once some person is in a safe place where there is no threat for him then immigration laws apply instead of asylum laws. So why do I want to differentiate between immigration and asylum? (and generally all Western countries do so) Asylum is something you grant based on moral principles, immigration is something that we grant only voluntarily. And here I want my country to choose new immigrants based on what skills we need, what skills the migrant brings to the table and of course we also have to take into consideration if we are capable of absorbing them into society. Meaning: Do they have a chance to integrate and lead a successful life here or not. This is very important because in Europe we already have no go zones where police cannot enter and the inhabitants basically implement some kind of Sharia law. I will never accept living under some kind of alternative law without a fight. This does not mean that I am against Muslims, but I want to preserve the culture that we have here and more importantly the freedoms and the social order.
• mstrem 10y ago
  what is he fleeing from in France? => nothing. France is a great place. However, I have lived both in the UK and in France. If I had a choice, and if I was looking for asylum, I would choose the UK every time. In another video from him he says his two friends made it to the UK before him. The best country to get into Europe (as an asylum seeker) is the UK. It is also a reason why there is such a big fuss about immigration. The benefits are great, it is a very safe country, wealthy, lots of opportunity... etc etc. I might be very biast but the UK is quite a bit ahead of the other European countries in my opinion (with a few exceptions). If the UK was on mainland Europe it would have waayyy more immigration problems. Edit: I am happy he made it. I am pro immigration.
  • preetbhinder 10y ago
    It is also an ethnically diverse English speaking country. A lot of immigrants will know at least a little English and find it easier to find community and assimilate into the UK.
  • prodmerc 10y ago
    Well, I dunno, the UK is easier for business, it's easier if you already speak English, health care is really universal, lower taxes, cheaper and easier to get a license and a vehicle, some more good stuff. But for someone who takes public transportation to and from work and just wants good food, an apartment for cheap and safety (UK - only country where I've seen drunk people yelling, bothering other people and throwing trash bins around and some guy threatening staff in a bank), as well as security in the future (pension, health care), Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, maybe France, they seem better. Cleaner too, sorry (except maybe France haha)...
  • pvaldes 10y ago
    > If I had a choice, and if I was looking for asylum, I would choose the UK every time. It depends on your previous education. If he speaked both french and english (thus, language were not a relevant part in the decision), then France would be a better destiny. Is a Mediterranean country, so there is a lot of shared context. More similar climate (in the South), familiar ingredients used in the kitchen easily available, and because France have stronger historical bounds with several African, and by extension Islamic, countries. For islamic people to be able to find food halal prepared by other muslim of their same branch is a must. Finding a suitable job out of the capital would be also much easier. There are more locations suitable in France.