Lives in the Balance: Hundreds More Refugees Perish Off the Libyan Coast
In 1986, Jackson Browne released a withering
song that
decried the Reagan wars in Central
decried the Reagan wars in Central
America. In it, Browne pleaded that
"there are li
"there are li
ves in the balance." Although Browne was
responding in
particular to US government support
particular to US government support
of the Contras in the Nicaraguan
civil war and
civil war and
military massacres in Latin America, many of th
e song’s
lyrics are also relevant to the deaths of
lyrics are also relevant to the deaths of
other people who are treated
as disposable. Take for
as disposable. Take for
instance this passage in the song:
I've been waiting for something to happen
For a week or a month or a year
With the blood in the ink of the headlines
And the sound of the crowd in my ear
For a week or a month or a year
With the blood in the ink of the headlines
And the sound of the crowd in my ear
You might ask what it takes to remember
When you know that you've seen it before
When you know that you've seen it before
Yesterday I posted a commentary entitled, "Global Neoliberalism and Wars of Empire Play Roles in Migrants' Fatal Efforts to Reach Europe." Given
how many refugees of economic, political and violence crises were
precipitated - in large part - by Western intervention in northern
Africa and the Middle East, Jackson's impatient and urgent lyrics could
apply equally well to the deaths of global refugees.
While the media this year have been more focused on migrant deaths in
Europe fatalities, Donald Trump has been using migrants from Mexico and
Central America as the focus of his incendiary rallying cry. Trump is
stoking hatred and base fears among a segment of the US population as
refugees die crossing through the desert to bypass the border wall.
Yesterday's news only confirmed the deadly toll of high-risk
migration in a world of have and have-not nations and global trade
exploitation of so-called "developing" countries.
The Associated Press reported a massive loss of life off the coast of Libya:
In a statement, the United Nations refugee
agency said that up to 200 people were missing and feared dead after
the Libyan coast guard carried out rescue operations Thursday for two
boats carrying an estimated 500 migrants.
agency said that up to 200 people were missing and feared dead after
the Libyan coast guard carried out rescue operations Thursday for two
boats carrying an estimated 500 migrants.
Othman Belbeisi, chief of mission for the
International Organization for Migration for Libya, said in a statement:
"We are still waiting for more details, but we have learned there were
400 people on one of two boats."
International Organization for Migration for Libya, said in a statement:
"We are still waiting for more details, but we have learned there were
400 people on one of two boats."
He said 100 were rescued, including nine women and two girls.
At this point, it appears the death toll is likely to rise because of the number of people unaccounted for.
In addition, The New York Times detailed that the death count from the refugees abandoned to die by traffickers in a truck in Austria has risen:
The legions of desperate migrants fleeing
war and mayhem in the Middle East and Africa have long known they were
risking harm from unscrupulous smugglers and death at sea to reach the
safety of Europe. But it has became shockingly clear that they now face
the same dangers within Europe’s own borders.
war and mayhem in the Middle East and Africa have long known they were
risking harm from unscrupulous smugglers and death at sea to reach the
safety of Europe. But it has became shockingly clear that they now face
the same dangers within Europe’s own borders.
The decomposing bodies of 71 people,
believed to include Syrians, based on a passport carried by one of the
victims, were found on Thursday in the refrigerated back of a truck
found abandoned on the outskirts of Vienna in the summer heat. The
discovery came just as European leaders were meeting in a nearby palace
to devise new ways to cope with the migration crisis.
believed to include Syrians, based on a passport carried by one of the
victims, were found on Thursday in the refrigerated back of a truck
found abandoned on the outskirts of Vienna in the summer heat. The
discovery came just as European leaders were meeting in a nearby palace
to devise new ways to cope with the migration crisis.
The Austrian police said on Friday that
three people suspected of involvement had been detained in Hungary in
connection with the deaths of those found in the truck, which included
59 men, eight women, three boys aged between seven and 10, and a girl.
three people suspected of involvement had been detained in Hungary in
connection with the deaths of those found in the truck, which included
59 men, eight women, three boys aged between seven and 10, and a girl.
The New York Times article tilts toward the position of European
Union leaders that the migrant deaths are due almost exclusively to
conscienceless human traffickers, as reflected in this quotation by the
interior minister of Austria:
Austria’s interior minister, Johanna
Mikl-Leitner, called it a "dark day" and urged everyone across the
European Union to move harshly against human traffickers. "These are not
well-minded helpers," she said. “They are not concerned with the
welfare of the migrants. They care only about profit."
Mikl-Leitner, called it a "dark day" and urged everyone across the
European Union to move harshly against human traffickers. "These are not
well-minded helpers," she said. “They are not concerned with the
welfare of the migrants. They care only about profit."
