In a recent interview for Syria Deeply on the plight of Syrian refugees trying to reach asylum in Europe, Professor Dawn Chatty highlighted how the media and politicians’ portrayal of those crossing the Mediterranean as economic migrants rather than refugees “plays into the European populist narrative of keeping migrants out because they are just coming to Europe for social welfare benefits. A lot of the politicians colluded with the media focus on these people being migrants rather than people fleeing war and deserving of sympathy.”
She argues that Syrian refugees “aren’t looking for welfare benefits or to take on a new nationality, they simply need to find a way to survive, to work and support themselves, and to educate their children over the next 5–10 years without being considered illegal. Half of the refugees from Syria are under 18, many of whom have had no education for three or four years.”
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