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Alexander Betts talks to BBC Radio 4’s ‘The World Tonight’

On yesterday's edition of ‘The World Tonight’, Professor Alexander Betts spoke to Razia Iqbal about Europe’s approach to the Syria refugee crisis. Regarding the UK, he contrasted the UK’s inadequate response in terms of resettling refugees with countries such as Germany, with under 200 Syrian refugees resettled in the UK compared to 30,000 in Germany. While the UK government is keen to emphasise the UK's financial contribution, Professor Betts stated that “While we are assisting financially, it’s simply not enough.” 

He called for politicians to show moral courage and political leadership, and “to step up to the plate and articulate that this is an exceptional situation”. As UNHCR stated this week, there are now over 4 million Syrian refugees - the biggest refugee population from a single conflict in a generation. He also highlighted that with four-fifths of the world’s refugees being Muslim, this may be shaping much of the politics behind the scenes in view of the current security climate.

Listen to the full interview >>

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