As Europe’s far right raises its head, the more violent things become. Some 30 migrant workers were injured in a shooting on a strawberry farm in Nea Manolada, Greece, after requesting salaries that had not been paid. Thanks to @ritorikaxalikia for the heads-up and the poster below.
Writes the BBC: “The Council of Europe – the main European human rights watchdog – issued a report this week detailing abuse against migrants in Greece. The report warned of a growing wave of racist violence, stating that “democracy is at risk”. It highlighted the role of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party.”
Category: Enrique
I don’t know that well the circumstances during the shooting, but of course I condemn it, unless it has been justified self defence. I hope that the shooting gets thoroughly examined and guilty persons properly punished.
I hope that we will never see as bad situation and tensions that are now at Greece. And I don’t think the situation will ever get as bad in Finland. However, if Finland had as huge flow of illegal immigrants and at the same time economic collapse and mass unemployment as Greece has, I cannot be sure how bad the situation would get. However, I am pretty sure that there would be more tensions than now. Of course, even during times like that, shooting of workers/immigrants/anybody is not acceptable.
I think the best way to avoid that kind of development is to take care of Finnish economy, stop supporting current unsustainable currency union, stop giving development aid which with loaned money and by keeping the amount of new immigrants at levels that is sustainable. It is not good for immigrants, nor Finns that we let in so many new immigrants that we cannot properly take care of them.
PS voter
?? You mean it’s quite normal for people to be kept on a farm working and not be paid for one year and for the foreman to carry guns for ‘self-defence’ and then to shoot at these workers if they dare to demand their salaries? I think you should give some serious consideration to that comment of yours!
Withdrawal from the currency union would be a disaster for Finland. Other EU countries would not allow Finland to adopt an ‘a la carte’ approach to European trade and treaty obligations, picking the bits that are beneficial and failing on obligations that involve costs. The legal ramifications would be massive and complicated, and you’d have to pay lawyers a fortune to extricate Finland from the mess of re-denominated contracts. Even after that, there would be no willingness to allow Finland to benefit from EEA-EFTA accession, and the likelihood is that Finland would be treated as a third non-European country in this respect (i.e. paying tariffs), making trade with European partners particularly difficult and more expensive for Finns. If Finland wanted to devalue its ‘new’ currency to improve exports (mostly to Germany and Sweden and Russia) that would make goods coming into Finland (€41 billion) from the EU and elsewhere also more expensive too, such as the raw materials and electrical components that form the bulk of it’s €45 billion export trade, not to mention foodstuffs, petrol, cars, etc. Withdrawal itself would take at least two years and probably much longer for full ratification and that period would bring enormous uncertainty and probably a massive slowdown in international and internal investments. Finland would almost certainly immediately enter a recession that would last at least 4 years, by which time, the economic problems in Europe as a whole will almost certainly have abated, providing the uncertainty over Finland’s withrdawal didn’t in itself cause uncertainty for the EURO. The next problem would be the exit of multinational companies from Finland, which would further undermine growth and add to unemployment queues. Could Finland survive? Of course. And the potential is there to benefit, but that benefit would come after an extremely painful period and would rely on Finland expanding exports into developing countries like China and India. As Finland’s current import/export partners are mainly EU, Russia and US, that would require a completely different orientation for Finnish companies – success would not be guaranteed, especially as these countries are now growing extremely fast through internal investment and growth.
Development aid is low by international standards as it is, but it also goes a long way to helping to diminish global inequalities that drive economic migration in the first place. I agree that the level of immigration should be sustainable, but that government cannot import workers/future workers and then not be willing to invest in their integration.
Propably just a propaganda, and it actually never happened
Seriously? It takes a few seconds to write “greece 28 immigrants” to Google and you found multiple sources for this news. Here is more information: http://rt.com/news/months-six-paid-plantation-075/
Usual Nazi-style propoganda comment from you Farang.
Why is it nazi style if I don’t believe something without proof?
Farang
Let me explain. It has been the style of most totalitarian regimes to discredit any and all excesses by their supporters or forces by casting doubt on the veracity of claims of abuses of power. For example, many were led to believe that the 9/11 attacks were a CIA conspiracy. The idea is not to provide any ‘proof’ for this conspiracy but simply to cast doubt, reducing the impact.
This is a tactic you adopt continuously. It is not that you ask for proof before you make your mind up, but rather, you arrive at a negative conclusion even before you have seen proof: “Probably just a propaganda, and it actually never happened.” You were not asking for proof, you were doubting the reality of the story, as you have done countless times on here when people present you with evidence of racism.
This insidious use of ‘misinformation’ is a well known tactic of extremist groups. But of course, I’m sure they tell themselves, just like you, that they are being ‘skeptical’. Except that you never apply that skepticism to the claims about immigrants and crime or the comments made by extremist politicians. NO, you save your skepticism only for claims of racism!
Mark
Then, please explain why it hasn’t been a disaster for Sweden!
You cannot withdraw from the currency union and remain a free-trade partner within the EU. No country would be allowed to cause some much instability and be allowed to benefit from existing EFTA and EEA agreements. They would all have to be renegotiated, but this time bilaterally with each EU country, assuming that a way out of the EURO has already been negotiated with uninamity of all 27 EU states (extremely unlikely). Cyprus may already have left had this been possible, given that Russia was dangling significant sweeteners in providing it’s own bailout package to Cyprus.
Sweden is committed to joining the euro and more than likely will join in the next decade. Their exchange rate is fixed at ±2.25% of the EUR, and the currency is allowed to float freely. They got the opt-out (through the negotiable ERM-II mechanism) for joining the EURO when they joined the EU in 1994.
Once you adopt the EURO there is no current legal way to leave the EURO without also leaving the EU (article 50 TEU). So, you would have to get all the other EU countries to agree to change the current treaties. If this was done to provide Finland with all the benefits (free trade) and none of the costs (EU budget contributions) of EU membership, it is a non-starter. The instability that would emerge from withdrawal would be enough for other countries to actually demand compensation, by way of strict tariff agreements, i.e. there would be no free trade! Finland needs the EU, but the EU could live easily without Finland.
Thanks for the clarification, wasn’t aware all that.