Yazidis returning to Iraq

Yazidis leave Europe and return to warring Iraq

A small number of Iraqi Yazidi families have returned home after life in Germany failed to meet expectations.

Jonathan Brown | 09 May 2016 11:36 GMT |

A father and son who have returned from Europe to Sinjar, Iraq, look out over their destroyed city.

Zakho, Iraq - The midnight sky above the sea was clear. Shamo Sabro, 35, could see stars over the Mediterranean. Even though the sea was calm, he was filled with fear, having never been on a boat before.

But Sabro's anxiety was no match for his determination to leave Iraq for good.

Throughout the hour-long crossing from Turkey to Greece, which cost $5,000 in smuggler fees, Sabro never once doubted that he would begin a new life - a "rebirth" - in Germany with his wife and three children, who accompanied him on the trip. He could not have imagined then that within three months, he would return to Iraq and the predominantly Yazidi refugee camp that he fled last November.

"At that point, I was still completely confident in the decision to leave," Sabro told Al Jazeera from his tent in the Chamisku refugee camp outside Zakho, in northern Iraq.

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Sabro and his family are among a small number of Yazidis who have returned to northern Iraq after escaping the warring country illegally to seek refuge in Europe. They were displaced from their home in August 2014, when fighters with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group overran the area. 

According to Yazda, a Yazidi advocacy group, ISIL's assault and occupation of the region led to the displacement of more than 90 percent of Iraq's Yazidi population. The organisation estimates that around one-fifth of Iraq's Yazidis, or 120,000 people, have relocated to Europe. Only a handful have since returned to Iraq, said Jameel Ghanim, Yazda's operations manager.

For Sabro, though, life in Germany was not what he expected. He recalled living in a former chicken factory in the city of Oldenberg with hundreds of other refugees and migrants from around the world, and says he struggled to find anything to fill his days.

"I knew nobody," he said. "I had no friends."

The 510 euros ($580) he received monthly from the German government was sufficient to make ends meet, Sabro said, and a local NGO provided the family with three meals a day. However, Sabro said he was uncomfortable sharing a living space with some Iraqis and Syrians who he feared might be ISIL sympathisers.

Murad Suliman, 31, is another of the small number of Yazidis who have chosen to leave Europe and return to Iraq.

A farmer in Sinjar before the city and its surrounding villages fell to ISIL, Suliman travelled to Germany illegally with his extended family last December at a cost of $10,000. But he recently returned to Zakho from Hamburg with his wife and three children.

"We thought that anything would be better than Iraq," Suliman told Al Jazeera. "But had we known what the situation would be like, and that we would suffer so much, we would not have gone."

Poor road infrastructure, electricity shortages and few employment opportunities plague Iraq's Chamisku refugee camp

Suliman said his family stayed in seven locations in Germany, where he cited cramped and poor living conditions. However, it was the feeling of separation from other Yazidis that ultimately drew him back to northern Iraq. 

"Before going to Germany, we heard that there was a future for the next generation of Yazidis," Suliman said. 

Diler Ahmed, the manager of Iraq's Chamisku refugee camp, estimated that between 40 and 50 Yazidi families had left the camp for "Germany or elsewhere". Eighty percent of the camp's more than 4,300 families are Yazidi, while the rest are mostly Muslims from Sinjar, Ahmed said.

Conditions inside the camp are not ideal, Ahmed said, citing poor road infrastructure, electricity shortages and few employment opportunities. 

"When there is rain, it's impossible to move around the camp," Sabro said. "There is a serious shortage of electricity. Even in our homes, we can smell the toilets outside. But, you know, all that is not worse than being separated from your family."

Although Sabro has returned to Iraq, he said he cannot yet return to his home. Since Sinjar was liberated from ISIL last November, much rubble remains to be cleared, and the city still lacks running water, electricity and a viable security presence. Yazda estimates that more than 70 percent of the Yazidi population "may refuse to return to their homes [in Sinjar] because of chronic insecurity and the incapacity of government protection".

Peshmerga commanders estimate that 15 percent of the Sinjar region remains under ISIL control, citing daily mortar fire from ISIL-held villages around the city. Without the presence of a permanent international protection force in Sinjar, few residents will return, Sabro speculated.

Since returning to the Chamisku camp, Sabro said he has convinced "a few friends" not to make the journey to Europe. But every day, smugglers show up at the camp, and people continue to leave. "I'm telling people the truth about my experience, but they aren't listening," he said. "Germany is a good place, but it's not our home." 

Some of Sabro's relatives told Al Jazeera that even they still planned to make the expensive and dangerous journey, despite his feedback - as do other Yazidis from Iraq. 

Salah Bakarat, a Yazidi who has lived in the Chamisku camp with his family since ISIL overran Sinjar in 2014, already has one brother in Germany and is determined to reach Europe himself.

"I want to live in peace, and I don't trust the government here any more," Barakat said. "Regardless of the difficulties in moving to Europe, I'm hoping for a peaceful life, free of murder and treason. Most Yazidis want to leave Iraq."

Bakarat, who says he does not look forward to the journey, also does not believe he has any other choice: "Sabro was wrong to come back. He talked about the difficulties, but I don't care about that."

(Brown, Jonathan) " Yazidis leave Europe and return to warring Iraq."  AL-Jazeera. Al-Jazeera English. 5/9/15. 5/10/15.  http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/04/yazidis-leave-europe-return-warring-iraq-160404074817769.html

This article made me happy. It shows that people still have hope in a war torn country and are willing to return to it and rebuild it even after years of war. This article seemed to be biased in the main narrator's opinion, that Germany is not a good place for refugees. I would think that this piece was aimed at mainly Muslims or perhaps at other refugees to encourage them to return to Iraq. It's a really good thing that already some refugees are already starting to return home, it is true that Germany is not the best place for refugees. However, you can't blame them since they are facing one of the largest human exoduses in human history. What interested me most about the article was that Sabro, was afraid that some of his fellow refugees would be ISIS sympathizers, a sentiment he shares with many anti-immigrant groups in Germany. Overall, it's good that people can return home, to slowly start the long process of rebuilding their country. 

Solar Impulse Expedition.

Solar Impulse 2 completes Pacific Ocean flight

Solar Impulse 2 lands in San Francisco following a 62-hour, non-stop solo flight without fuel.

A solar-powered plane has landed in California, completing a risky three-day flight across the Pacific Ocean as part of its journey around the world.

Pilot Bertrand Piccard landed the Solar Impulse 2 in Mountain View, in the Silicon Valley south of San Francisco, on Sunday, following a 62-hour, non-stop solo flight without fuel.

The plane taxied into a huge tent erected on Moffett Federal Airfield where Piccard was greeted by the project's team.

The landing came several hours after Piccard performed a flyby over the Golden Gate Bridge as spectators watched the narrow aircraft with extra-wide wings from below.

"I crossed the bridge. I am officially in America," he declared as he took in spectacular views of San Francisco Bay.

Piccard and fellow Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg have been taking turns flying the plane on an around-the-world trip since taking off from Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, in March 2015.

It made stops in Oman, Myanmar, China, Japan and Hawaii.

The trans-Pacific leg was the riskiest part of the plane's global travels because of the lack of emergency landing sites.

"The idea here is not so much that solar planes can immediately replace jet planes powered by fossil fuel," said Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds, reporting from Mountain View.

"It is rather to give the pioneers of the technology inspiration for other uses of solar power."

Wider wings

The plane's ideal flight speed is about 28mph, though that can double during the day when the sun's rays are strongest. The carbon-fibre aircraft weighs more than 2,268kg, or about as much as a mid-size truck.

The plane's wings, which stretch wider than those of a Boeing 747, are equipped with 17,000 solar cells that power propellers and charge batteries. The plane runs on stored energy at night.

Solar Impulse 2 will make three more stops in the US before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to Europe or Northern Africa, according to the website documenting the journey.

The project, which began in 2002 and is estimated to cost more than $100m, is meant to highlight the importance of renewable energy and the spirit of innovation. Solar-powered air travel is not yet commercially practical, however, given the slow travel time, weather and weight constraints of the aircraft.

            

                       The Solar Impulse project is a truly interesting scientific expedition. To travel the world using only solar power is a feat that would encourage people to get more interested in solar power and other renewable energy resources. Personally, I believe that we as a human race must try to curb the use of fossil fuels as much as possible. Not only do they pollute the climates we live in, they are also inefficient and slowly running out. The article does admit that as of yet, solar energy is less efficient than fossil fuels, however a major reason for that is that solar energy has not been as developed as fossil fuels. Who knows were solar energy could take us in 20 years? This article's audience was probably exploration and environmental enthusiasts. Even though the media publisher Al-Jazeera is based in the UAE a country wholly dependent on oil for revenue, I do feel that this article was objective in presenting the pros and cons of solar energy.

" Solar Impulse 2 completes Pacific Ocean flight." Al-Jazeera. Al-Jazeera English.  4/24/16. 4/25/16.http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/04/solar-impulse-2-pacific-ocean-flight-160424071519870.html 

Shutting doors to the Afghans

Europe shuts its doors to Afghans

A musician who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban threatened to kill him asks why Europe is shutting out Afghans.

John Psaropoulos | 07 Mar 2016 13:27 GMT | 

Musawir Roshan fled Afghanistan when the Taliban began sending him death threats for singing songs about women's rights.

Athens, Greece - Musawir Roshan doesn't like long goodbyes. At two o'clock one morning about four months ago, he sneaked out of the house where he grew up in Kabul, leaving his father, seven brothers and one sister, the sibling dearest to him, undisturbed in their sleep.

Only his mother realised he was gone. "My mother - she knew. That night when I moved out from my house, my mother came out on to the street at two o'clock and she cried and she held me," says Roshan during a walk on a beach in Athens.

Roshan left his native Afghanistan because the Taliban were threatening to kill him. "The Taliban says music is not good, music is not in Islam. 'If anybody is singing, we will kill him,' [they say]. All music."

But Roshan was not targeted simply because he is a musician. His message is highly political. "Because women have problems in Afghanistan, I make a song,asking, 'Why do the Taliban kill women? Why don't women go to school?'" he says.

"This concert made a big problem for me. The Taliban said, 'Why did you make this song about women? Women cannot go to school.'" 

One night as he returned home, Roshan was accosted by a stranger who lit a torch in his face, then inexplicably disappeared. In retrospect, he suspects it was the Taliban verifying his address. Shortly after, the Taliban killed his cousin, Emal. "He is not a singer, but he went with me everywhere; whenever I sang or had a shoot, he would come."

Emal was gunned down just yards from Roshan's house. His body was riddled with 16 bullets. The next day, the Taliban posted a death threat on Roshan's front door.

Even then, Roshan dug in his heels. He neither left Afghanistan nor stopped singing, but the Taliban lay in wait for him at night as he walked home along the unlit street.

"Once I saw a man walking towards me. He was looking straight at me, and as he walked past, he turned his head and kept looking at me. I said, 'Why are you looking at me like that?' Then he swore at me and pulled out a gun. I ran, and then I heard gunshots. I don't know if he was aiming at me."

The warnings came in every possible form. "The Taliban called me on the phone and said, 'Stop your music ... if we find where you are living, we will kill you,'" Roshan says.

What finally forced him to go was pressure from home. His youngest brother and his sister were facing discrimination at school from students whose families were sympathetic to the Taliban.

"My father used to beat me to make me stop singing. He told me to leave my home, and 'go anywhere you go because you are making problems for me'."

Thousands of Afghans are sleeping at the old Athens airport where they are being given temporary shelter .

Asylum rules

Roshan is now among thousands of Afghans trapped in Greece - the victims of a tightening political attitude in Europe towards refugees.

Until the beginning of this year, all self-proclaimed refugees enjoyed a wave-through policy, which allowed them to walk across six national borders from Greece to Germany.

On February 18, the police chiefs of Austria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Macedonia announced that "the migration flow along the Western Balkans route has to be reduced to the greatest possible extent". 

Three days later, the five signatories barred entry to Afghans, the latest addition to a growing list of displaced nationals which now excludes all except Syrians and Iraqis - ostensibly because overt war continues to rage in those countries.

Austria's arrangement with the former Yugoslav republics originally had the political backing of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, who began to close their borders unilaterally last year.

The extent to which such unilateral behaviour has now become mainstream policy was illustrated in Athens on March 2 in the words of the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk: "We have to end the so-called wave-through process ... I want to appeal to all potential illegal economic migrants wherever you are from: Do not come to Europe. Do not believe the smugglers. Do not risk your lives and your money. It is all for nothing. Greece or any other European country will no longer be a transit country."

The day before, Macedonian authorities allowed only 170 people in from Greece.

This, however, has caused legal problems. "What's happening right now at the border is precisely what shouldn't be allowed to happen," says Maria Stavropoulou, who heads Greece's Asylum Service. 

"Someone without qualifications, operating under specific instructions, determining whether someone is an Afghan or an Iraqi or a Yemeni or anything else - this goes against everything we know about refugee law," Stavropoulou says, adding, "It's clear that all this has ulterior motives."

The European Council on Refugees and Exiles, an alliance of 90 European NGOs,agrees.

"The main goal of these new updated policies by the Balkan countries is to keep refugees out, thus overriding the rights, in line with international obligations, that should be accorded to displaced people," it says. 

The Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), an NGO providing legal aid to asylum seekers, has also denounced the arbitrary removal of migrants' documents, including passports and Greek registration forms.

"It isn't clear under what procedures the authorities of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia dispute ... public Greek documents," says the GCR in a note.

Although the EU recognises the Greek authorities' registration documents that are provided at reception centres, the signatories of the February 18 declaration have instituted a new registration form of their own.

The slowing of the border crossing is bottling up refugees of all nationalities in Greece, but it discriminates against Afghans in particular. Some refugees can apply for relocation, an asylum application to another EU country, but Afghans cannot.

According to a September summit decision on resettlement, only nationalities with acceptance rates of more than 75 percent are eligible, and Afghans are just below that at about 70 percent.

Even for Syrians and Iraqis, resettlement is failing. After the November 13 attacks in Paris, Poland, Hungary and other EU members revoked their own voluntary resettlement quotas.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced that he will ask for mandatory quotas to be imposed three days after Tusk's visit, but this was the very proposal that failed in May last year, opening the rift between Eastern and Western Europe.

Two Afghan children talk on the grounds of the defunct old Athens airport where they are being given temporary shelter.

Forty years of war

There is a glimmer of hope for Afghans like Roshan.

"They can apply for asylum in Greece," says Stavropoulou of the Asylum Service. "They have a very large chance of getting it - 60 percent. If they get it, they have to stay here."

Alternatively, she says, they can "continue on their journey, with all the difficulties and dangers and costs that that entails; but if we live in reality, the fact is that smugglers are effective, and they are now more effective than ever."

Roshan cannot afford a smuggler. As he crossed from Turkey to the Greek islands, he lost everything he possessed.

As his boat started sinking, "everybody agreed to put their luggage in the water," he says. Inside the bag that Roshan had sent to the depths were his clothes, his mobile phone, all his compositions, the death threat the Taliban nailed to his door, and $10,000.

"I am stuck here. I have lost my way. What should I do here?" he asks. "The policy of Europe is not good. Syrian and Iraqi people are allowed because of war. Afghanistan has had war for 40 years."

Psaropoulos, John. "Europe shuts it's doors to Afghans." Al-Jazeera English. Al-Jazeera. 3/7/16. 3/8/16. 

For a long time now, the issue of migrants has been plaguing Europe as a whole. This article explores the measures many countries are taking to try to curb the influx of refugees into their countries. I would say that this article was biased against European countries, it portrayed the Afghan refugee as a victim of bureaucracy, and seemed to imply a sense of apathy among European countries towards the migrant issue. This is not surprising as Al-Jazeera is an Arabic media publisher. Personally I think it's a pity that may refugees are being denied entry into countries, however you also have to think of the countries themselves. Many of them, in Eastern Europe particularly don't have the resources to support such a large number of people. Even though it is sad that this man may not be able to find asylum, it would be worse if all refugees were allowed entry into countries that would then face economic collapse.   

Elephant Poachers

Five Tanzanians arrested after British pilot killed

President denounces killing of conservationist after his helicopter was shot down by elephant poachers.

02 Feb 2016 08:07 GMT | 

More than 30,000 elephants are killed for their tusks every year across Africa 

Tanzanian President John Magufuli has condemned the killing of a British conservationist after his helicopter was shot down while he chased poachers, saying five people were arrested.

Roger Gower, 37, was killed when his helicopter took fire from poachers during a patrol last week of the Maswa Game Reserve in northern Tanzania, close to the world-famous Serengeti National Park.

Gower, who worked for the Friedkin Conservation Fund, had been tracking poachers after spotting the carcasses of recently killed elephants.

"This is a sad incident that must be strongly condemned," Magufuli said in a statement, ordering that all those involved should be "aggressively pursued and brought to justice".

Five suspects were arrested and questioned by police.

Magufuli vowed to boost efforts to protect wildlife.

"I personally support the fight against poaching in our game reserves and national parks... Let us join hands against the poachers," said Magufuli.

Gower's South African colleague, safari guide Nicky Bester, survived the helicopter crash.

Tanzania's National Parks spokesman, Pascal Shelutete, said poachers can be "heavily armed with sophisticated military weaponry".

Ivory is sought out for jewellery and decorative objects and much of it is smuggled to China, where many increasingly wealthy shoppers are buying ivory trinkets as a sign of financial success.

It is estimated that more than 30,000 elephants are killed for their tusks every year across Africa

"Five Tanzanians arrested after British pilot killed." Al-Jazeera . Al-Jazeera English. 2/2/16. 2/2/16

Elephant poaching in East Africa has long been a problem. I think this article,really shows that the problem is no where close to being solved or at all even lessened. The article was definitely aimed at a British and East African public. When I read this article I would say that it was biased against China, it named China as one of the major importers of ivory, where the rich buy it to show their financial success. However it never touched on the fact that corruption within East African governments is what is letting the ivory flow out of the countries. Personally, I would agree with the anti-Chinese bias of the article. China needs to take a bigger role in a trade that is as deadly to both humans and animals. If Chinese border controls and police took a bigger role in stopping ivory entering their country, the supply would be stopped and then the so would the demand.

Refugees in Denmark

Denmark to vote on seizing refugees' money, valuables

The bill is expected to pass as opponents say the seizure of money and valuables is not the most alarming part of it.

Eline Schaart, Soren Lund Nielsen | 25 Jan 2016 12:55 GMT | 

Refugees who arrive at Copenhagen Central Station are welcomed in the so-called safe zone, where they can get coffee, cake and guidance.

A train from Germany will soon arrive, so Rooni Abdel Razak and his colleague Rim Walid leave the safe zone, a temporary room set up inside Copenhagen Central Station, and start walking towards platform 6.

Ever since Denmark started patrolling its borders in early January, fewer refugees have been able to enter the country, but the volunteers at the Central Station in Copenhagen still wait every time a train from either Germany or Sweden arrives, just in case there is a refugee in need of their help on board.

"After five months you learn how to spot the refugees. Most look confused and frightened. Some do not trust us, because they have been betrayed by people during their entire journey," says 22-year-old Abdel Razak as he approaches the tracks.

As the train arrives, Abdel Razak and Walid focus on the faces behind the glass. The doors open and people disembark onto the platform. The two split up so that they can walk from door to door and scan the crowd.

"Better luck next time," says Abdel Razak as they return to the middle of the platform without spotting anyone in need. 

He has been working as a volunteer almost every day for the past five months - listening to people's stories, assisting them wherever possible and providing answers to their questions about how the forthcoming new Danish asylum rules may affect them.

For the past few weeks, Denmark has faced international scrutiny after the government proposed stricter immigration laws - with some drawing comparisons between the proposals and Nazi practices during World War II.

Of particular interest has been a bill that would allow Danish authorities to seize asylum seekers' cash exceeding 10,000 kroner ($1,450), as well as any single item valued at more than 10,000 kroner. 

The government has clarified that valuables with a sentimental value - such as wedding and engagement rings, as well as watches and mobile phones - will not be taken.

Family reunification 

But, while many have focused on this, critics suggest that it is another part of the proposal - which is expected to pass a vote in the Danish Parliament on January 26 - that is most alarming.

The new law will mean that refugees will have to wait three years after being granted asylum before they can apply to be reunited with their family. The current law permits them to do this after one year.

"The right of refugees to be reunited with their family is protected by numerous international conventions ratified by Denmark. We believe the government is overstepping international law by implementing this bill," says Jonas Christoffersen, the director of the the Danish Institute for Human Rights, which says it will help refugees and institutions who wish to file a case against the state because of this law.

Despite criticism of the right-wing government of Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the bill is expected to be passed with a large majority. Even the opposition Social Democrats have said they will vote in favour. 

"We want less people to seek asylum in Denmark. We do not find all the changes in the law perfect, but we believe it is what the country needs," says Mattias Tesfaye, the Social Democrats' spokesperson on naturalisation.

However, the Social Democrats' support for the bill will not be unanimous. Three members have made it clear that they plan to vote against it.

"I cannot vote in favour of a law that will destroy the close relations between parents and their children for three years," said Daniel Toft Jakobsen, a Social Democrat who intends to vote no.

"I am afraid this will have fatal consequences for those affected. To lay awake in the night worrying about your loved ones who might be in an unsafe place will obviously impact the integration process negatively." 

'Do not apply here' 

Rooni Abdel Razak has been working as a volunteer at Copenhagen Central Station almost every day for the past five months.

Najib Allah, 24, stands in front of the safe zone with a blanket over his shoulders. He has just arrived at Copenhagen's Central Station after a long and dangerous journey from Afghanistan, via Iran and Turkey, Eastern Europe and Germany.

The safe zone has been decorated with sofas, carpets and paintings that depict classical Danish landscapes. The overall effect is cosy and welcoming, although there are sometimes more volunteers than refugees inside. The volunteers, most of whom are bilingual, greet each other warmly.  

Najib came alone. His phone and most of his money was stolen in Bulgaria. He threw the rest of his belongings away because they were too heavy to carry. Now he only has the clothes he stands in.

Najib's journey has been difficult.

"To the smugglers we are pure business," he says. "They promise and promise to help us, but those who actually need help are not getting it."

He is unsure whether he wants to stay in Denmark or try to take a train to Sweden, but he is happy for now. 

It is not unusual for refugees to arrive without any or with only a few belongings. It is for this reason that Gunnar Homann, a Danish lawyer who specialises in Danish immigration law, finds it unlikely that the new law concerning the seizure of valuables will be effective. 

"It is often a coincidence where they end up, and even if a refugee brings valuables that could be confiscated, he could easily divide these with another refugee," Homann explains.

"It is a symbolic rule, meant to say: 'do not apply here'," he continues.

Over the past few months, Denmark has cut benefits for refugees in an effort to deter them from coming.

"It is like a competition between countries to make it harder and harder to come to their country. Now that Sweden has closed its borders, Denmark had to take a step further," says Christoffersen of the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

A 'burden rather than a resource' 

The country's unwillingness to take in refugees can be traced back to the mid-19th century, says Ulf Hedetoft, a professor of International Studies at the University of Copenhagen.

"A number of lost wars and German occupation during World War II induced a sentiment of 'what we lost on the outside, we will win on the inside'," says Hedetoft. 

He believes Denmark has become economically, socially and politically homogenous, with self-sufficiency promoted while the outside world is viewed with suspicion and even anxiety. Within this model, refugees are considered a potential threat to civic society and cultural solidarity, he says.

"In the past, immigrants have mainly been seen as a burden rather than a resource," he explains.

It is a sentiment that has re-emerged with Denmark's right-wing government. "Now, immigrants are once again seen to represent a major threat to Denmark's cultural cohesion and economic prosperity, and clamours to close our borders and make refugees choose other destinations are growing day by day," Hedetoft says.

The current Danish border controls have given Abdel Razak and the other volunteers less work at the station as fewer refugees arrive. He walks outside to smoke a cigarette before the next train is due. In his phone he has pictures of people he has met over the past five months.

"People sometimes come back to the safe zone to thank us for the help they have received," he says. 

The safe zone will most likely remain open until the end of January. No matter what, Abdel Razak and the other volunteers are committed to continuing to help those who disembark there.

(Shaart, Eline) " Denmark to vote on seizing refugees money, valuables," Al-Jazeera. Al-Jazeera English. 1/25/16. 1/25/16. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/01/denmark-vote-seizing-refugees-money-valuables-160125102148222.html

This article caught my attention because if this new law is implemented in Denmark, the Danish Government will basically be saying, come to our country, we'll take your stuff. This is wrong, these people are refugees, they don't have very much with them in the first place. Yet they want to take what little they have. I would say that the piece was written quite objectively, they journalist presented both the case of the refugees and case of the Danish government. The media company Al-Jazeera obviously has a pro-immigration bias. I understand that the Danish government, like any European government, wants to limit the number of immigrants entering its nation. However they are going about it the wrong way, this article feels a bit like a warning piece, don't go to Denmark, they'll take your stuff.