Empathy for Refugees

In the camp there are refugees from all over the world. What was striking was the fact that Black refugees were being taunted not only by the guards but also by other refugees. Banana’s were thrown at Black refugees, they were called the most offensive terms, and I saw an Eastern European white girl calling a grown Black man a monkey. After some guards were being completely racist, we unfortunately found out that the Trier police was not willing to investigate the matter because “I just don’t think this is racist” and “Do you know how many of them are coming to our town”. Anti-Blackness does not only happen to Black refugees in their own countries, when they flee they also encounter it in refugee camps from other refugees (and by local White and NBPoC European people). There seems to be no safety for Black people wherever they go. If we only talk about empathy, all of this cannot be discussed. How can one discuss anti-Blackness if there is only a conversation regarding who is “the best at helping refugees” and “we could all become refugees”. Point of the matter is that White people even if there would ever happen something they would have to flee from would not be confronted with anti-Blackness or narratives that revolve around “we helped you to become a democracy, we gave you some Enlightenment etc”. If the dikes would break in the Netherlands and Dutch people had to go to France and Germany that is absolutely not the same as what is happing with Black refugees fleeing to Europa. Are we really going to be this intellectual dishonest and pretend that White Dutch mothers would be sleeping on the floor with their babies in some old German hospital? That White Dutch men would be racially charged and battered by other refugees for being White? That there is some colonial link in which the Netherlands was occupied as a colony by France for hundreds of years? Let’s not.

Sososno in Empathy for Refugees (Dis/content)