Send Them To Rwanda!!

Caoimhin O’Muraile ☭ The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has come out with some outlandish and ridiculous ideas and acts in his time nobody could doubt that.

There was the case of British-Iranian citizen, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was sentenced to five years imprisonment in Iran. She proclaimed her innocence and asked Johnson, then British Foreign Secretary, for help. After his bungled intervention her sentence was doubled to ten years, nice one Boris!!

If ever you are in trouble abroad don’t worry, just give old Boris a bell he’ll help dig your hole even deeper!! Fortunately, she was released, no thanks to Boris Johnson, in March 2022.

The latest ridiculous idea regarding refugees fleeing their own war-torn countries is to send them to live in Rwanda instead of the UK! This silly suggestion is probably an attempt to pacify the racist elements among his Conservative Party right-wing. This idea has got very serious historical connotations, for example back in 1937 the right-wing Polish Government had a similar scheme in mind wishing to send all Polish Jews to Madagascar, a plan later considered by the Nazi regime in Germany and we know what the final result on that occasion was.

Rwanda is a central African country bordered by Uganda and the Congo, two countries they are at constant loggerheads with. Only in 2019 did their latest war with the Congo come to an end. Even if Johnsons plan was accepted, and it most certainly should not be, is Rwanda the safest place on earth to re-settle people? War, the very evil these refugees are often fleeing, is a constant threat in Rwanda and perhaps Johnson should ask himself if he would emigrate there himself? The answer would be an emphatic no way. Why then does he think it a good idea to send helpless refugees there?

This kind of thinly disguised racism is prevalent in the British Conservative party, the party in Government there now. It appears the UK government just do not want refugees, no matter how desperate they are, within their borders! Is this policy to remain within their inflexible Brexit policy of stopping immigration into the country?

What would happen if the British Government get their way and start “offloading” refugees to Rwanda if the Rwandan Government do not want them either? Is it a case of so long as they are not in the UK who cares a fuck where they go? When the Nazis had this outrageous plan to send the Jews to Madagascar it came to nothing but, as we know they did not give up. They then tried to deport German Jews to Cuba (per-revolutionary Cuba) and the Cuban Government did not want them either so they ended up back in Germany and eventually the death camps! This is not to suggest Boris Johnson has anything of this nature in mind but an example of how these things can finish up if care is not taken. The fact is the idea is as stupid and wrong as the man who thought it up, Bouncing Boris.

The Labour opposition are opposing the idea, as are some more moderate members of the government, but not as vehemently as would be expected from an opposition who for some strange reason still see’s itself of the left.

This idea of Johnson's has not yet been passed in the House of Commons and let’s hope it never comes to fruition. I doubt it will, but the UK no doubt will limit the number of refugees entering the island of Britain and will probably be selective regarding what these refugees have to offer the UK.

The fact that Boris Johnson even entertained the idea of shipping refugees off to Rwanda should tell us all something about the way British politics may be travelling. The opposition to this offensive plan is not based on historical comparisons but more about sanctimonious morals. Not once have I heard any MP compare this plan of the PMs to that of Hitler to ship all European Jews to Madagascar. History has a terrible habit of repeating itself and let us hope we are not witnessing it here. I doubt we are but have the seeds being planted for the future? Time will tell, but all these points are well worth watching for all those who consider themselves anti-fascist.

Combating these ideas is not only about street fighting the mindless thugs who support them, but, and perhaps more importantly, it is about questioning various statements coming out of parliament(s), ideas such as this one advocated by Boris Johnson.

Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent

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