Confiscating refugees' property is '˜utterly repulsive' says Anderson

A volunteer holds up a baby as others help migrants and refugees to disembark from a dinghy after their arrival from the Turkish coast to the Greek island of Lesbos. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

Switzerland, Germany and Denmark are three countries believed to have implemented the policy.

Some European governments are under pressure to find the money to pay for supporting and caring for hundreds of thousands of refugees making their way from the war torn Middle East to Europe.

Speaking after a European Parliamentary committee debate on the issue, Martina Anderson described the policy as “utterly repulsive”.

“If the refugee and humanitarian crisis was to be considered a test of the EU’s capacity for humanity then it would be failing miserably. The latest knee-jerk reaction by the right wing in Europe is to confiscate the possessions and cash of refugees.

“I find this concept utterly repulsive and supremely inhumane. Refugees are fleeing the worst excesses of conflict and utter devastation, making treacherous journeys in sub-zero temperatures or across the floating graveyard that is the Mediterranean, to seek shelter and protection in the EU and its neighbours.”

“It was insulting enough that these people were being met with border forces, fences and detention centres - now they are being stripped of whatever meagre savings they could muster or any ‘valuable’ items they may have on their person,” Ms. Anderson added.

A member of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs committee, Martina Anderson went on to critiscise the Danish government’s plans to take a harder line with asylum seekers coming into the country.

Migrants walk through snow from the Macedonian border into Serbia, near the village of Miratovac, Serbia. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

“Two German states currently operate this policy, with one, Baden-Württemberg, confiscating anything with a value greater than €350. The Danish government is currently pushing a bill with similar objectives through the Danish Parliament. This bill has the expressed aim to ‘further tighten the criteria for asylum and access to Denmark’.

“The Danish Government hopes to prolong the application process for asylum seekers and narrow the availability of residence permits. They also wish to make it legal for police to confiscate the property and cash of refugees.

“Amnesty International, The Danish Institute of Human Rights and The Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner, Nils Muiznieks have already criticised these plans. We in Sinn Féin believe that the Danish government should serious reconsider this bill and strive to protect and enshrine the rights of all people, rather than undermine them entirely.

MEP Anderson concluded by saying she would continue to protect the most vulnerable people by giving them a voice within the corridors of the European Parliament.

“Unfortunately the European reaction to the humanitarian crisis has become increasingly inhumane. As a full member of the Civil Liberties committee, I will continue to work with progressive voices in Europe to promote humane and dignified solutions to the ongoing refugee crisis.”