Poland's president warns of refugees bringing epidemics

Andrzej Duda's call for government to take steps to prevent outbreak of disease prompts comparisons to Nazi rhetoric.




Poland's conservative President Andrzej Duda has said the government should take steps to protect its citizens from refugees bringing in "possible epidemics". Duda told the TVN24 channel on Sunday that the government should prioritise the physical and financial security of Poles, as well as their health.
Duda said if the government was ready to accept refugees it should take measures "to ensure that Poles are well protected against epidemiological risks". The comments by the president, whose role is largely ceremonial, echo those of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the populist Law and Justice party of which Duda is a member. The party is widely tipped to win legislative elections due on October 25.
'Dysentery in Vienna' Kaczynski had spoken of "cholera in the Greek islands" and "dysentery in Vienna" and accused refugees of "bringing in all kinds of parasites which are not dangerous in their own countries, but which could prove dangerous for the local populations" in Europe.
Speaking outside a refugee centre, Kaczynski had also asked the centrist government of Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz to clearly spell out how it planned to "protect" Polish citizens.
The comments were widely criticised by both centrist leaders and the media, which likened them to hate speech and said they were reminiscent of Nazi propaganda.The Nazis had accused Jews of carrying typhus. Contrary to Duda and Kaczynski's warnings, the World Health Organization (WHO) says there is no association between migration and infectious diseases. "In spite of the common perception of an association between migration and the importation of infectious diseases, there is no systematic association," a September report by the WHO said. "These diseases have not, however, been eliminated and still exist in the European region, independently of migration."
"The risk for importation of exotic and rare infectious agents into Europe, such as Ebola, Marburg and Lassa viruses or Middle East respiratory syndrome [MERS], is extremely low."
"Experience has shown that when importation occurs, it involves regular travellers, tourists, or healthcare workers, rather than refugees or migrants." Poland had long been reluctant to take in refugees but finally agreed to accept about 5,000 of the 120,000 people to be shared between the 28-member EU - up from an initial 2,000. Other Eastern European states have also been reluctant to take refugees, citing fears of disease and terrorism. In September, Czech President Milos Zeman warned that refugees could possibly bring infectious diseases and be involved in terrorism.

Clearly the migrants issue in Europe hasn't gone silent. In this article discusses the concerns of Poland's president Andrzej Duda. The main concerns of Duda is the possible diseases or epidemic that the migrants from Syria might bring to Poland. In addition to Duda's concerns his political party also shares the same concerns, blaming the cholera in Greece, and the dysentery in Vienna. Overall, Poland fears the migrants rushing in Europe will harm their country. Furthermore, the Duda believes in Poland should focus more on the financial and economic security of Poles rather than the migrant issue. When it comes to my personal opinion I believe the poles have a reasonable reasons and they should focus on their personal problems however, I do concerns towards this migrant crisis and hope there is a solution in the coming year. Through this article I noticed there isn't much biased opinion but the writers tended to focus more on the statements. I also believe this article would be read by people who are well aware of this issue and the people share the same concerns of Poland.

Arab Assailant Opens Fire On Bus Station, Kills Israeli Soldier
By TIA GOLDENBERG
Posted: 10/18/2015 04:59 PM EDT | Edited: 10/18/2015 05:22 PM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Arab attacker armed with a gun and a knife opened fire in a southern Israel bus station on Sunday, police said, killing an Israeli soldier and wounding 10 people in one of the boldest attacks yet in a month long wave of violence.The attack came as Israel further tightened security around the country, highlighted by the construction of a barrier separating Jewish and Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem. In a bid to halt the fighting, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he would meet the Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the coming days.Israel has deployed thousands of police, backed up by troops, to maintain order following a spate of attacks, mostly stabbings, by Palestinian assailants. Those measures have so far failed to stop the violence. In Sunday night's attack, police said the Arab assailant entered the central bus station in the southern city of Beersheba and began shooting and stabbing people. They said an Israeli soldier was killed, five police were lightly wounded and five civilians were wounded to varying degrees. Yoram Halevy, a police commander in southern Israel, told reporters that in addition to the knife and gun he entered with, the attacker also snatched a weapon from the soldier he killed. The attacker, whose identity was not immediately known, was shot and killed. A foreigner was shot by police during the attack after they apparently mistook him for an assailant. Halevy said security forces responding to the attack entered the bus station from another area and saw a "foreign national," shooting and wounding him. Israeli media said the foreigner was an Eritrean national living in Israel. Israeli media showed footage of a blood-streaked floor and rows of ambulances outside the bus station. Security camera footage from the bus station aired on Israeli TV showed what appeared to be a civilian shooting the attacker as soldiers and civilians crouched for cover nearby. The attack was one of the most serious incidents amid near-daily bouts of violence that has hit Israel and the Palestinian territories over the past month. After the attack, a crowd of Israelis gathered outside the bus station and chanted "death to Arabs." The unrest erupted in Jerusalem a month ago over tensions surrounding a Jerusalem holy site sacred to Jews and Muslims. It soon spread to Arab neighborhoods of east Jerusalem and then to the West Bank, Gaza and Israel.  

The boldest attack in a month long wave of violence in Israel was witnessed in a bus station on Sunday. It was known that the attacker killed an Israeli soldier and wounded 10 other people. Like the other stabbings and killings that has been going on in Israel for the past few weeks the attacker on Sunday was identified as an Arab. As a result of this tragedy and other incidences that has been occurring in Israel, the Israeli Government is tightening security around the country by separating Jewish and Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem. In addition, to prevent these attacks , U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is willing to meet the Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the coming days. In my personal opinion the main source of these attacks are due to long cultural differences and bitterness between the Israelis and Palestinians. I also believe the meeting of secretary of state John Kerry and Israeli and Palestinian leaders would do a little effect on these attacks and think beefing up security wouldn't solve this problem. Overall, I believe this reporter seem to right his article in concern and worry but also writes in a unbiased way. I also believe this article would stimulate concerns towards Israelis but also people who have connections in the middle east.

citation 

Goldberg, Tia. "Berggruen Institute." 18 Oct. 2015. Huffington Post. 20 Oct. 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/arab-assailant-opens-fire-on-bus-station-kills-israeli-soldier_5624052ee4b02f6a900cc223?ir=WorldPost&section=world>

Isis blows up Arch of Triumph in 2,000-year-old city of Palmyra

Monument described as ‘jewel in the collection’ of Unesco-listed Syrian city is destroyed and follows the razing of other statues and temples

Islamic State militants have destroyed the Arch of Triumph in the ancient city of Palmyra, a monument that dates back to the Roman empire, Syria’s chief of antiquities told the Guardian. Maamoun Abdulkarim said sources in the city, which was conquered by Isis after a week-long siege in May, had informed him the arch was destroyed on Sunday in the latest act of vandalism against Syria’s cultural heritage perpetrated by Isis.“It’s a crime in every sense of the word,” he said in a telephone interview from Damascus. “All we can do is share the sadness.” The arch was built in commemorbaration of a visit by the emperor and his entourage when Palmyra was a Roman colony. Isis’s puritanical interpretation of Islam deems the preservation of ancient artefacts and monuments to be a form of idolatry.Earlier this summer, the group destroyed the majestic Temple of Bel, once the centre of religious life in ancient Palmyra, and the historic Temple of Baalshamin. The militants also beheaded Khaled al-Assaad, the elderly head of Palmyra’s antiquities, after he refused to pass on the location of hidden artefacts.Abdulkarim, who described the militants as “barbarians”, said the arch carried no religious significance and its destruction appeared to be fuelled entirely by spite. He said the terror group had also planted explosives on several other buildings in the ancient city, part of a process of systematically destroying the ruins. He said the majority of Palmyra’s monuments could be destroyed if the international community and forces on the ground in Syria did not act. “Liberating Palmyra is an immediate necessity,” Abdulkarim said. “The international community must find a solution to liberate it.” Isis has destroyed numerous cultural artefacts and monuments of historic significance in its rampage across Iraq and Syria. In addition to the destruction in Palmyra, it has blown up Christian and Shia shrines and houses of worship in both countries. It also burned and destroyed centuries-old Assyrian and Akkadian artefacts in Nineveh, releasing high-production-value imagery and videography of its atrocities. Experts say the group revels in the destruction as it highlights its ability to operate with impunity and it shows the powerlessness of the international community to put a halt to its actions. Isis also profits from illicitly selling artefacts it loots from ancient sites.

the content of this article talks about the matter of ISIS destroying historical artifacts and structures. The recent abuse of the Arch of Triumph in the ancient city of Palmyra has left Syria's chief of antiquities furious. So far the Isis has been vandalizing and ransacking numerous cultural artifacts and monuments of historic significance in its rampage across Iraq and Syria. this articles also gives additional information of the Arch Isis abolished and how it was built for the Roman emperor and his entourage. In my personal opinion, I believe the abolishing historical artifacts are absurd and unnecessary. I believe the purpose of history is for us relearn from the past and improve the future and what Isis is doing is vandalizing our opportunity due to their interpretation. In addition, I believe this article expresses some sort of irritation and concern. I also believe would attract readers who share concerns over the middle east and I hope reader would feel some sort of irritation towards what Isis has done. In summary the destroying of ancient artifacts in Palmyra has shocked many people. Furthermore, I also have a strong opinion towards vandalizing ancient sculptures and structures and I hope and pray for a day when these issue can be solved.   

citation:
Shaheen, Kareem. "The Guardian."  5 Oct. 2016 The Guardian Newspaper.  10 Oct. 2015
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/05/isis-blows-up-another-monument-in-2000-year-old-city-of-palmyra >