Top MEP Omtzigt+Expert El-Massih to EF: Syria/Iraq Christian Refugees under Pressure even in Europe!

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- Experienced vice-President of PanEuropean CoE Assembly's Human Rights Committee, Pieter Omtzigt, a mainstream ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP from the Netherlands, replying to an "Eurofora" Question at a CoE Side Event on Persecuted Christians, strongly Denounced the Fact that there are Christian Refugees from Middle-Eastern Countries (as Syria, Iraq, etc),

The Meeting took place at the Eve of Large, Full Day-Long Public Debate in CoE's PanEuropean Parliamentary Assembly about the recent Mass Migration Crisis, with 4 relevant Reports and Draft Resolutions to Vote, scheduled for Tomorrow, Wedbesday, June 28.

It was sponsored by MEPs from 3 Different Groups : Sir Jeffrey Donaldson (UK - Conservatives), Pieter Omtzigt (Netherlands - ChristianDemocrats/EPP, and Ulla Sandbaek (Denmark  - Left), and organized by NGO "Open Doors - France", with the presence of 2 Experts.

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- "Eurofora" reminded the Surprising Fact that, when Christian Catholic Pope Francis visited the Greek Islands facing the Turkish Coasts, some Months ago, he had already warned about his intention to Host 1

Christian and 3 Muslim Families of Refugees to the Vatican, but Greek Authorities reportedly told him that they could No find any Christian Refugee Family : Not even 1, at the area from which More than a Million of Mass Asylum Seekers/Irregular Migrants entered in Europe, coming though Turkey on 2015-2016 !

How was that Possible, when Christians are notoriously the 1st to be brutaly Persecuted, Oppressed and Threatened by Islamist Extremists and Terrorists in Syria, Iraq, etc ? What happened to all of them ? Do they have a real Possibility to arrive to Europe, or, May be, they are Hindered to use the route via Turkey, and obliged to flee to Lebanon, Jordany, even as far as ...Armenia ?, we asked.

(In fact, we ommitted to mention also the Syrian Kurdish region, which notoriously accepts Christian Refugees, but that obviousy was insufficient in order too explain such an astonishingly Huge Phenomenon, as that which was highlighted above).

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 - Directly related to that, is "one thing that we haven't yet examined : i.e. the Persecution of Christians withIN the Refugee Camps, etc., observed in Reply to "Eurofora"s Question mainstream ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP, Pieter Omtzigt, from the Netherlands.

  - And  we already know a number of Incidents, including that where Christians were Thrown OverBoard" by Other Mass Migrants, etc, he Denounced. 

- "The Turkish Government has, since a long time, said, that they would set up, at least, some Camps where Christians can live, But, still, they do Not have set up Any Camp iike that", MEP Omtzigt pointed out.

- For some, it's "quite normal" if you have a kind of "War between Groups", and this might end up even with some Killing eachother, he warned.

- And you may always find some Jihadists who are Losing ground, to throw arms, and try to Pose as Refugees"...

- As it has happened already in Europe, on 1945, (i.e. a the De-Nazification, Anti-Fascist period), the Same thing is happening Today : These People are Not Changing their Radical Ideas. At the moment, they leave away Weapons to Save their own Lives.

=>  - "So, Yes : There is a Grave Problem, withIN Refugees", the mainsteam MEP concluded in reply to the above mentioned "Eurofora"'s Question.

+ As for Armenia, it's really facing a lot of Pressure. Because several Syrians have also Armenian Nationaliy, and, many of our (CoE) Countries have Laws according to which, if you have Dual Nationality, and you can't go to one of those two Countries (f.ex., Syria), then, you have to go to your other Country, i.e. Armenia. There is a Big Discussion on how this should be dealt with, he pointed out.

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- Already, we can see that there is a problem in the Registration at UN Refugee Camps", observed Expert Abed El-Massih, from Syria, of the "Open Doors" NGO, adding his own Reply to "Eurofora"s Question.

- "We could notice that in All Major Camps, in Jordany and in Turkey. Obviously 11 of them are UnOfficial Camps. But even in Unofficial Camps in Lebanon : There are very Few Christians Registered on UN Documents !", El-Massih pointed out.

- "And that is a Reason why you don't have all those Christians among Refugees, and there are Questions through UN Programs", etc.

 - "There was a Dynamic (in the Past) for Christians to Register in UN process, but, obviously, there is, already a Social Pressure, from the Country that they come", etc.

=> But, "there is Pressure on them Even in the Camps, where they are living, Side by Side with Other Communities, who were persecuted when they were in Syria or Iraq", he Denounced.

- "<<OpenDoors>> (NGO) has Published 2 Reports : One on our Christian Refugees in Germany, and one on our Christian Refugees in Sweden, and we recorded Hundreds of anti-Christian Incidents in Refugee Camps, including in Sweden and in Germany".

- "It's Not realy Easy to do, because We live in a Continent (Europe) where it is supposed Not to be happening. Yet, this is Happening, and it's happening in Big Scale !", El-Massih strongly and clearly denounced.

- "I think that we should Cope with this Reality : Even in Refugee Camps inside Europe, this Discrimination in Happening, this Social Pressure is Happening. People, and particularly Christians, are facing Prosecution, because of their Identity, because of How they are Identified'.

- "There are many Dynamics going on that : Not only in the Middle East region, in Turkey, in Jordan. But Also in Europe", the independent Expert concluded.

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=> Thus, MEP Pieter Omtzigt, (whose own Wife was born in Syria, and is Christian Orthodox, as he said), anounced his Intention to "Work on what is happening inside Refugee Camps".