On Greek island of Kos, a migrant caste system has emerged, with Syrians at the top

[TENBILLIONDOLLARS 216]

Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 14, 158,456 people from Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Bangladesh and sub-Saharan Africa arrived on Greek shores by sea. They experience the Aegean the same way. They’ll experience Kos slightly differently.

As global attention finally focuses on the scale and horror of the Syrian refugee crisis, arrivals are frequently divided along national lines by the authorities, Greeks and even by the arrivals themselves. What has emerged is sometimes perceived as a de facto caste system, with “official” Syrian refugees getting limited preferential treatment, compared to those who are on the move for as many reasons as there are migrants.

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Last week, things got ugly down by the police station, as they often do. Amnesty International said 15 to 25 people used bats to attack people who were waiting for their papers. A server at the restaurant next door says they shouted, “Respect to refugees! F— the rest!”

Syrians, said the server, are the only refugees on Kos.

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The Captain Elias Hotel was built for about 100 guests; it now houses hundreds more from Pakistan, Bangladesh and sub-Saharan Africa. Men lie around what used to be the bar. Women stoke fires in what used to be the garden. Garbage fills what used to be the swimming pool.

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Syrians, recognized as refugees by the European Union as they are all affected by war, do have some priority treatment in Greece.

On Aug. 15, when Greece provided a chartered cruise liner to take Syrians from Kos to Athens, the Kos pier was tense. As the ship boarded Syrian refugees — and only Syrian refugees — Iraqis sat outside chanting, “Enough! Enough! Enough!”

Across the island that week, small groups of Afghans and Pakistanis protested the preferential processing of Syrian refugees, skirmishing with police and with one another in the dust and heat outside the police station.

On Aug. 18, the day the ship left carrying thousands of Syrians to the Greek mainland, a member of the Hellenic coast guard, who was not authorized to speak with the media, said the boat created more problems than it solved.

“The other guys are saying, ‘What about us? We are sleeping in the street, and blah blah blah,’ ” he said. He says many migrants and refugees tried to push their way onto the boat, too, when they weren’t allowed on.

The national divisions among migrants isn’t just a problem on Kos, though. It is becoming an issue throughout Europe and North America.

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Over on Kos, [a] Greek coast guard member acknowledges Syrians need his help. But he doesn’t want to extend that help to Afghans, Iraqis or other groups the UNHCR identifies as vulnerable.

“I want to keep the guys that are running from the war, Syrian guys, and tell the others to go home. Back to Islamabad, back to Baghdad, back to wherever they come from,” he says.

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/respect-to-refugees-f-the-rest-on-greek-island-of-kos-a-migrant-caste-system-has-emerged-with-syrians-at-the-top

[TBoneTX 43,247]

The Captain Elias Hotel was built for about 100 guests; it now houses hundreds more from Pakistan, Bangladesh and sub-Saharan Africa. Men lie around what used to be the bar. Women stoke fires in what used to be the garden. Garbage fills what used to be the swimming pool.

Sounds like the HOA is falling down on the job.

[Expat1 971]

If it was a Trump hotel there wouldn't be any furriners trashing the grounds

[TENBILLIONDOLLARS 216]

If it was a Trump hotel there wouldn't be any furriners trashing the grounds

I am willing to bet every major Trump property has hosted multiple orgies over the years, mostly in rooms/floors rented by Japanese or Saudi businessmen.

[Darnell 8,478]

I don't have any problems with this caste system. Why does anyone else?

[TENBILLIONDOLLARS 216]

I don't have any problems with this caste system. Why does anyone else?

Steve Jobs was Syrian and he was always #1 in the polls.

[Darnell 8,478]

Legal refugees vs illegal aliens ... come on.