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Syrians largest asylum seeker group in Sweden

Published: 6 Oct 12 13:14 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/43654/20121006/

The number of refugees seeking asylum in Sweden has doubled since last year, with the largest group being from Syria, according to data from the Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket).

In the year to date, 4,474 people fleeing Syria's civil war arrived in Sweden, with 1,506 of those arriving in the past five weeks.

Last year, 640 Syrians applied for asylum in Sweden.

So far this year, a total of 29,713 people have sought protection in Sweden, a 48 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

As these figures emerged, three leading Green Party politicians labelled Sweden's refugee policy "inhumane".

Åsa Romson, the Green Party spokesperson, Mehmet Kaplan, party spokesperson for legal rights issues and Maria Ferm, spokesperson for migration policy, made the accusation in an opinion piece for the Aftonbladet newspaper.

The piece was published ahead of a weekend Green Party conference in Linköping, central Sweden, focusing on migration and legal rights.

"The reception of refugees is a national commitment according to international conventions", the three politicians wrote.

"But while the Assad regime in Syria bombs its people and many are forced to flee the country, several Swedish municipalities are turning away unaccompanied refugee children."

The authors called for all Swedish political parties to cooperate to create a "more humane Sweden". They also called for a change in the law to ensure that no municipality will be allowed to turn away unaccompanied refugee children.

"When people are forced to flee the battles in Syria, Somalia and Afghanistan we all have a responsibility. Children who have lost their families and have escaped to Sweden need a safe home."

Sweden is currently accepting more refugees from Syria than any other European country.

Between January and August 2012, 43 unaccompanied children arrived from Syria, according to statistics from the Swedish Migration Board. This was a 430 per cent increase on the same period last year, when 10 unaccompanied Syrian children arrived in Sweden.

AFP/The Local/nr
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18:25 October 6, 2012 by Greysuede
They are all bogus refugees just for 2 reasons.

1. Before coming to Sweden they could arrive and claim refugee at first destination of EU zone such as Greece, Italy, France, Germany etc.

2. If they are refugees, how did they get money to travel from Middle East

to Scandinavia.
19:20 October 6, 2012 by Rishonim
@Greysuede. You are aware that there is a war in Syria and people are being killed every day? It is easy to sit in the comfort of your safe home in front of your pc and brand new Iphone and call those refugee seekers bogus. Try to put yourself in the shoes of a Syrian just for one minute and only then you will be able to understand their pain.

Shalom
19:37 October 6, 2012 by kenny8076
Rishonim thats the problem..... we dont have to put ourselves in any ones shoes except our own. Those country's have been doing this to their people for thousands of years... its time they stop running away and start sticking up for that they believe in and want. People from that region of the world just run run run. infesting and creating boroughs in foreign country's while at the same time expecting income and demanding we respect their religion and beliefs.

Im glad during the Revolutionary and Civil War in America we didnt just run away, flee to Europe. We stayed and fought for what is now the most free country in the world. I live currently in Sweden and its shameful the extreme high taxes we pay here are being spent on taking care of these people. Whom keep in mind do not come here and embrace the Swedish culture. they come and mock it, take advantage of it. unemployed but have 4-5 kids. refuse to learn the language, even day to day phrases. its only a matter of time before it gets out of control....... and it will get out of control
21:41 October 6, 2012 by theibmsstate
But my question is that who get millions of euros from UNHCR for refugees in sweden??????

Answer is Sweden.

many people learnt swedish language but its 100% useless, Germany, US, CANADA, AUSSIE are best.

there is nothing special in sweden.

one of my american friend he is qualified wife is swedish, he did Graduation in IT from USA fluent in swedish but he is delivering newspaper……….. sweden is only good for tourism………
21:52 October 6, 2012 by Migga
I have a hard time believing that those claiming to be unaccompanied refugee children really are what they claim to be.

I don`t think all of them are unaccompanied or alone, if they are it`s only while seeking asylum.

I don`t think all of them are refugee in the true sense of the word.

I don`t belive all of them are children.

A refugee child who lost their family doesn`t make it alone to the other side of the world. It only works if they are helped by some organization. But that`s only a few. The others die or live in some refugee camp in neighbouring countries.

Most of these are people fleeing poverty. They send their oldest son to pose as a teenager, he enters the country and then make sure the rest of the family arrives. At the same time the ones who deserve the care are left in some refugee camp.

Sweden hasn`t got a responsibility to take care of these people, their country has that responsibility. It`s sickening to see how Sweden has the most refugees coming to its borders. Swedens responsibility lies with it`s citizens. Swedens old, young, sick, disabled, homeless and jobless should go before anyone else. As it is now, especially in this crisis, these people are being neglected. Sweden can`t take care of all, nor should it.
03:08 October 7, 2012 by ctinej
Soon the original Swedes will be refugees seeking asylum in Iceland or Greenland. Their home in Sweden will be over run with Muslims who cut your hand off for picking your nose incorrectly, or simply kill you if you enticed a man to rape you.

Taking refugees does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to improve the situation from which the refugees are running. It absolutely destroys Sweden.

Send money and aid to their mess, dont take in the same culture and kind of people who created the mess from which they now run.
04:55 October 7, 2012 by FotoGuy
How it should go is that Sweden says "We'll let you in...but you gotta take the rags off your heads and be a bit like us, otherwise you can just turn around and go get bombed". And if they don't do it, take what they have and use it to pay to ship em back where they came from. After you publicly do it to a couple people, the rest will learn.
09:02 October 7, 2012 by Reptile
"So far this year, a total of 29,713 people have sought protection in Sweden"

Does that mean all of them will be granted asylum in Sweden?
10:28 October 7, 2012 by Camlon
Not all, as some of the asylum seekers come from Eastern Europe. However the asylum seekers from middle east and Africa will not be sent home.

Also, I find 29,713 to be a dreadful high number. The year is far away from finished, and that is already 30% higher than yearly average in 2000 - 2010.

Good luck Sweden, it is not going to decrease anytime soon. When more and more people get to know about the lenient laws in Sweden, more people will come.
12:13 October 7, 2012 by bow290
heres the problem...

they leave their crappy country behind and move to somewhere like Sweden only to change their new home into the crappy old one!

leave ur religion and other problems where they belong!

the Lebs are big on ruining australia with their hate and crap!
12:28 October 7, 2012 by Dave N
We are always being told that Turkey is the best example of a secular Muslim country and that its economy is booming. It is next to Syria. To get to Sweden, these asylum seekers are traveling through Turkey and several other countries en route to Sweden.

Question - Why don't they stay in Turkey and ask for asylum there? It is the first safe country and they are supposed to seek asylum in the first safe country. They are not supposed to pick and choose.

Answer - Turkey won't hand out all the free stuff that the gullible, naive, foolish Swedes are famous for dishing out.

Sweden ( along with the rest of the foolish, gullible and naive Western European nations) is gradually being destroyed by Islamic colonisation.
13:20 October 7, 2012 by AHA
Emigration, for whatever reason, is good for the welcoming countrry. Look at the USA, Australia, Canada........ There should be, though, some rules and guidelines. I am a strong advocate of "WHEN IN ROME DO AS THE ROMANS DO". If one doesn´t then the person is not welcome anymore.
15:30 October 7, 2012 by rozana
As long as you accept them and give them a permit just come to Sweden you will have here the whole continent of Arabia all the criminals come here and make the victims of war, and as long as speak the same language you never find out from which country they come,Frome allover the world there are a lot of people in needs ,continue so and lets se the happy end .God belss Sweden .
15:33 October 7, 2012 by Grokh
Figures, first thing i thought when all this arab spring stuff started is that sweden would get flooded with asylum seekers.

And the swedish policy is not just inhumane but illogical, irrational and unplanned .
04:33 October 8, 2012 by ericrufinosiah
Sweden,Oh Sweden, in time to come I wonder if there is enough space for your own people.?Turkey is just next door,then Iraq,Iran,Saudi Arabia and etc.

Islam is a peaceful religion,it doesn't discrimate and all Muslims are supposed

to be Brothers and Sisters and what's the role of Sweden.?
09:59 October 8, 2012 by Uncle
Rishonim

perhaps to your surprise, Israel is actually OBLIGED to accept Syrian refugees as a neighbouring to the conflict area country. However given the demographical problems, Israel would not like to lose its Jewish identity to hundreds of thousands of cave men.

From some crazy reason, you seem not to give any importance to the Swedish culture identity and immigration problems which arise immediately when these people reach certain critical mass in any country. Perhaps unemployed, beaten, raped and murdered Swedes (who will statistically appear) shall be less important for SWEDISH government, than murdered Syrians who can solve ALL their death dangers by simply stopping fighting their own? Perhaps the faith of Jews in Malmö is a good example to implement in all other cities, until there will be only memory of Jewish community in Sweden?
12:22 October 9, 2012 by Freedaysaregooddays
@ctinej

"Soon the original Swedes will be refugees seeking asylum in Iceland or Greenland."

This IS already happening.

I dont think it is any secret that native Swedish people have been feeling exiled in their own communities in areas of Sweden which have been transformed into extensions of the Middle East over the last two decades.

Nor do I think it is any real secret that a lot of Swedish people have contemplated a life outside of Sweden because they no longer feel Sweden belongs to the Swedish people first and foremost.

I know because me and my wife are two people that have decided to leave Sweden for somewhere else because we question if where we live looks more like the Sweden or the Middle East - and things are only set to get worse as long as Sweden continues to not address the subject of mass immigration openly and honestly and acknowledge the cost that it has had on the indigenous Swedish identity.
20:57 October 13, 2012 by basenbeats
TO all the white supremacists, facist, nazis on this site protesting the saving of innocent mothers and children escaping wars.. Thank Jesus your opinions means squat, zilch, nada, niet! you're all noise.
06:02 October 14, 2012 by Spuds MacKenzie
I agree with Kenny (#3): all these people do is run away from their problems! Why should ANY other country in the world feel obligated to help people who don't have the guts or willpower to help themselves?! As we say in the USA: "grow a pair!!".
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