Dinner with a group of Syrians, Lebanese, and Iraqis in a converted sports hall in Weissach, in southwest Germany. Photo by author. All rights reserved.
Comparing the refugee situation in Germany with the refugee situation in the UK is like comparing a dinosaur with a gecko.
Since leaving London at the beginning of May, we've cycled about a thousand kilometres through England, France and Belgium, talking to residents and refugees about how their lives have been changed by migration. It felt like France and Belgium (the less said about the UK the better) are socially and politically unable or unwilling to accept refugees wholeheartedly, but are trapped by international conventions into providing shelter and survival. The result is an embarrassment for everyone: refugees packed away into buildings, containers or tents on the outskirts of towns and villages, with some eking out an uncertain existence in the asylum system for a decade or longer.
