On making it to Europe – Heiner Hoffmann and Selene Magnolia in Der Spiegel:

‘A black SUV with no license plates and no lights speeds down the main road, passing other cars in the dark, despite oncoming traffic. The other vehicles have no choice but to get out of the way as best they can. Everyone here in El Amra knows what’s going on: The migrant smugglers are on the move. They pick up their customers from the olive orchards, loading them up as quickly as they can before taking them to the seaside. There, makeshift boats welded together out of thin sheets of metal are bobbing in the water, each set to be packed with around 50 people and take them to a brighter future. Or to their deaths.’

(…)

‘Tunisia was long considered relatively safe for migrants from elsewhere in Africa. Whereas refugees in Libya would often be locked up and even tortured by criminal gangs, or abandoned in the desert in Algeria, they were able to work in Tunisia, even if most of the jobs were low-paying. Now, however, the situation in Tunisia has worsened significantly, with the government itself fomenting hatred of the migrants. At the same time, many Tunisians now want to leave their country because of an ongoing political crisis and a struggling economy. Nevertheless, the EU is focusing on close cooperation with Tunisia to stem the flow of migrants – despite the fact that the country finds itself sliding down the slippery slope toward autocracy.’

(…)

‘Aziz Ben Hassan, whose name has been changed for this story, is sitting on a traditional low sofa in his living room, located in a dusty side street of El Amra. Chain-smoking and sipping tea, the Tunisian man’s skin is deeply tanned by the sun. He runs a small general store right next door, where he sells canned tomatoes, toothpaste and other daily necessities. In contrast to shops on the main road, however, not many migrants drop by his store, and business isn’t going well.
Ben Hassan really shouldn’t be here. His plan was to go to Italy, a place the 40-year-old lived many years ago – a seven-year stint that came to an end in 2003. He has a daughter from an earlier relationship who lives there. But Ben Hassan had no papers and was ultimately deported back to Tunisia. He started a new life, once again establishing a family and even building a house. But as the years have passed, his frustrations with the increasingly autocratic government and the conditions in Tunisia have grown. "There is nothing here, everything keeps getting more expensive," he says, putting out his cigarette in the overflowing ashtray.
So he tried again two weeks ago, boarding a boat heading for Lampedusa. Initially, things looked good for him and the others on board as they set off under the protection of darkness. But then, a ship belonging to the Tunisian Coast Guard showed up. "They were much faster than us. We didn’t have a chance," he recalls. When the Coast Guard boat was almost upon them, they all put their hands up so as not to be mistaken for a migrant smuggler, says Hassan. But the boat began spinning in a circle, out of control. Hassan says he grabbed the rudder: "I would do the same thing again," he says, "we had women and children on board." But he was arrested and accused of smuggling, and his case is ongoing. He was released on bail after a few days.’

(…)

‘Tunisia has signed a memorandum of understanding with Europe involving the upgrading of the country’s Coast Guard in addition to monetary aid, which is linked to political reforms. But President Saied, it would seem, isn’t yet satisfied, having threatened recently to refuse to accept the money promised by Brussels. He clearly sees the migrants in El Amra as a political weapon.’

(…)

‘On this particular afternoon, an impassioned debate erupts over whether making the effort to get to the EU is worth it. In the end, all of the boys at the PlayStation agree: Off to Europe! Even the 17-year-old with the childlike voice at the foosball table has tried his luck – at least until his inflatable raft began losing air. Msalmi, though, is the only one who says: "I’m going to stay here for the time being. The village youth need things to do."’

Read the article here.

Migrants are a political weapon everywhere.

From Belarus to Russia, from the extreme right in Europa to Trump in the US, and it’s not only the extreme right that utilizes migrants – other parties do that as well, albeit sometimes a bit more subtle.

Off to Europe, not next year in Jerusalem. Next year in Europe. If you don’t drown on the way to the continent of honey and milk.