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Today Europe is our home, tomorrow our home will be yours! A message to European leaders. [By Leoul Leo Mekonen]

Leo Mekonen-Norway, OsloIf Europe hasn’t experienced 2 world war, the issue of human rights wouldn’t have gotten strong position as it is now. The horrible days of WW2 gave good lesson to Europeans that humanity is more important than ethnicity, nationality or creed. WW2 has opened the heart of Europeans to be emphatic, to value human life more than political ideology. WW2 gave birth to the emergence of the declaration of human rights both in United Nations as well as incorporation of laws that gurantee human rights in their own national laws. It was after WW2 the once despised and ill-treated non-Europeans got the chance to enter Europe and excercise their human rights. If Europeans hadn’t ratified laws that gurantee human rights, no refugees from non-European countries would come to Europe seeking protection. After WW2, Europeans built a home that is favourable for everyone to their own children as well as others who seek protection in their territory. Thanks to God; the human Rights laws and declarations which originally were designed to benefit Europeans has benefitted hunderds of thousands of refugees from Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Now let me reverse the situation and let me argue why Europeans has made huge mistake when they failed to support democracy in Africa and other countries. Since the end of colonization in 1960s, there were many African and Asian intellectuals who fought hard to bring democratic governance in developing countries but western countries fail to assist them mainly because the dictatorial regimes that manage to satisfy the economic and strategical interest of the WEST were accepted as friends and allies. Just because of this interest based foreign policy of the West; many democratic forces were betrayed and many dictators were supported under the notion of “democracy is a process” and “Africans are not capable of using democratic rights.” These attitude belongs not only to the right wing politicians but aslo the left wing as we have witnessed how the labour party and socialist party of Norway defended and excused the support for Ethiopian dictator.

To go to my point, lets assume that war break out in Europe soon and escalated to nuclear war or biological warfare that compells Europeans to migrate to developing countries. Do Europeans and European leaders assume that they easily find protection there and excercise their rights? The developing countries are already in the hands of blood thirsty dictators, let alone for European migrants, they are merciless to the people they suppose to lead and protect. Why is that Europeans and European leaders still close their eyes and deafen their ears when we refugees ask them , demand and request them to stop supporting, financing and arming dictatorial regimes? Can’t they see, we refugees from developing countries are enjoying our rights in Europe because Europeans have built up a society that respects human rights; then how can they be so ignorant to allow our countries and people live under hostage?

Wouldn’t Europeans and their leaders regret the day they have to migrate to seek protection and the same dictators whom they give aid will treat them like how colonialists once treat their slaves? If Europeans have had future oriented policy and vision, they would have helped democratic forces and forces that support human rights.Today Europe is our home because you have managed to build it, tomorrow our home will be yours so don’t forget or hesitste to support us who stand for democratic governance and human rights.

I hope you understand my message.

Leoul Mekonen, Ethiopian refugee from Norway

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