"Borders and Walls"
The Great Wall of China is one of the world’s greatest wonders: a gigantic structure, the only one we see from space. It is indeed a testament of great human determination, strength and endurance. It was built with a purpose though. Its creation was supposed to prevent attacks from nomadic tribes. That did not turn out to be the case though.
Ghengis Khan (founder and ruler of the Mongol Empire) invaded China in 1206 and by 1208 his army had breached the “Great Wall” and conquered Yenkin (now Beijing). It took two years and it did not happen as smoothly as I write about it, nonetheless the greatest “wall” ever build did not stop people from going where they wanted to go.
The Berlin Wall was a shame as most of us would agree. It accomplished nothing except bringing “pain” to people until its destruction and it did not stop people from crossing even if they had to risk their lives. “Walls” do not seem to stop people much in my opinion. People even escape from prisons sometimes which are a mixture of walls, razor-sharp fences and armed guards.
I did not want to talk about prisons though. I am just thinking about fences and walls because right now there are three “walls/fences” being built and I think it would be senseless, thoughtless and ignorant of people to allow their existence. It will only be a matter of time and after many people will die until their complete destruction so why put them up at all?
The ignorant European Union has been the main driving force behind the fence built around the cities of Melilla and Ceuta in Northern Morocco. It is a six meter, twin razor-wire fence which has not been up for many years but it has claimed many lives already.
The BBC news reported on the 6th of October, 2005: “Six migrants have been shot dead in clashes with Moroccan troops after trying to cross a fence around the Spanish enclave of Melillia”. On September 29th the same year, Euroresidentes.com ran a story with the title “Migrants die in border fence crush in Ceuta, Spain”. On January 2nd, 2009 the website Typicallyspanish.com reported that “the Moroccan police shot at a group of some 80 people trying to reach Spain”. One person died in that incident; many were arrested but many also made it across. I could keep going on with the examples but I am sure the point is clear: some people die, some get arrested but many are still able to cross into Europe from Sub-Saharan Africa even with the bloody fence.
The “Wall” Israel is building on Palestinian land is separating families from each other just like the Berlin Wall did. Some kids cannot even go to the schools that they used to go to and Palestinian ambulances now have to go through “check-points” to get to some areas. The rockets from the militant Palestinians will keep coming though. What “wall” will stop rockets? Under these conditions there will always be someone ready to use them and they (the rockets) will keep coming “courtesy” of Iran and Syria (mainly).
The United States has also jumped on the “let’s build a wall” wagon. Mexican migrants are having to go through the desert now but they still do it. Some die in the desert but some cross it. Some people dig tunnels. Others I am sure can get a fake passport or a green card if they have the money for it.
Either way, “wall” or no wall the flood of hungry and desperate people cannot be stopped, not in the United States, not in Europe, not anywhere. When masses of people are determined to migrate … not much can stand a chance, not even razor-sharp wire or bullets. The solution for the migration of people is not a wall. How silly and irresponisble that idea is … Please stop it.
