Two days ago we told you about a citizens’ movement in Iceland that prompted over 12,000 people to offer accommodation for Syrian asylum seekers. Yesterday, we shared news of a German “Airbnb for regufees.”
And today we got wind of a story about Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris proposing to buy an island to house the several hundred thousand migrants stranded around Greece and Italy.
Greece or Italy sell me an island,ill call its independence and host the migrants and provide jobs for them building their new country
— Naguib Sawiris (@NaguibSawiris) September 1, 2015
Crazy idea .. Maybe but at least temporary until they can return to their countries ??!!
— Naguib Sawiris (@NaguibSawiris) September 1, 2015
Sawiris followed up his tweets by expanding on the idea during a television interview in which he said he would actually approach the governments of Greece and Italy.” His vision would consist of “temporary shelters to house the people, employing the people to build housing, schools, universities, hospitals. And if things improve, whoever wants to go back (to their homeland) goes back.”
Despite significant hurdles, like jurisdictions and customs regulations, Sawiris emphasized the importance of treating refugees like people, which is something that’s been painfully void during the ongoing crisis.
“The way they are being treated now, they are being treated like cattle,” he said. That’s not a metaphor, by the way.
We couldn’t think of a better way to use all those Greek islands kicking around.
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