UK: Discrimination against Christian Refugees

by Judith Bergman • August 6, 2018 at 5:00 am

The UN recommended 1,358 Syrian refugees for resettlement in Britain during the first quarter of 2018, of whom only four were Christians. Britain agreed to resettle 1,112 of these refugees, all of whom were Muslims, and refused to accept the Christians.
"As last year's statistics more than amply demonstrate, this is not a statistical blip. It shows a pattern of discrimination that the Government has a legal duty to take concrete steps to address." — Lord David Alton of Liverpool, in a letter to UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid.
What specific initiatives, other than empty words, does the UK government aim to take to rectify the damage that has already been done and to prevent it from happening again?

The UN recommended 1,358 Syrian refugees for resettlement in Britain during the first quarter of 2018, of whom only four were Christians. The UK Home Office agreed to resettle 1,112 of these refugees, all of whom were Muslims, and refused to accept the Christians. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

The British government appears recently to have decided that it would like to give the impression that it cares about persecuted Christians. Prime Minister Theresa May said in Parliament on July 18:

"As a Government we stand with persecuted Christians all over the world and will continue to support them. It is hard to comprehend that today we still see people being attacked and murdered because of their Christianity, but we must reaffirm our determination to stand up for the freedom of people of all religions and beliefs and for them to be able to practise their beliefs in peace and security."

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The US, Italy, and International Trade

by Cesare Sacchetti • August 6, 2018 at 4:00 am

It is not farfetched to think that Italy's "government of change" will try to break the euro and leave the monetary union. Such a move would likely cause a domino effect on the whole structure of the euro, which could collapse without the presence of its third-largest economy.
Contrary to what the leadership of countries such as Germany seem to believe, there is life outside the EU and the euro, and Italy would be happy to reestablish profitable trade agreements directly with the US. One would hope that Trump realizes this and will take advantage of the opportunity.

Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte (left) shakes hands with the US President Donald Trump on the at the G7 Summit, on June 8, 2018 in La Malbaie, Canada. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Since the end of World War II, and throughout the Cold War, the ties between Italy and the United States have been close, although also rocky at times. On one hand, Rome played a fundamental role in tipping the balance of power in favor of NATO in its face-off with the Warsaw Pact. On the other hand, some Italian historians have described Italy's side in the relationship as one of limited sovereignty, with American interference in Italian affairs.

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