An German NGO in Brussels hopes to raise cash to bring in migrants via planes so that they can prevent them dying at sea as they come in from North Africa.
“Let’s Fly to Europe” is a new non-governmental organization based in Germany that hopes to raise money from ordinary Germans in order to fly out migrants from North Africa and the Middle east directly to Germany. The group claims that they have set up the NGO to prevent migrants dying at sea in the often incredibly dangerous voyages across the Mediterranean reports German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.
Founded by Matheus Meinlschmidt and Markus Jaggo, both 24-year-old students studying politics in the German city of Tübingen, “Let’s Fly to Europe” is touted as a safe alternative for migrants who want to claim asylum in Europe. the pair would not tell the broadcaster where they lived for what they said was “security reasons.”
Spokesman Markus Jaggo has said that the group must include members from seven European member states to be heard in the European parliament and they already have people from Greece, Italy and Spain on board with the project. Jaggo said that airlines were hesitant to bring in migrants in case their asylum applications were rejected, saying that the airlines can be fined 3,000 euros for bringing in failed asylum seekers and that they would bare the responsibility of returning them. A process which can cost up to 50,000 euros per migrant.
The group would like to see the abolition of the EU directive that would fine the airlines and make them responsible for the migrants, freeing them up to bring over as many migrants as the group can pay for. “The refugees should have the option of a normal ticket buying to climb on board an aircraft and then the asylum procedure is checked in the nation states,” Jaggo said.
While there is little doubt that migrants have been dying crossing the sea from North Africa, 2016 being the most deadly year so far, the welcoming attitude of Germans to massive waves of migrants has drastically changed over the course of the last year. Most Germans in recent polls show that they want a control over mass migration and many want an end to it altogether.
North African migration has largely been the driver of the current migrant crisis and many, including the Libyan Prime Minister have warned that the Islamic State is infiltrating the migrants. To some, given their vast funding, the group may easily be able to take advantage of easy flights and access to Europe through the “Let’s fly To Europe” program.
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