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Iraqi refugee's 7-year old daughter who died in the Channel was born in Belgium and lived in Sweden, but has never been in Iraq (www.bbc.com)

submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by 0x815@feddit.de to c/unitedkingdom

10 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Cross posted from: https://feddit.de/post/11646748

Belgium reportedly denied Ahmed Alhashimi asylum by arguing that Basra, his hometown in Iraq, was classified as a safe area. He said his children spent the last seven years staying with a relative in Sweden, but that he was recently informed that they would be deported, with him, to Iraq.

"If I knew there was a 1% chance that I could keep the kids in Belgium or France or Sweden or Finland I would keep them there. All I wanted was for my kids to go to school. I didn't want any assistance. My wife and I can work. I just wanted to protect them and their childhoods and their dignity," he continued.

Eva Jonsson, Sara's teacher in Uddevalla, Sweden, described the seven-year-old as "kind and nice".

"She had a lot of friends in the school. They played together all the time… In February we heard she would be deported and that it would happen quickly. We had two days' notice," she said.

After learning of her death, the class gathered in a circle and held a minute's silence.

"It's very unfortunate that it happens to such a nice family. I have taught [other] children in that family, and I was really shocked about the deportation," said the teacher.

"We have Sara's picture in front of us still, and we will keep it there as long as the children want."

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[–] 0x815@feddit.de 14 points 6 months ago

As the 7-year old's father is a construction worker according to the article, this is on topic:

Construction Skills Shortage Threatens Infrastructure Projects

A dire shortage of construction skills and persistent planning delays pose significant threats to infrastructure projects, despite heightened interest from pension funds to invest in the sector.

[–] Emperor 9 points 6 months ago

That's heartbreaking.

[–] HotBeef 7 points 6 months ago

The BBC news at 10pm on this was hard to watch. Boats across the channel full of Sudanese men standing on each other are no place for little girls.

[–] blackn1ght 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I couldn't imagine losing any of my kids, absolutely devastating.

But something I'd never do is put my kids in such danger, he had the choice not to put his family on a raft to cross the channel.

[–] Chouxfleur@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

I mean, It was that or being deported to Afghanistan - he obviously thought a boat journey was better than taking his daughter to "safe" Basra.