Flying on a fake ID: refugees' path less travelled to Europe

[Sally]

This fake ID must be a good business for those who make them.


Flying on a fake ID: refugees' path less travelled to Europe
October 22, 2015
SHARE :


Serene Assir and Catherine Boitard - Ali, a Palestinian-Syrian banker desperate to reach the Netherlands, had to hide his surprise when he finally met a shadowy forger known as "The Whale" at an Arab-style shisha cafe near Athens.

"It turns out the guy I'd been speaking to, who sounded so big and scary on the phone, was actually tiny," said 31-year-old Ali, now living as a refugee in The Hague which he reached by plane several months ago using a forged Italian identity card that cost him just 30 euros ($34).

Unlike tens of thousands of other refugees and migrants, he was able to avoid the perilous, exorbitantly-priced land journey through the Balkans and central Europe, all thanks to "The Whale".

The rush to Europe has fuelled a massive demand for fake IDs among people like Ali - not his real name - who already risked their lives once to reach Greece from Turkey on inflatable boats.

Continue reading at:

Flying on a fake ID: refugees' path less travelled to Europe

 

[Mr. H.]

I am thankful that...

1) I'm White

2) I'm male

3) I was born in the United States of Fucking America

What did I do to deserve this?

What are the Goddamn odds?

And I begat four (count 'em, 4) children that have achieved greater success than I have myself.

And with that, I was tutored at a very young age in the 60's to:

a) Accept others for what is in their heart and in their head.

b) Show, exhibit, and practice respect for both elders and authority.

c) Ignore your liver.

d) Fuck you.