European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker has urged EU member states to accept a compulsory system to share out refugees fleeing war and poverty.
“The Europe I want to live in is illustrated by those who want to help,” Juncker said in his first State of his Union address to the European Parliament on Wednesday (September 9).
But ordinary Europeans have been welcoming the refugees long before Juncker’s speech.
Citizens and organizations are calling for an International Global Action Day in solidarity with the refugees.
“The future of Europe is at stake here.” The group asks: “Are we going to have a Europe of barbed wire, walls and fences. Or are we going to have a Europe in which mutual solidarity and empathy are prioritized and in which those arriving can re-build their lives with the dignity, respect and support they deserve?”
Uber has been collecting items for donated – free of charge – to deliver them to the Save the Children. Items will be offered for sale in their charity shops across London.