Thread by @Nrg8000

The lengths that government bureaucracies all across Europe are going to to deny fleeing Afghans (including interpreters and other local staff) refuge in the continent is completely disgusting. An absolute stain on the moral leadership of Europe and inexcusable.

Stories of interpreters and local embassy staff being denied protection for arbitrary bureaucratic reasons with no bearing on reality is a civilisational blight, and disgusting disregard for human life. It is chilling to think how many lives these purposeful denials will cost.

Foreign Ministries across Europe are being deliberately myopic and obstructionist in preventing the protection of people. Interpreters are told to provide documents that have already been burnt to save their lives. These are not legitimate hurdles, theyre deliberate barriers.

abc.es/espana/abci-di…
The Spanish government has abandoned nearly 50 families of interpreters, putting them against unreasonable barriers, while the Taliban is going door-to-door searching for them. Many other countries are doing the same thing.

Not only are these actions a betrayal of human values, of human decsency and of lives, but also a direct betrayal of European armed forces personnel who feel disgusted by their governments' inaction to save the people who saved their lives over the 20 year invasion.

In the Netherlands, the @DutchMFA has told local staff that while they did work for Dutch soldiers, they didn't work 'long enough' or in a high enough position to be worth saving. Can you think of anything more openly inhumane than that statement?

https://twitter.com/obk/status/1426972393285750784

@DutchMFA The ADF did nothing while Kabul was being overrun. Even now there's no schedule to rescue anyone, just 'when the situation allows'. abc.net.au/news/2021-08-1…

Our former ADF chief: "For all of those people who helped us — God help them. God help them."

We're clearly not.

@DutchMFA Spare a moment to think about the troops deployed, who are being required to enforce such inhumane policies. I can't imagine the mental turmoil from sitting at an airport, telling thousands of people fleeing for their lives that countries have decided their lives not worth it.

"The Taliban are going to cut the throats of all of us who have worked with the Spanish army"
A Spanish interpreter in Herat, where they have been stranded. In June they asked Spain "to rescue us and not leave us here alone"
Now it's over two months later
elindependiente.com/internacional/…

This is so disgusting

https://twitter.com/JeannePlaumann/status/1427389030694629377?s=19

Merkel stands up and talks about evacuating 10,000+
And the Luftwaffe flight leaves with 7 people.
Incalculable cruelty being brought by people who claim to defend human rights but clearly don't value brown lives.

This German NGO shares that one man and his family who had made it to the airport were denied any evacuation by Germany because they weren't employees of the German MoD, just contractors working for.
instagram.com/p/CSo72cwsDa8/…
Try explaining that to the Taliban.

The outright contempt that these government's seem to have for Afghans is legitimately chilling.

https://twitter.com/ChrChristensen/status/1427400455576080388?s=09

and an abdication of any facade of interest in human rights or even decency.

https://twitter.com/LenzRamona/status/1427410438749315074?s=19

Fewer than ten people evacuated by Germany because the rest "weren't on the list". My guess would be there were denied because they couldn't secure a covid test before, but that's not confirmed.
Either way, it's depraved.

"There is no longer any way for the German government to save you. Leave the safehouse immediately!"
The heartbreaking and likely deadly message sent to Afghan interpreters for the German armed forces. About 400 are stranded and abandoned.
amp.zdf.de/nachrichten/po…

Its hard to overstate not only how detrimental this policy of inhumanity is to Europe's moral 'leadership' but also their military ability. If I was in a country where European militaries were active (the Sahel perhaps) and I saw this. There is ZERO chance I would help them.

Local staff working for Australians are saying they regret it after being abandoned and left for the Taliban to find on their house-to-house searches.

https://twitter.com/Rashidajourno/status/1427415459679268881?s=19

And this WILL be a lesson for whoever we need help from next.

Disgusting - or listen to Sophie put it much more eloquently.

https://twitter.com/Sophiemcneill/status/1427479110452858880

Australia finally managed to get its evacuation flight out.
We took 26 people. Only one in five seats would have been full. This is a complete and horrid abdication of our responsibility to those who helps us and may now pay with their lives.

https://twitter.com/KarenMMiddleton/status/1427820866088275975