I remember as if it were yesterday, thousands of migrants on roads, who fled the war and brutality in Syria and took the Balkan route to Germany, where Angela Merkel offered them hospitality in the European Union. Thousands of them, entire families, but also many young men, crossed the borders of Western civilization without any documents and were accepted in several countries (according to a pre-planned %).
Individuals from those columns also stayed in Serbia, but since my country is not an economic paradise (we often say that we are the last hole in the European flute), these were still individual cases.
I say that the country is not a paradise, because many of my compatriots have moved all over the world.
Members of the family and friends, moved to Canada, America, Australia, Norway, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Czech Republic... The process of obtaining documents in those countries cost emigrants from my environment a lot of time and, in some cases, money... None of them entered the countries of the world or Europe as refugees from Syria who fled the war and sought asylum in those countries...
And then, at that moment, I realized that Europe in the future is not written well, because of the large number of immigrants from Africa and Asia, it was clear that there will be a demographic change in the population.
And a few days ago, the scenes from the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, when 50,000 Moroccan men forcibly entered the territory of a European country, Spain, brought some unrest into my thinking... How can this be prevented? Probably not...
I wonder if @galenkp had that happening in mind when he asked the question in this week's #weekend-engagement: How valuable (to you personally) is your country's culture and your way of life and how has immigration changed it over the years?
It started with individual cases: construction and catering workers, bus drivers, cleaners, health workers and doctors... All occupations that were practiced in other countries by people leaving our country...
Only in the last two years, when various food delivery drivers, people of different skin colors and other languages flying around the streets on motorcycles and bicycles began to appear en masse on the streets, I began to pay attention to their presence.
There are many more immigrants in Serbia today than there were at the time when the Syrian refugees passed through these roads. These are mostly legally employed people, but the very fact that the government of Serbia gives privileges to employers for their employment gives us, born in this country, an unequal position. But again, these are jobs for which there are not enough of my countrymen, so their employment does not endanger us. We will see how long it will be like that.
Do I support such population migrations? I would be dishonest if I said that I did not support, because I supported all my friends, family and brother who emigrated...
And am I a fascist, nationalist, nativist or chauvinist? I don't think those labels can stick to me.
I'm not a xenophobe, because I don't feel fear or aversion to the foreign and foreignersq, which is clear from my behavior here on Hive. I love foreigners, when I am in another country and have contact with them, as well as when I meet a foreigner in my country.
I'm certainly not a chauvinist either, because I don't think that my people are superior to others, but I'm often too critical of myself and my people.
At the same time, I don't think that the natives should have absolute primacy in terms of resources and privileges, and I think that everyone who wants to integrate into the society of the country they immigrated to (I'm not a nativist), and I'm of the opinion that everyone should have a chance for that, but that they need to accept the value and way of life of the new community they came to.
And this is where the writing actually begins on the topic assigned to us. A person like me has a natural and legitimate expectation to respect the "household order" of the country where I live, and where immigrants come in search of their happiness.
I am ready to accept differences, but this must not mean suppressing one's own identity.
My position is clear. For all immigrants, in all countries of the world, on a big blackboard, I would write in big bold letters: "By entering this country, you give your word that you will adhere to the basic rule of hospitality, which has been valid for centuries all over the world: When you enter someone else's house, you respect the rules and customs of the host.".
If the rules of the house (country) you are coming to are not followed, a problem will arise.
When immigrants do not want to integrate (or are not explained how to do it), they bring with them the rules and customs of the countries they left. Often these customs are in direct conflict with local laws, lifestyle and values of the local population, so if the newcomers do not want to renounce them, there will be a conflict with the local population.
It cannot be said that it is a radical demand to expect settlers to accept the rules, language and cultural norms of the community in which they have chosen to live. This is the foundation of a stable and peaceful coexistence.
Immigrants should not be asked to forget their origins, but they must be required to show respect for the society that opened its doors to them and allowed them to continue a more normal life.
For now, the culture of my country has not suffered the influence of immigrants, because there are not many of them in the entire territory, but already in a small example, locally in the areas where they are settled, it is felt that immigrants behave according to some of their own laws. Men who do not respect women and think they have absolute rights over them (local women), will not do well here. My people are very proud and respect our history and culture, respect our mother and sister, and I do not believe that they will lightly allow some settler to treat our woman in an unacceptable way.
Various people's patrols have already started to be formed locally, because if the behavior of the settlers does not change, the attitude of the natives towards them will change.
We demand respect for local customs and laws! It is not hatred towards others, but love and care for one's own home.
