Add - Page 2 - Michel Baljet

In Calais, the refugee never left

May 21, 2017

Looking out over the now empty, weed-covered site, it is hard to imagine that just over half a year ago nearly 10,000 people lived here. I returned to Calais to see what has changed since the evacuation of the Jungle, the illegal refugee camp next to the tunnel to England. Standing on the hill, overlooking the former camp, I imagine what it was like at the end of October last year. The camp was burning in several places. Dark clouds of smoke filled the air. Several refugees packed up their last belongings, while the massed police swept the grounds. With bulldozers ready to raze their homes to the ground, the 8,500 refugees were herded like a herd of animals to a large chilly shed temporarily set up as a sorting center. They are then taken away in buses to be placed in various cities scattered across France. Saying goodbye to their dream "England. Today, as if the camp did not exist, nothing is visible anymore. How will the former residents fare? We don't have to wait long for the answer. Less than three blocks away, in an open field between

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This is why Wilders is filing charges against Anne Fleur

March 28, 2017

I do not want to focus substantively on the views of Wilders or Anne Fleur, but address purely the reason for Wilders' denunciation.

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Opinion: Fear close to home, that is safe

March 25, 2017

A year after Brussels, this week seemed like the week of attacks again, but is the situation really that exceptional now?

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'I was a worthless son, homeless and criminal'

February 22, 2017

Today in newspaper. An interview with me about the superficiality of organizations like the ANP and NOS, my work as a freelancer, threats, relationships and my "sometimes" somewhat eventful life. (photo: John Peters)

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Answers to last week's 13 most frequently asked questions

January 23, 2017

Here is the answer to the 13 most frequently asked questions from last week 1: Did you enter Ukraine illegally? I did not enter the DNR through Ukraine but through Russia. Since Ukraine does not recognize the DNR as a country, this is illegal in their eyes. I should note, however, that we are allowed to travel visa-free in Ukraine. My purpose of the trip was to highlight the other side of the story, the DNR story. It would be illogical to visit via the enemy. 2: Have you been approached by the Russian government? No. We did approach the Russian government. This was for the application for our transit visas. During that application, we visited the Russian consulate in The Hague to explain our visa application. Other than that contact, we were never approached by the Russian government. 3: Did Graham tell you that you had to go to the disaster site? It did come up, of course, but I made the choice to go to the disaster site myself. It wasn't actually planned either and came unexpectedly. Graham, like Stefan, was also not with me during my visit. 4:

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i was the jungle calais when it was dismantled this is what i saw

October 28, 2016

Click here for more photos from the Jungle.

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A glimmer of hope within the gates of hell

October 17, 2016

How a boy of 27 manages to bring hope to a place where people are losing their dreams for the future.

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Visiting a refugee shelter where no one wants to stay

October 12, 2016

A severe shortage of medicine, a neglected building. I visited a run-down refugee shelter in Sofia, Bulgaria, where 800 people are hopelessly counting their days.

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How your donation for a refugee ends up in Google's till

September 26, 2016

Update: Following a response from Refugee Council, I decided to do further research on this issue. I jumped to conclusions at a few points. As a result, the picture I painted, combined with the example I gave, does not hold up. An update to this article will follow after my research. For example, I write that as a condition of getting a Google AdGrant, Refugee Council Netherlands first had to invest $19,900 in Google Adsense. After publication, I learned that refugee work did indeed have to invest $19,900, but this was done with another Grant from Google and not with their own money. So in the case of Refugee Council Netherlands, the conclusion I drew that donation money would go to Google is incorrect. For this I apologize. When I was searching on Google this morning, I noticed how many (Google) ads there are from charities that do something for refugees. I thought to myself, this can't be free. Later I would learn that I was partly wrong. When you want to advertise on Google, you create a campaign. Here you specify the target audience for your ad-and a

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Venezuela braces for judgment day

August 31, 2016

Tomorrow the opposition in Venezuela has announced a large demonstration in Caracas. It is demanding a referendum to depose current President Maduro. As the opposition prepares for the demonstration, Maduro is bracing himself. Military checkpoints are being thrown up, "phone jammers" can be found throughout the city, activists are being arrested, and on state television the president's supporters are calling for the streets to be defended. My sources expect a battlefield. Ok, 100% wage increase Venezuela is in a political and economic crisis. As inflation mounts, supermarket shelves are emptying. Food is scarce and hospitals are being closed due to a shortage of medical supplies. In vain, President Maduro is trying to control the situation with emergency solutions. For example, starting tomorrow, the minimum wage has been raised by 100%, and supermarkets in outlying areas are being spontaneously given one-time supplies in the run-up to the demonstrations. According to Dutch entrepreneur Frank, who lives in Venezuela, it doesn't help anything. 'I pay my people well, but the extreme increases in prices mean they can just buy a pack of sugar at the end of the day, if there is any sugar in stock.' Frank watches tomorrow's mass demonstration with concern. 'If it doesn't get out of hand tomorrow, then

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