Mayors of three largest Western cities and centers of civilization – New York, London and Paris – have cautioned against demonization of immigrants in the backdrop of recent violent incidents and called for an inclusive collaborative spirit to address refugees crisis.
“In the aftermath of an explosive device going off in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York last weekend, and other attacks in cities throughout the world, we recognize that the security of all our residents is paramount in large, open, democratic societies.
“But it is wrong to characterize immigrant and refugee communities as radical and dangerous; in our experience, militant violence is vanishingly rare,” Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York. Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris and Sadiq Khan, mayor of London jointly wrote in a opinion piece published in The New York Times.
“Our Immigrants, Our Strength” appeared in the newspaper as world leaders converged on the city for UN General
Assembly session to discuss the way forward in dealing with the momentus waves of refugees flooding into Middle Eastern and European countries in the face of wars and persecution in severl parts of the world.
The three leaders noted that investing in the integration of refugees and immigrants is “not only the right thing to do, it is also the smart thing to do.”
“Refugees and other foreign-born residents bring needed skills and enhance the vitality and growth of local economies, and their presence has long benefited our three cities.
“In New York, nearly half of all small-business owners are immigrants who contribute to the tax base and expand job opportunities for other New Yorkers. London recently began a publicity campaign, #LondonIsOpen, which highlights similar success stories, drawing from the three million Londoners who were born abroad and contribute to the city’s creativity, vitality and entrepreneurial spirit.
“Paris is one of the first major municipalities to open a refugee center in the heart of the city. Beginning in October, the center will provide services and basic necessities, as well as administrative support, to 400 refugees,” they noted, highlighting examples of invclusiveness from the three large cities.
The three leaders conclude by describing diversity and inclusiveness as values of Western civilization.
“We know policies that embrace diversity and promote inclusion are successful. We call on world leaders to adopt a similar welcoming and collaborative spirit on behalf of the refugees all over the world during the summit meeting this week. Our cities stand united in the call for inclusivity. It is part of who we are as citizens of diverse and thriving cities.”
