Asylum Seekers or Fortune Seekers?

Abstract

In 2015, the Netherlands experienced a sharp rise in the number of ‘refugees’, ‘asylum seekers’, and ‘migrants’ (RASIM—Gabrieletos and Baker, 2008); unsurprisingly, the topic gained extensive coverage in the Dutch printed media. This chapter investigates the representation of RASIM in six Dutch mainstream newspapers (i.e., Telegraaf, Algemeen Dagblad, Volkskrant, Parool, NRC-Handelsblad/NEXT, and Trouw) during and after what was generally described in the media as the ‘Syrian refugee crisis’. Using methods of discourse-driven Corpus Linguistics, the article examines how the RASIM category was framed in these newspapers with particular attention to the unfolding of parallel events.

Appendices

Appendix A

Timeline of events related to immigration covered by the Dutch media
Netherlands	Europe/World
September 2015
• Two RASIM children Marcia (18) and Glaucio (13), who grew up in the Netherlands, are granted asylum • Military police are sent to refugee arrival centre • Camp Heumensoord houses refugees in tents	• Large numbers of Syrian refugees enter Europe. European Commission wants to spread refugees. Hungary and Denmark close borders for refugees • Toddler Aylan Kurdi is found dead on the beach • Islamist Iraq immigrant stabs German police agent
October, 2015
• Protest in Orange against a large asylum seeker centre • Emergency measures to cope with arriving RASIM • Standards for the housing of refugees are lowered
November, 2015
• Extra emergency measures to cope with housing problems incoming RASIM	• Islamist terrorist attack on Bataclan, Paris
December, 2015
• Waiting list for volunteers to help RASIM • Aggression of RASIM towards gays • Racist attack on RASIM family in Pannerden • Political discussion on refugee treaty	• Sexual assault of women in Köln by migrant men on New Year’s Eve
January, 2016
• Protest in Heesch against a large centre for asylum seekers in the village. Dead head of a swine is hung in a tree • Discussion on demanding money from RASIM • Introduction ‘Turkey-deal’ (plan Samson) • Double number of incidents at refugee centres	• 45 refugees drown in the Aegean Sea • Chaos at Greek-Macedonian border • 60% of refugees in Europe are economically motivated (coming from Morocco and Tunisia), according to EC
February, 2016
• Prioritization asylum seekers for social housing stops • Deputy minister Dijkhoff intensifies border control • RASIM in Heumesoord protest against austerities	• 37 RASIM die at sea Turkey’s coast • Most suspects Kölner assault are Nort-African • Germany: Rise of crimes committed by RASIM
March, 2016
• Report SCP: Dutch people are concerned about RASIM and their well-being	• Greek-Macedonian border closes • Hostilities towards German asylum seeker center • EU deal with Turkey on refugees • Canada welcomes refugees • Islamist terrorist attack in Brussels
April, 2016
• First ‘exchange’ RASIM from Turkey arrive • Exit of RASIM of emergency centers is stuck • Municipalities want to keep their ‘own’ RASIMs • 500 million euro for integration refugees to municipalities	• First RASIM sent back from Greece to Turkey (Turkey-deal) • Spring fosters new migration routes
May, 2016
• Netherlands and Germany dispute over 900 RASIM	• Brussels presents a new plan for distributing RASIM: solidarity tax • Re-distribution of RASIM over Europe stagnates • Turkey deal disputed by Greek judge
June, 2016
• Court decides against sending RASIM back to other EU countries • Polling: RASIM are content with the Netherlands • Building of houses is necessary to house RASIM	• Greece is slow in sending back refugees to Turkey • GB votes for Brexit
July, 2016
• People donate more to refugee organizations • Civilians Guard ‘Soldiers of Odin’ attacks asylum seeker	• France: Islamist terrorist attack Nice boulevard • Germany: incidents with RASIM attacking people • Belgium: Attack by rejected asylum seeker • Hungary bolsters border patrol • Turkey: Failed coup d’etat
August, 2016
• Minister Asscher: volunteer work for RASIM • Pownet reprimanded for broadcast on testikels RASIM • Asylum applications dropped since Turkey deal and closure East-European border	• Turkey deal under discussion • Hungary announces referendum on immigration • Norwegian fence at Russian border • A peak of 6500 RASIM are sea rescued • Britain pays for fence in calais
September/October,2016
• Remaining shortage in housing of RASIM	• Less RASIM in Germany than expected • German police arrest two Syrian RASIM for terrorism
November/December 2016
• Wilders tweets photo of Merkel with blood on hands	• Trump wins elections in the US • RASIM suspected of murder and rape in Freiburg • Terrorist attack on Christmas Market, Berlin • Thousands of RASIM suffer in the Greek winter
January/February, 2017
• Remaining shortage of houses for RASIM • Report: Integration refugees doesn’t go well	• Spring fosters new RASIM arrivals in EU • Extra EU money for return of RASIM
March, 2017
• Elections in the Netherlands	• Hungary contains RASIM who enter the country • Terrorist attack in Sweden
April/May 2017
• Court case of the rape of 17-year-old Dutch girl by RASIM	• 16 people drown between Greece and Turkey • Right radical disguised as refugee discovered • Macron elected president of France • Jihadist RASIM arrested in Berlin
June/July 2017
• Syrian RASIM boy drowns in swimming pool
August/September 2017
• RASIM land on Curacao’s beaches • Amount of subsequent travellers triples • New government in the Netherlands of 4 parties	• Islamist terrorist attack on tourists in Spain • Re-election of Merkel in Germany • New refugee plan European Commission
October/November 2017
	• Slave trade with RASIM in Libya • EU–Africa migration and poverty reduction • Evacuation plan RASIM in Libya • Refugees camps in Greece at collapse
December, 2017
• 4 Syrian RASIM suspected of terrorism • Attack on Israli restaurant by Syrian RASIMr • More RASIM in the Netherlands than expected. More facilities needed	• European Commission to court because Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary refuse to take in RASIM • New York: failed terrorist attack by RASIM • Disputes on EU top over migration • Extreme right FPö part of government in Austria

Appendix B

Listed excerpts, of which the English translation is published in the article.

• 1. NRC, 2 September 2015: Vluchteling, asielzoeker of migrant: een beladen keuze.

• 2. NRC, 2 September 2015: “Deze overkoepelende term dient zijn doel niet langer om de verschrikkingen te beschrijven die zich afspelen op de Middellandse Zee” (…) Het woord “ontmenselijkt, schept afstand”. Daarom liever ‘vluchteling.’

• 3. Trouw, 16 September 2015: En dan zitten we heden ten dage met vluchtelingen, asielzoekers, migranten. Vluchtelingen klinkt nog het beste, mensen op de vlucht, zoals altijd in de geschiedenis, Israëlieten op de vlucht voor Egyptenaren, Romeinen voor de Hunnen, Syriërs voor de Syriërs. Met een vluchteling kun je thuiskomen. Maar asielzoekers klinkt al een stuk minder. Niet zozeer op de vlucht, eerder iets zoeken, misschien wel iets wat van jou is. (…) En dan migranten, meer een politiek woord, uit de bureaucratie, een stempel.

• 4. NRC-NEXT, 10 March 2016: Het valt op dat in de afgelopen maanden diverse politici (…) herhaaldelijk hebben beweerd dat de helft van de mensen die met bootjes naar Griekenland komen geen echte vluchteling is, maar primair economische migrant.

• 5. Het Parool, January 30 2016: “Het zijn geen vluchtelingen, maar asielzoekers. Een vluchteling heeft van de rechter op basis van vluchtelingenverdragen een status gekregen. Dan is het onveilig voor je om terug te gaan en moeten we een goede plek voor je zoeken. Veel asielzoekers zullen nooit erkend worden als vluchteling. Dat zijn uiteindelijk migranten.”

• 6. AD, July 2016: “Terroristen hebben ‘veelvuldig’ de vluchtelingenstroom gebruikt om naar Europa te komen”.

• 7. Het Parool, 4 December 2015: Nationaal Coördinator Terrorismebestrijding heeft eerder aangegeven ‘niet uit te sluiten’ dat terroristen de asielroute gebruiken.

• 8. De Telegraaf, November 29, 2017: Dat er terroristen en oorlogsmisdadigers met de irreguliere migratiestroom meekomen, is helaas bewaarheid gebleken.

• 9. AD, 8 February 2016: “We willen laten zien dat wij vluchtelingen ook blij kunnen zijn”.

• 10. en vrolijk feest kunnen vieren.

• 11. Trouw, 16 March, 2016: Daarna volgden decennia waarin wij alleen hoogopgeleide migranten toestonden.

• 12. NRC-Handelsblad, 5 September 2015: Wij geloven in God, de schepper van het leven.

• 13. NRC Handelsblad, 9 January 2016: Terwijl wij het dieper gelegen probleem onder ogen moeten zien: de tijdbom van niet-geïntegreerde migranten die hier al zijn.

• 14. NRC Handelsblad, 21 October 2015: U bent in het land waar ik (gelukkig) geboren ben, enorm welkom en wij zullen u proberen zo goed mogelijk te helpen en op te vangen.

• 15. De Volkskrant July 26, 2017: Wij Grieken weten wat lijden is, net als de vluchtelingen.’