Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’
Matthew 25:34-36 NRSVue
We watched the Netflix film, The Swimmers, after seeing the trailer and reading positive reviews. It's a biopic about two Syrian teen sisters, Yusra and Sarah Mardini, who are accomplished competitive swimmers. After much soul-searching they leave their war-torn homeland in the hope of establishing themselves in Europe and finding a place to continue training. While they are ultimately successful it is an arduous journey which includes crossing the Mediterranean.
In the end Sarah gives up on swimming while Yusra...well, watch the film. This picture had been on my radar for a while we watched because Sarah is currently on trial in Greece for human smuggling, espionage, money laundering, and seeking state secrets. She chose to return to Greece to become part of an organization which assists those seeking asylum, as she once did. If Sarah and others are convicted they could spend years in prison yet human rights organizations and the United Nations insist that the work they are doing is within the parameters of international agreements developed to uphold the safety of migrants and asylum seekers. The charges are ridiculous and are likely intended as a deterrent to others doing similar work.
Here are a couple of paragraphs from the press release from Amnesty International:
Ahead of the trial on 10 January of rescue workers Seán Binder and Sarah Mardini, Amnesty International is renewing its calls to the Greek authorities to drop all charges against them. Seán, a trained rescue diver, and Sarah, a Syrian refugee and activist whose story inspired the Netflix film The Swimmers, stand trial together with 22 others from the search and rescue NGO that they volunteered for. They are facing unfair, baseless charges simply for helping refugees and migrants at risk of drowning at sea.
“If I can be criminalised for mostly doing little more than handing out bottles of water and smiles, then so can anyone. This trial is not about me and Sara, or even the 22 other defendants. This trial is about the Greek authorities trying to crush compassion and prevent people from seeking safety. But I trust that justice will prevail and we will be able to get on with our lives,” said Seán Binder.
I have been praying for these compassionate and courageous people who are being tried as though they are the criminals who do traffic in the desperate migrants who take great risks for the possibility of freedom. There are others who have charged or harrassed for doing what many governments now refuse to do in responding to those who are in grave danger. We know that there have been deaths along our Canadian borders as well, including the family of four originally from India which died attempting a crossing almost exactly a year ago in Manitoba. What may seem foolhardy and illegal to us is perceived as a risk worth taking.
Oh yes, biopics are often not stellar films, yet we found this one well acted and quite moving. It certainly brought to mind the Syrian refugees brought to Belleville by our faith coalition in 2015 and 2016 and the many others sponsored by Canadians of good will. Watch The Swimmers and ponder.
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