To Protect Migrants From Police, a Dutch Church Service Never Ends

December 14, 2018 11:48 AM

Under an obscure Dutch law, police may not disrupt a church service to make an arrest. And so for the past six weeks, immigration officials have been unable to enter Bethel Church to seize the five members of the Tamrazyan family, Armenian refugees who fled to the sanctuary to escape a deportation order. The service, which began in late October as a little-noticed, last-gasp measure by a small group of local ministers, is now a national movement, attracting clergy members and congregants from villages and cities across the Netherlands. More than 550 pastors from about 20 denominations have rotated through Bethel Church, a nonstop service all in the name of protecting one vulnerable family. (SLNYT)
posted by DirtyOldTown (22 comments total)

HOW MANY MORE VERSES ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO SING??!?!
posted by Huffy Puffy at 11:50 AM on December 14, 2018 [8 favorites]

Choir stalls... and stalls... and stalls...
posted by pracowity at 11:54 AM on December 14, 2018 [3 favorites]

HOW MANY MORE VERSES ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO SING??!?!

First, second, and last. Same as in town.
posted by RolandOfEld at 11:54 AM on December 14, 2018 [13 favorites]

Absolutely shameful that this kind of effort is necessary.
posted by tobascodagama at 11:56 AM on December 14, 2018 [18 favorites]

At what point do immigration officials think that their resources are better focused elsewhere?

The story of the service started not in The Hague but in Katwijk, a large seaside town southwest of Amsterdam. The Tamrazyan family ended up there after the father was forced to flee Armenia for political reasons in 2010, Mr. Stegeman said. At the family’s request, their full predicament has been kept a secret, along with the names of the parents, to prevent repercussions for relatives still in Armenia.

In a six-year legal process, Dutch officials twice tried to deny the family asylum, and were twice defeated in court. But the government finally got its way on its third attempt, even though the three children had all been in the country for more than five years and were theoretically eligible for an amnesty under legislation enacted in 2013.

The article doesn't get into why the Dutch officials lost twice, and finally won, but this seems to indicate that the government had a pretty weak case to begin.

Lennart Wegewijs, a spokesman for the Dutch ministry of justice and security, said that the government could not comment on individual cases. But speaking generally, he said that under Dutch law, families can only qualify for amnesty if they, somewhat paradoxically, are willing to cooperate with official efforts to deport them from the country.

How common is this? I think the same thing is in place in the US, requiring that people leave the country in the hope that they can be admitted back in, meanwhile potentially putting themselves back into the realm of harm that they were fleeing. Partially, it seems like a symbolic movement, to avoid the "destination" country from kicking the people out directly and instead banning their re-entry, but it also appears to be a mechanism to try and reduce the total number of refugees who even attempt the process.

Absolutely shameful that this kind of effort is necessary.

Agreed.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:59 AM on December 14, 2018 [9 favorites]

I am also very moved by this. I was raised Roman Catholic in Italy and grew to despise the church way before I ever came to the realization that I am an atheist. It is these efforts and these pastors and these people who remind me that religion can be meaningful and good and even glorious.

Europe is in shambles and seeing actual resistance coming from the Christian denominations as well as the secular support for refugees gives me a small glimmer of hope for a shared future.
posted by lydhre at 12:03 PM on December 14, 2018 [24 favorites]

HOW MANY MORE VERSES ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO SING??!?!

“Isaiah, Mighty Seer in Days of Old” is only 2 or 3 verses, and it takes about 2.5 weeks too sing. It’s mad lugubrious.
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:05 PM on December 14, 2018 [13 favorites]

this is the prayer that doesn't end, yes it goes on and on my friends
posted by poffin boffin at 12:07 PM on December 14, 2018 [37 favorites]

I was raised in a deeply religious Christian family. And though I lost my faith in the religion itself years ago, the idea that extraordinary kindness and mercy can still be a force in this world is still very much a part of who I am.

This was really, really moving to me.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:10 PM on December 14, 2018 [16 favorites]

People can be so good.

Not often, mind you. But they can. It’s nice to be reminded.
posted by greermahoney at 12:16 PM on December 14, 2018 [12 favorites]

They have to save this family! One of the boys grows up to become Principal Skinner!!
posted by chavenet at 12:16 PM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

My SO and I participate in the local Sanctuary movement and it's been a really weird experience trying to cajole churches to participate. I was sure the UUs would be all over it, they even have a small connected dormitory to their church, and cooking facilities. But no, after they consulted with their national, they turned us down cold. So did virtually every church in a fifteen mile radius. But finally, our fantastic PR person happened by chance to talk to the bishop of a Lutheran church, who thought it was a wonderful idea. He just had to contact his synod. By gum, they APPROVED! And now they have three families, consisting of four members each, living in their very nice basement with walls and doors and other conveniences, footed by the congregation, and some sort of order in perpetuam, saying that even at the risk of arrest, they will always grant immigrant families shelter, to the best of their abilities. This kinda shook me to my deeply atheistic core, that such wonderful news came from a religious organization. Didn't drive me from my beliefs but it did motivate me to give xtians a more civil brush-off than I have in the past.
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 12:22 PM on December 14, 2018 [39 favorites]

All I have is a voice
To undo the folded lie,
The romantic lie in the brain
Of the sensual man-in-the-street
And the lie of Authority
Whose buildings grope the sky:
There is no such thing as the State
And no one exists alone;
Hunger allows no choice
To the citizen or the police;
We must love one another or die.

September 1, 1939
posted by howfar at 12:42 PM on December 14, 2018 [15 favorites]

Purposeful Grimace, any insight as to why the UU national said no? Your comment significantly reduced (my considerable) opinion of them and considerably increased (my somewhat neutral) opinion of the Lutheran church.
posted by el io at 12:47 PM on December 14, 2018 [5 favorites]

We were never given a reason beyond, "We would like to participate but our national organization feels that it might not be a good match for us." Now, this was three years ago, and things might have changed, but I've not heard from our board that we've tried to re-contact them. There were some bitter feelings that the UU, of all churches, wouldn't want to participate and wouldn't even donate food to our cause. Maybe now it might be a good time to talk to them again, what with all the negative reports coming from the children's tent concentration camps they're being forced to die in.
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 12:54 PM on December 14, 2018 [6 favorites]

UU churches are much less constrained by their national organization, than most denominations. Local churches have a lot of latitude and I would wonder if that one is blaming the national organization unfairly. The one near me is very involved with the Sanctuary movement.
posted by elizilla at 1:05 PM on December 14, 2018 [15 favorites]

lydhre: Europe is in shambles

That's not how it feels from the inside.
posted by Too-Ticky at 1:31 PM on December 14, 2018 [8 favorites]

lydhre: Europe is in shambles

That's not how it feels from the inside

I apologize, it is an unfair comment based solely on the steady rise of fascism everywhere. My experience is Italy, which is definitely in shambles at the moment, and it just feels like the 30s the world over.
posted by lydhre at 2:38 PM on December 14, 2018 [8 favorites]

This is a beautiful story and a perfect example of people who don’t use their religion to defend their bigotry. I wonder if they could shelter more immigrants in danger of deportation.
posted by bendy at 5:51 PM on December 14, 2018

Yeah the national UU association is, if anything, encouraging member congregations to join the sanctuary movement. Here's their page on the subject. But yes each congregation makes its own decisions so who knows.

That said, joining UU put me in regular contact with what I'll weakly call "good Christians", including Lutherans quite different from the ones of the church I was raised in, or like Bethel Church here. It's heartening to see that there are still so many who try to bring God's love, as opposed to judgment, in the world. Also:

‘“For me, that’s what it’s all about,” Ms. Israel said a few minutes later, packing her robes back into her cycling bag.’

The answer is none. None more Dutch.
posted by traveler_ at 6:48 PM on December 14, 2018 [5 favorites]

Christians are regular people. Some are generous. Some are not.
posted by pracowity at 4:16 AM on December 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

This is great. But, also, what an incredible waste of human effort. Exploiting the state's vulnerability to legal technicalities for humanitarian purposes is a whole lot better than not doing so. But, the world in which such a thing makes sense sure is ugly.
posted by eotvos at 11:59 AM on December 17, 2018 [1 favorite]