Migrant crisis needs generosity, not fear: Jolie

UN special envoy Angelina Jolie Pitt urged the international community on Monday to respond to Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II with generosity and not the “politics of fear.”
In a speech in London, the Oscar-winning Hollywood actress said there was a “duty that falls on all of us” to help those fleeing their homes, warning the alternative was “chaos.”
The American star also had criticism for US presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has proposed building a wall to stop Mexican immigrants and called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the US.
“It is hard to hear that this is coming from somebody who is pressing to be an American president,” she said in a question and answer session after her speech.
“America is built on people coming together for freedom, especially freedom of religion.”
Conflicts, including the five-year war in Syria, have fueled a global refugee crisis, with 60 million refugees and displaced people across the world. Jolie Pitt, a UN special envoy for refugees, said she recognized that some people felt “angry” about the numbers of people on the move, and no longer had faith that institutions could deal with the issue.
“It has given space to a false air of legitimacy to those who promote the politics of fear and separation,” she said.
“It has created the risk of a race to the bottom, with countries competing to be the toughest in the hope of protecting themselves whatever the cost or challenge to their neighbors, and despite their international responsibilities.”