Why Global Citizens Should Care
The White Helmets are putting their own lives on the line in an extraordinary effort to help others, and to stand up for what they believe is right. The UK, Canada, and Germany are recognising their extreme dedication in welcoming them into their countries. But we also must not forget those refugees and asylum-seekers whom we can't see and haven't heard of. You can join us by taking action to stand in solidarity with refugees here. 

The United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany will rehome the Syrian rescue volunteers known as the White Helmets, after they were evacuated from Syria this weekend. 

On Saturday night, the Israeli defence forces brought 98 members of the White Helmets and their families into Israel, and then into Jordan, in the rescue mission. 

While 422 people were rescued, according to reports, as many as 800 others weren’t able to escape, or chose to stay in Syria. 

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Canada has said it will take in up to 50 White Helmets and their families, totalling up to 250 people, according to Canada’s public broadcaster, the CBC. Meanwhile, Germany’s interior minister Horst Seehofer told Bild newspaper that Germany will rehome eight White Helmets and their families. 

Seehofer described it as “an expression of my stance of ensuring humanity and order in migration policy.”

Britain hasn’t yet confirmed how many of the remaining 40 White Helmets and their families it will welcome. It’s believed that those eligible to enter to UK under the vulnerable persons resettlement scheme would be identified by processes established by the United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), according to the Guardian.

Read More: Inside the Heroic Story of the Oscar-Nominated 'While Helmets'

“The White Helmets have saved over 115,000 lives during the Syrian conflict, at great risk to their own,” said Britain’s new foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt and international development secretary Penny Mordaunt in a joint statement. 

“Many White Helmets volunteers have also been killed while doing their work — trying to rescue civilians trapped in bombarded buildings or providing first aid to injured civilians,” they said. “White Helmets have been the target at attacks and, due to their high profile, we judged that, in these particular circumstances, the volunteers required immediate protection.” 

“We therefore took steps with the aim of affording that protection to as many of the volunteers and their families as possible,” they said. “We pay tribute to the brave and selfless work that White Helmets volunteers have done to save Syrians on all sides of the conflict.” 

It’s reported that those being rehomed will arrive in Canada, Germany, and the UK within three months. They are currently being guarded in Jordan in a secure location.  

Read More: Sobbing Girl, 5, Pulled From Syrian Rubble by White Helmet Heroes

The evacuation came after world leaders from the US, Canada, and Europe called for the White Helmets to be evacuated from Syria at this month’s NATO summit. 

“Several days ago President Trump contacted me, as did Canadian prime minister Trudeau, and others, and requested that we assist in evacuating hundreds of White Helmets from Syria,” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on Twitter. 

“These are people who have saved lives and whose lives were in danger,” he said. “I therefore authorised their transfer via Israel to other countries as an important humanitarian gesture.”

Israeli military said it had completed “a humanitarian effort to rescue members of a Syrian civil organisation and their families…due to an immediate threat to their lives.” 

Read More: Meet the Heroic Syrian Women Who Are Saving Lives as Volunteers for the White Helmets

The White Helmets respond to airstrikes and other attacks, digging people out of the wreckage of their homes, administering first aid, and drawing international attention to the attrocities being inflicted on innocent civilians. They have been widely heralded for their life-saving work — including a Nobel Peace Prize nomination and an Academy Award for a documentary about them.

But it comes at great personal risk. More than 250 of the volunteers have been killed in attacks, and a further 500 have been wounded. 

And it’s believed the White Helmets would have been targeted by the Syrian army when it regains control of the south-western part of the country. Opposition-held territory in Syria has been shrinking in recent months, as a result of heavy bombardment from Syrian and Russian forces. 

Read More: In a Miracle Rescue, Boy Dangling From Aleppo Building Is Saved

The Syrian government, along with its ally Russia, has previously spoken out against the White Helmets — branding them terrorists, and claiming they faked chemical attacks and staged rescue missions in order to criticise the government. 

But Jordan has closed its borders to refugees entering the kingdom, saying its refugee camps are already at capacity. More than 600,000 registered refugees from Palestine and Syria have arrived in Jordan, along with hundreds of thousands more unregistered refugees.

A spokesman, Mohammed al-Kayed, reportedly justified the exception being made for the White Helmets and their families by saying that the evacuation didn’t put any further strain on the kingdom, as the families would soon be rehomed in the UK, Canada, and Germany. 

TopicsUKBritainPenny MordauntCanadarefugeessyriaJeremy HuntAsylumGermanyRussiaIsraelSyrian WarWhite Helmets

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UK, Canada, and Germany Will Rehome Syria's Evacuated White Helmets

By Imogen Calderwood