Richard Gere lashed out at a US policy: “Before they were “parasites”, now they are “aliens”
Hollywood star Richard Gere said on Thursday that he is “ashamed” of the immigration policy of the United States, on the occasion of the launch in Berlin, together with a German minister, of an initiative aimed at changing attitudes in this field, writes AFP.
“Everyone is an immigrant, a refugee or a migrant,” the 76-year-old actor said at the launch of his foundation's partnership with the Hertie School, a public policy graduate school.
“We often talk about migrants, about refugees, as if they are different from us. As if they belong to another category of human beings,” added the famous actor.
“The American government calls them “aliens'' (`extraterrestrials', no),” he continued. “They used to be 'parasites', now they're 'aliens' (the English term can also mean a foreigner and has acquired a pejorative connotation in the United States, no). “I'm deeply ashamed of that, I want you to know that,” added Richard Gere.
He presented his joint project with the Hertie School, which aims to encourage a more positive approach to migration, especially from Africa, as the institution explained in a statement.
This “Joint Initiative on Migration” must promote measures guided by “opportunity” rather than “hostility,” according to the statement.
“Migration is often approached through the prism of statistics, border policies, quotas, election campaigns, (…) racism,” said the “Pretty Woman” actor.
The discourse on immigration “is increasingly hostile and polarized, which makes it very difficult to find sustainable solutions,” said German Development Minister Reem Alabali-Radovan.
Refugees and migrants “are too often treated as objects rather than subjects in this debate,” added the social democratic minister.
On Tuesday in Oslo, during a ceremony to award the “Vaclav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent”, Richard Gere described US President Donald Trump as a “maniac” who has “dismantled almost everything that was good” in the United States.
The actor, who has been involved in humanitarian work for decades, has funded programs to support refugees, public health, education and emergency aid, as well as culture, especially within Tibetan communities.
