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The 39 lost lives in UK are humans first

By Zhang Zhouxiang | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-10-25 07:56

Flowers are seen at the scene where bodies were discovered in a lorry container, in Grays, Essex, UK, October 24, 2019. [Photo/VCG]

The tragedy of 39 people found dead in the back of a lorry in Essex, UK, on Wednesday had evoked deep grief and mourning on social media networks all over the world, including the domestic micro blog.

Further probe is needed to know where the 39 victims are from.

Yet at the same time, a peculiar voice emerged. Seemingly knowledgeable about the UK, the voice proudly stated on micro blogs that the UK is a destination for tens of thousands of illegal stowaways every year, and there is high possibility that the 39 victims are illegal immigrants.

Some even guessed the 39 victims entered the lorry "willingly" in the hope of reaching their "dreamland", implying that the 39 should not get sympathy.

That point of view is so unusual that any human with a basic conscience won't agree.

First, unless the local UK police make a confirmation via their probe in the near future, it is unfair for anyone to label them as illegal immigrants.

A crowd of local residents gather at a vigil at Belfast City Hall, Oct 24, 2019. [Photo/IC]

Even if they attempted to illegally cross the border into the UK, the 39 persons must be victims of smuggling gangs, because only the latter can afford such huge vehicles as a big lorry, which is also their common crime practice.

Just like the UK National Crime Agency said, they are working "urgently to identify and take action against any organized crime groups who have played a role in causing these deaths".

A crime group behind the incident could have potentially caused the tragedy. Even in the UK where they are foreigners, the mainstream attitude toward the incident is to mourn, not to say "they deserve it".

In a larger perspective, past police reports show that, in peaceful times, quite a high percentage of people who hope to illegally enter another country don't know what life in their destination looks like.

Many are cheated by the snakeheads and deprived of everything on the way.

Border police also strike at the organized crime groups, instead of the stowaways.

It's time for that voice to rethink its words. The 39 victims are humans first and they deserve sympathy, not mockery.

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