After cheers rang out in Damascus this weekend at the toppling of brutal Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, there came another sound: that of countries slamming the door on Syrian refugees. On Monday, 15 European nations declared that they would no longer grant them asylum. Some, like Austria, are discussing deportations; German politicians are suggesting that the country charter aircraft and offer financial incentives for people to leave. The United Kingdom has similarly put on a pause on asylum claims from Syrian refugees.
