
I tried to fly to London on a fake passport [video] - Turukawa
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/features/magazine-36744910/36744910
======
cantrevealname
A tip for anyone who can't play the video:

If you're trying to view the video under Windows, you'll get an error that
says, "You need to install Flash Player to play this content. Download Flash
Player now."

Tip: Install a browser add-on to change the user agent to report "iPad" or
another platform for which a Flash Player does not exist. The video will then
play. I personally use the Firefox extension called "User Agent Switcher"
which works well.

It's so ridiculous that we have to do this. I thought Flash was dead. I'd like
to ask the BBC's web developers why they don't just show the non-Flash video
if Flash is not installed in the user's browser?

~~~
bisby
This would make sense if they didn't have a non Flash option (like Twitch.tv
for instance, although they just announced an HTML5 beta).

But if they have a way to serve the video without flash, it just blows my
mind.

~~~
jsingleton
iPlayer defaults to HTML5 if flash isn't installed, but this hasn't been
rolled out to the news player yet by the looks of it.

If I visit [http://www.bbc.co.uk/html5](http://www.bbc.co.uk/html5) in Firefox
with no Flash installed then I get:

    
    
      Flash is not installed or enabled
    
      If you would prefer not to use the HTML5 Player beta on this device you must download or enable Flash.

------
pbadenski
I was wondering if it's legal what this person did. I thought others would
too. Here's what I found:

"Although some asylum seekers might enter the UK illegally, once they have
applied for asylum they are no longer ‘illegal’. Anyone seeking protection is
entitled to stay in the UK while awaiting a decision on their asylum claim."
([http://www.asylumaid.org.uk/the-asylum-process-made-
simple](http://www.asylumaid.org.uk/the-asylum-process-made-simple))

~~~
countryqt30
Well, this is only true as long as UK is part of EU. It's an EU law.

~~~
jvdl
I must be missing something. Why didn't he apply for asylum in France then?

~~~
DominikR
Social services don't pay enough.

~~~
curiousgal
You'll probably get downvoted but you are correct. As an Arab it sickens me
how these "refugees" are choosing what country to stay in despite the fact
they say they escaped war and torture. It saddens me how they are giving us,
potential future immigrants with degrees and a desire to be functional parts
of society, more bad rep.

~~~
NetStrikeForce
> It saddens me how they are giving us, potential future immigrants with
> degrees and a desire to be functional parts of society, more bad rep.

Does having a degree make you a better person or a more functional part of
society? Does not having a degree bring bad rep?

And.

Why do you think these people don't have degrees and can't be functional
members of society? Do you think they're stupid because their country was at
war? or are they stupid because they have no means to just catch a plane and
get a visa?

Your comment is extremely unfortunate.

~~~
curiousgal
>Does having a degree make you a better person or a more functional part of
society?

I can't answer that. However, I can say that having a degree makes an _Syrian
immigrant_ a better person or a more functional part of a _Western_ society.

A degree in the Third World is often associated with education (duh), work
ethics and a sense of civility. I know this might sound elitist as heck but
what use would a developed country have for someone without any of those
qualities?

>Why do you think these people don't have degrees and can't be functional
members of society?

Simply because they couldn't even be functional in their own society.

I never said they were stupid but if Third Worlders were so bright, why isn't
the Third World developed?

Unfortunate? What's unfortunate to me is that I have to point out why
countries like my own are far behind. Like it or not the reason for that
regression is people.

~~~
NetStrikeForce
Wow. You're going to have a hard time adapting to Europe, unless you only
mingle with the elites.

Here is the thing, our values are not "get a degree". Our values are respect,
treating and considering each other as equals, help each other, you know,
stuff like that.

Unfortunately you seem to be very far from understanding it. Hence why you'll
have issues in Europe. You're welcome to come and learn about our values, but
be ready to respect everyone equally regardless of their origin, studies or
money.

Good luck in your life.

------
dmytroi
What's annoying for me that's for other people (non-asylum, non-EU) the system
is very bureaucratic and usually not so supportive, for example for someone
from post-soviet country it might take up to a year to get a working permit in
Sweden. Even if you apply for EU blue card it doesn't help much. But for
asylum applications there is a "fast track" with all support possible, sure
some part of them are fleeing from war, but some (or even probably most) of
them are just economic asylum seekers, just check last statistic from Sweden
[1].

It might be safe to assume that economic asylum seekers are looking for better
life, which is fair and reasonable, but in this case the system is broken :
why economic asylum seekers should get easier/faster/priority process over
workers from non-EU countries, or why workers from non-EU countries should
even bother with immigration process if they can just apply for asylum and be
done with it?

\- [1] [http://www.migrationsverket.se/Om-
Migrationsverket/Statistik...](http://www.migrationsverket.se/Om-
Migrationsverket/Statistik/Asylsokande---de-storsta-landerna.html)

~~~
TazeTSchnitzel
> why economic asylum seekers should get easier/faster/priority process over
> workers from non-EU countrie

What makes you think they do? The UK locks many asylum seekers in immigration
detention centres.

------
DominikR
I just fail to understand how the BBC can portray this as something great. I
mean the guy tries to enter Britain 2 times with fake passports and he was
already in France. (what is he fleeing from in France?)

And then there's the fact that this guy had contacts to criminals that can
create fake passports. I guess nobody did something about that too, their
smuggling and fake passport business is probably still making profits!

~~~
mstrem
what is he fleeing from in France? => nothing. France is a great place.

However, I have lived both in the UK and in France. If I had a choice, and if
I was looking for asylum, I would choose the UK every time. In another video
from him he says his two friends made it to the UK before him. The best
country to get into Europe (as an asylum seeker) is the UK. It is also a
reason why there is such a big fuss about immigration. The benefits are great,
it is a very safe country, wealthy, lots of opportunity... etc etc. I might be
very biast but the UK is quite a bit ahead of the other European countries in
my opinion (with a few exceptions). If the UK was on mainland Europe it would
have waayyy more immigration problems.

Edit: I am happy he made it. I am pro immigration.

~~~
pvaldes
> If I had a choice, and if I was looking for asylum, I would choose the UK
> every time.

It depends on your previous education. If he speaked both french and english
(thus, language were not a relevant part in the decision), then France would
be a better destiny. Is a Mediterranean country, so there is a lot of shared
context. More similar climate (in the South), familiar ingredients used in the
kitchen easily available, and because France have stronger historical bounds
with several African, and by extension Islamic, countries. For islamic people
to be able to find food halal prepared by other muslim of their same branch is
a must. Finding a suitable job out of the capital would be also much easier.
There are more locations suitable in France.

------
kleiba
I don't quite understand it, but he was already in France when he tried to fly
to London, right? He could have just applied for asylum there, it's all EU. Or
was this in the light of the UK at some point in the future leaving the EU?

~~~
AdamN
The UK is not part of the Schengen zone so being a temporary resident of
France would not entitle you to enter the UK.

~~~
kleiba
Yes, you're right. But my point was: if what he wants is to seek asylum
because he's from Syria, he could as well have applied for it in the E.U.

~~~
thesimon
You can't really apply for asylum in the "EU", you need to apply for asylum at
a country. Often there are also travel restrictions in place and asylum status
e.g. in Greece doesn't allow you to just move to Germany, Italy or France.

And as some comments have pointed out: With very good English, your
opportunites are obviously a lot better in the UK than in any other country.

------
kixpanganiban
This was incredibly moving. I don't come across content like this in HN that
often. Kudos, he was brave.

------
jglauche
Does anyone have a mirror that does not require flashplayer to be installed?

~~~
cantrevealname
See my tip elsewhere in the comments about the Flash problem.

------
ommunist
Part of Mrs May propaganda.

~~~
TazeTSchnitzel
If it's propaganda, it's probably not propaganda _for_ her, she's taken a very
hard line on immigration.

~~~
ommunist
Making immigration the issue at BBC. This is propaganda. Britain instead of
trying to solve internal economical problems, caused by greed and
incompetence, goes the easy way - demonisation of immigration.

------
pskocik
Smuggling tip: On a Slavic passport, if your last name ends in ova, it says
you're female.

~~~
patates
Interesting... So one's surname changes according to their gender?

~~~
chillydawg
If you come from a place where you surname is simply FathersnameSon or
FathersnameDaughter, then yes. Eg: Bjornson or Einarsdottir (sorry Scandi
friends for typos)

~~~
patates
Well, I actually come from such a place. In Turkey it's not uncommon that a
surname ends with "oğlu", meaning "son of X" where surname is the form
"Xoğlu". Because of "reasons", there are no surnames ending with "kızı"
("daughter of") though - at least I've never came upon one.

Also, we never change them, even if the holder is not male.

~~~
NetStrikeForce
Funnily enough, this is more widespread than one would think. I didn't know
about the Turkish example.

In Spanish, all the surnames ending in -ez also mean "son of". Even many
Spanish speaking people don't know (or don't care? :)) about it, as they've
been used as "normal" (sorry) surnames for long now.

Lopez: Son of Lope Rodriguez: Son of Rodrigo Perez: Son of Pedro Martínez: Son
of Martín etc

~~~
magic_beans
I had no idea!! Was there ever a "daughter of" convention?

I love when etymology pops up in random threads :)

~~~
NetStrikeForce
Actually, when I said "son of" in my head I was using the gender neutral
"hijo", so it applies actually to sons and daughters :-)

