U2 frontman Bono brought his star power to Capitol Hill as he called
on members of Congress to take swift action to deal with the global
refugee crisis and violent extremism. In testimony before a Senate subcommittee, Bono drew a bleak picture
as he described the flood of people fleeing their homes in the Middle
East, Asia and Africa. The human torrent threatens the very idea of
European unity, he said, as he urged lawmakers to think of foreign aid
as national security instead of charity. “When aid is structured properly, with a focus on fighting poverty
and improving governance, it could be the best bulwark we have against
the extremism of our age,” Bono said. Bono said members of Congress need to confront an “existential
threat” to Europe that hasn’t been seen since the 1940s. Countries such
as Poland and Hungary are moving to the right politically, a shift he
described as a “hyper nationalism.” The United Kingdom is even
considering leaving the European Union. “This is unthinkable stuff,” he said. “And you should be very nervous in America about it.” Africa is grappling with what Bono called a phenomenon of three
extremes — ideology, poverty, and climate. “Those three extremes make
one unholy trinity of an enemy and our foreign policy needs to face in
that direction,” he said. “It’s even bigger than you think.” Bono said he understood the financial stress the US and other nations
are under as they debate how much foreign aid to allot. But he warned
bills will only get bigger without action. “If you don’t do it now, it’s going to cost a lot more later,” he said. Bono also suggested using comedy to fight extremist groups. “It’s like, you speak violence, you speak their language. But you
laugh at them when they are goose-stepping down the street and it takes
away their power,” he said. “So I am suggesting that the Senate send in
Amy Schumer and Chris Rock and Sacha Baron Cohen.” Before sitting at the witness table, Bono posed for photos with three
members of Code Pink, who wore pink tiaras and held cardboard torches
and signs reading “Refugees Welcome”. Bono co-founded the One Campaign, an advocacy group that works to end poverty and preventable disease.
Irish Examiner Photo
