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The Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos in the Aegean Sea is a symbol of the failure of the European asylum policy. Now she was a victim of the flames.
(c) AP (Panagiotis Balaskas)
Originally, Moria was one of the five “hotspots” that were established in Greece after the refugee crisis to intern people caught at the crossing from Turkey. But it has been completely overcrowded for years.
(c) AP (Panagiotis Balaskas)
The camp has a capacity for some 2,800 people, but more than 12,700 asylum seekers live there in the most difficult conditions.
(c) AP (Panagiotis Balaskas)
In addition to the humanitarian emergency, the crisis in the crown also came this year. After the first corona case was discovered, the warehouse was quarantined in early September.
(c) AP (Panagiotis Balaskas)
The Greek Conservative government has so far refrained from a complete shutdown and evacuation of the camp.
(c) AP (Panagiotis Balaskas)
Moria was created in October 2015. Initially, asylum seekers only registered there and then moved to mainland Greece after a short period of stay. This changed with the EU-Turkey refugee agreement in spring 2016.
(c) AP (Panagiotis Balaskas)
In mid-September 2016, much of the camp facilities were destroyed in a fire and two people were killed in another fire in late September. In November 2016, there were clashes between the camp inmates and the security forces, two people were killed in a gas explosion.
(c) AP (Panagiotis Balaskas)
In February 2020, 2,000 refugees marched to the port of the island’s capital, Myrtilini, to protest against living conditions in the camp.
(c) AP (Panagiotis Balaskas)
(c) AP (Panagiotis Balaskas)
the largest refugee camp in Europe, Camp Moria on the Greek Aegean island of Lesbos, is various fires Almost completely destroyed Wednesday night. No one was killed, some people suffered minor injuries. In Austria, the event sparked around 13,000 homeless by numerous reactions from civil society and politics.
Fueled by winds of up to 70 kilometers per hour, the various sources of fire in the refugee facility, which had been overcrowded for years, and in the surrounding makeshift camps, raged for hours and were able to just under control in the morning be brought. Greek state television, which was allowed to report from the field with a special permit, showed images of charred container apartments and burned tents.
the Greek Civil Protection Authority imposed the state of emergency on the island with 85,000 inhabitants. The Athens government, which met for an emergency meeting that morning, passed away. Arson outside. A week ago, aid organizations planned Unrest warned after Moria was quarantined after Corona’s first positive case became known.
The authorities began to remove people from the camp that night. More recently, around 12,600 refugees lived in Moria, actually only one 2,800 capacity It has places. According to the Greek government, no one was killed in the fire, but several people suffered minor injuries from smoking. Well 400 unaccompanied minors have been brought to safety and will soon be brought to the mainland, reported the Greek deputy Migration Minister George Koumoutsakos in front of journalists.
the EU Commission pledged to finance the immediate transfer and placement of the remaining 400 unaccompanied children and youth to mainland Greece. “The safety and protection of all people in Moria is a priority,” he said. Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson. EU Commissioner General Ursula von der Leyen he was “deeply saddened” and said via Twitter: “We are ready with the member states to help.” The Vice President of the EU Commission Margaritis SchinasVon der Leyen said that even Greeks should travel to Athens as soon as possible.
Also several EU member states, including Austria, offered support to Athens. Although rejected Home Secretary Karl Nehammer and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (both ÖVP) continue to strictly restrict the admission of refugees from Greece to the Council of Ministers. But they wanted to support Greece on the ground by all means, they said. Minister of the Environment Leonore Gewessler von the Greens said it is “a human imperative” for the EU to provide support quickly and for the camp to be evacuated.
Minister of Social Affairs Rudolf Anschober (The Greens) believed that the fire in Moria would lead to more activity in Europe. “I know there are a lot of conversations.” He hopes that Europe will take a humane approach. The fact that the turquoise green government takes different positions “is nothing new”. “We are in dialogue, but the positions have not changed.”
Crack in government
The issue of accepting underage refugees from Greek camps divided the turquoise-green federal government from the start. While the Greens are in favor, the ÖVP vehemently rejects it. Nikolaus kunrathVienna Greens Human Rights Spokesperson on Wednesday called for Austria to accept 100 children. “We must not waste a second now and we must act and help immediately to get the people who have been left homeless out of this misery,” emphasized the green deputy and foreign policy spokesperson. Ewa Ernst-Dziedzicwho visited Moria itself in February. Unlike NEOS MP Helmut Brandstätter but he did not explicitly demand the admission of Austria.
Europe has “waited too long,” criticized the SPÖ-EU MP Vollath. “Now the common task of the European Union is to evacuate the countryside and take people to safety,” he appealed.
Given the great fire in the Greek refugee camp Moria hat EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson promised quick help. She was in contact with the Greek minister and local authorities, the Swede wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
It agreed to finance the immediate transfer and accommodation of the remaining 400 unaccompanied children and youth on the mainland. “The safety and security of everyone in Moria is a priority.”
The demand for admission of refugees from Moria was also followed Klaus Schwertner, Secretary General of Caritas in. Austria should also then Neighborhood help “When it comes to bringing to Austria families with children and elderly in need of care who have to vegetate in overcrowded camps on the islands and on the Greek mainland in reasonable numbers to Austria,” Schwertner said.
Even the Evangelical Lutheran Bishop Michael Chalupka as well as Volkshilfe and Diakonie Austria, affiliated to the SPÖ, spoke out in favor of accepting refugee minors. Moria has become “the epitome of the total failure of European refugee policy”, thus Diakonie Director Katharina Moser. SOS Children’s Villages was “deeply affected and extremely sad: nothing was done for too long,” explained the managing director. Christian moser in a broadcast and asked Austria to participate in international disaster relief.
Socialist youth too Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) responsible for the “failure”. Moria should have been evacuated “a long time ago”.
Not surprisingly, the Vienna FPÖ boss Dominik Nepp saw it completely differently. He called for a “total stop to immigration, not just from Moria.” “If you turn on the roof that protects you, you have nothing to do in Austria and throughout Europe,” Nepp said.
The great fire was preceded by riots among the refugees because the camp was after a first case of corona quarantine he had wondered. On Tuesday it was announced that the number of Infected at 35 lie. Later, some migrants wanted to leave the camp to avoid contracting the virus, the Greek semi-state news agency ANA-MPA reported. On the other hand, some infected people and their contacts who were supposed to be isolated refused to leave the camp and be detained.
Unrest
After the fire broke out, residents of the camp threw stones at the firefighters and tried to prevent them from putting out the fire, the operations chief reported on television. Special units of the riot police were in action: Athens has now sent more units from the mainland to the island. The videos on social media showed people lost, scared and also those who said “Goodbye, Moria!” singing.
There have always been tensions in Moria, because of the crown problem, the situation now literally exploded, said the mayor of the Mytilinis community. Stratos Kytelis, the Greek state broadcaster ERT. It is not known where people should stay now, thousands are homeless. The situation is also a huge burden for the locals.
In any case, the center of the Greek asylum authority was completely destroyed by the great fire. The government said the files were lost. The number of people made homeless by the fire will be announced after an inspection. It was not initially clear if the Moria camp would be rebuilt.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is already warning about conflicts between refugees and residents of Lesbos. Work is underway on a temporary solution to accommodate the homeless, the UN organization in Geneva said.
