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Interior Minister Karl Nehammer and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (both ÖVP) reaffirmed to the Council of Ministers on Wednesday that Austria would not accept any refugees after the fire in the Greek refugee camp of Moria.
AUSTRIA. The field, which has been overcrowded for years, has completely caught fire. Arson is suspected to be the cause. Interior Minister Nehammer (ÖVP) and Foreign Minister Schallenberg said on Wednesday that they want to support Greece locally with all means. A video from the non-profit initiative Sea-Watch shows the extent of the disaster.
The interior minister referred to the attacks on rescuers during the extinction work in the Lesbos camp: “Violent migrants have no right to asylum in Europe. That is completely unacceptable behavior,” he said. “Those who triggered this consciously accepted that human lives are at risk.” Foreign Minister Schallenberg emphasized that the UN refugee organization OHCHR had already received one million euros in March. “We will provide a million more from the foreign disaster fund,” Schallenberg said. The line that has been followed so far is correct and will continue to be followed: “Help on site,” Schallenberg emphasized.
Austria’s position is also that of the Greek government, which does not require the admission of immigrants, Schallenberg and Nehammer explained. The message should be that violent migrants have no future in Europe, the interior minister said. He noted that Austria had already achieved a lot and had taken in 4,000 women and children this year alone.
Conflict material for the coalition
The debate over the admission of refugees from the camp could again cause conflict in the turquoise green coalition. Both parties have different positions on the refugee issue. On Wednesday, for example, Green MP Ewa Ernst-Dziedzic announced: “We must not waste a second now and we must act and help immediately to lift homeless people out of this misery.” Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler told the Cabinet that Moria’s images would be “deeply affected.” It was “a requirement of humanity” that there be swift support from the EU. Social Affairs Minister Rudi Anschober (Greens) also asked on the Twitter news platform: “Faced with the dramatic situation in #Moira, Europe must show solidarity. We have to help save people and support refugees who have lost their last belongings on fire. ”
These images should not leave us indifferent! Given the dramatic situation in #Moira, Europe must show solidarity. We have to help save people and support refugees who have lost their last belongings in the flames. Europ. Cohesion now!
– Rudi Anschober (@rudi_anschober) September 9, 2020
Appeal of humanitarian organizations
Caritas Secretary General Klaus Schwertner on Wednesday appealed to EU member states and Austria to help quickly. “Moria has become a symbol of Europe’s shameful treatment of people seeking protection. It is even more important to help now. We must not only protect borders, we must also protect people,” Schwertner said.
The managing director of SOS Children’s Villages, Christian Moser, called for the necessary protection to be guaranteed for refugee children and their families. “It has been clear for a long time that Greece and the local NGOs are not up to the task on their own. If we now hear from our local colleagues that unaccompanied children are standing alone on the street, we should all be ashamed, ”says Moser. International disaster assistance is needed immediately, in which Austria must also actively participate.
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