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It wasn’t until the sun rose over Lesbos on Wednesday morning that what was left of Europe’s largest refugee camp became visible. The burned tents can be seen in photos and videos from Camp Moria. Charred tree stumps stick out of the ground, white smoke rises in the background.
A fire destroyed much of the Moria refugee camp on Wednesday night. For hours, the camp was almost completely ablaze. The refugees fled their tents and sheds. Many hid on the slope of the olive grove that surrounds the camp or fled along the paths that led away from the camp. More than 12,600 people are now homeless.
There is still no official information on the deaths or injuries, and so far the police and firefighters have not received any corresponding reports from the refugees.
According to information from SPIEGEL, about 70 percent of the tents, cages and containers were burned. These include parts of the official field secured with a fence, but also many areas of the wild field to the left and right of the fence. A health post, funded by the Dutch government and recently opened, also caught fire.
“We don’t know where”
“Everything is reduced to ashes,” reports a 16-year-old Afghan boy by phone. “We don’t know where to go,” says another refugee. “Nobody cares about us.”
The exact cause of the fires is not yet clear. There is speculation, among other things, about the fire caused by the refugees themselves, and the authorities are also investigating in this regard. However, smaller fires break out in the camp almost every week, often caused by electrical devices in the tents.
The fire disaster is not a surprise. The mood on Lesbos and also within the camp had intensified in recent weeks. With the start of the corona pandemic, authorities cordoned off the camp. This was to prevent the virus from spreading in the camp. But on Tuesday it emerged that 35 refugees had tested positive in the meantime. According to the authorities, 82 migrants were housed and isolated outside the official part of the camp in the olive grove.
For days, refugees in the camp have feared identifying with the virus. Non-governmental organizations report a wave of suicide attempts and violence, also due to the harsh blockade. In the camp it is impossible to keep your distance. The countryside is completely overcrowded and the accommodation has often been criticized as inhumane. In some parts there is not even running water or electricity. For months, experts have expected the virus to spread rapidly once it reaches the camp.
“We warn against that”
When word of the positive test results spread, riots broke out in the camp. Some migrants wanted to leave the countryside so as not to contract the virus, the Greek semi-state news agency ANA-MPA reported. The refugees threw stones at the firefighters and tried to stop them from doing the extinguishing work, the Greek operations chief reported on television. The police used tear gas.
“We warn against that,” tweeted Green MEP Erik Marquardt, who is usually on Lesbos. Europe and Germany had failed politically for years. “It’s a catastrophe with an advertisement,” says Oliver Müller, director of Caritas International. Despite all the criticism and knowing the devastating conditions in Moria, people were left to their own devices.
After the fire, the Greek authorities now have to take in more than 12,000 refugees. It is not yet clear where to sleep. Lesbos has only 86,000 inhabitants. A state of emergency has been declared on the island and more police units are on the way. On Wednesday noon, the police blocked a caravan of refugees that had tried to reach the capital, Mytilene.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis held consultations with his cabinet, the army and the secret services that morning. A Greek official responsible for the camp told SPIEGEL that, in theory, the camp could be rebuilt quickly if the authorities clear the land and set up large tents for dozens of people.
Photo: ALKIS KONSTANTINIDIS / REUTERS
Conflicts between refugees and residents could also threaten in the coming days. In recent weeks, refugees have reported attacks by right-wing extremists in the camp several times. Non-governmental organizations are also repeatedly targeted. During the night, while the fire was still burning, five volunteers from various aid organizations were attacked.
“We were on our way to the camp to help when a score of men attacked us with truncheons,” says Romy Bornscheuer. She works for the organization “Europeans for Humanity”. The men surrounded the car and threw stones through the windows. The group eventually fled on foot. “We hid for three-quarters of an hour, right next to the fire.”
After the fire, numerous European politicians are now calling for the refugees to be removed from the island. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) wrote on Twitter about a “humanitarian catastrophe”: “We have to clarify with the EU Commission and other EU member states who helped us as soon as possible how we can support Greece This also includes the distribution of refugees to those who are willing to accept them. ” EU. “
The CDU, however, spoke out against a national aid campaign for the people of Moria. “The latest events in Lesbos make it clear how urgent a European response to refugee development is,” said the Union group’s national political spokesperson, Mathias Middelberg. The responsible EU interior commissioner, Ylva Johansson, promised the admission of 400 unaccompanied minors from the camp.
In the small town of Moria, which is right next to the camp, many have already given up hope of help. Some residents set up barricades at night. “We worry about our houses, we are also afraid of the virus,” says a woman who helped refugees in the camp for a long time. The Greek government blames them. “They’ll talk about us for a few days. And then we’ll forget about it again.”
