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After the fire in the Moria refugee camp, Greece plans to initially house homeless migrants in boats and tents. The migration minister also issued a warning to refugees.
After the devastating great fire in the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, the homeless migrants will initially be housed in boats and tents. The Migration Minister, Notis Mitarakis, announced this.
To accommodate the refugees, two Kriegsmarine landing ships are due to receive the migrants on Thursday, and a Greek shipping company is said to have provided a ship. In addition, around 400 unaccompanied children will be transferred from Lesbos to the mainland at night.
Mitarakis had traveled to the island to get an idea of the situation after the Moria refugee camp caught fire following the riots on Wednesday night. Since then, more than 12,000 migrants have been left homeless on the island of Lesbos, with around 85,000 inhabitants.
Mitarakis warns migrants about breaking the law
People who had to flee the camp due to the fire have now been herded by the police outside the villages, Mitarakis said. The objective of the measure should be to avoid confrontations between the migrants and the island’s population.
After his visit, Mitarakis warned the migrants not to ignore existing laws. “We’re not going to have that,” he said, looking at the fires. Based on initial findings, the Athens government assumes that some migrants started the fires in the camp out of fear of the first corona cases. But no person was injured, disappeared or killed in the fire.
However, authorities are currently searching for 27 people who have tested positive for coronavirus. They hid after the great fire on the island, reports ARD Correspondent Thomas Bormann at daily News. “People fear that the coronavirus could spread undetected.” In addition, smaller fires broke out on the island again.
The federal government offers help
In addition to Greece, the federal government has also committed to helping immigrants. “The fire in Moria and the consequences of it make it very clear how important it is to find a European solution to the issue of refugees,” said the Ministry of the Interior when consulted by tagesschau.de. “Germany has supported Greece in many areas in the past and will help now. That is the German position and also corresponds to the role of the EU Council Presidency. The Federal Minister of the Interior has already offered help to the Greek government.”
Consequently, the Home Office wants to first clarify with the Greek authorities what help is needed and then “provide it quickly and easily”. In view of the willingness of the federal states to accept more refugees than before, the spokesman confirmed the position of the federal minister of the interior.
When asked if Seehofer would change his mind in light of the fire disaster and support federal coordination, the ministry spokesman said the current situation “is no reason to fundamentally question our previous legal system.” Seehofer has made it clear that the above principle of refugee admission exists “and that he does not intend to change it,” the spokesman continued.
Pro Asyl holds the EU responsible for the fires
The refugee organization Pro Asyl held the federal government and the EU directly responsible for the fire. “The Moria disaster is a consequence of the scandalous and inhumane policies of Germany and Europe,” said Pro-Asyl Managing Director Günter Burkhardt. Rather than guarantee fair asylum procedures, all EU states observed. The EU has been trying for years to agree on a common refugee policy and, above all, quotas for the distribution of people, so far without success.
Moria is considered a negative example of European refugee policy and the largest refugee camp in the EU. More recently, more than 12,000 migrants lived in and around the facility, which actually only offers space for about 2,800 people. In recent years there have been repeated riots and fires.
