Moria Greece: flames again in the refugee camp

meA new fire broke out in the Greek refugee camp of Moria, which was largely destroyed by fire. According to photographers with the news agencies AFP and AP, the flames burned Wednesday night in a part of the camp that had been little affected by the previous fires. Chaos returned: the refugees ran out of the camp as their tents burned.

On Wednesday night, several fires broke out almost simultaneously in Greece’s largest refugee camp on the Aegean island of Lesbos.

The first measures have been initiated to welcome homeless migrants. 165 unaccompanied minors were flown aboard a plane from Lesbos to the Greek port city of Thessaloniki. Another 240 minors should follow on Thursday, the state broadcasting company (ERT) reported.

According to information from the Greek Migration Minister, Notis Mitarakis, the remaining migrants will initially be housed in boats and tents. The minister had traveled to the island of Lesbos to get an idea of ​​the situation after the Moria refugee camp caught fire after the riots on Wednesday night and almost completely burned down. Since then, more than 12,000 migrants have been made homeless on Lesbos.

After his visit, Mitarakis warned the migrants not to break the law. “We’re not going to have that,” he said, looking at the fire. Based on initial findings, Athens assumes that some migrants started the fires themselves, fearing the first corona cases in the countryside. The minister was able to confirm the only good news of the day at the moment: no person was injured, disappeared or killed in the fire.

The fire was preceded by riots among the migrants because the camp had been quarantined after a first known case of corona. On Tuesday it was known that the number of infected people was 35. Later, some migrants wanted to leave the field to avoid contracting the virus. Some infected people and their contacts who were supposed to be in isolation, on the other hand, refused to leave the camp to be held in isolation, Greek media reported.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday that the fire had shown that the situation could not continue. Greece needs the help of the other EU countries.

On behalf of the European Union, Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson initially promised quick help. She was in contact with local authorities, the Swedish politician wrote on Twitter. It agreed to finance the immediate transfer and placement of the remaining 400 unaccompanied children and youth on the continent. Mitarakis confirmed that the youths should be picked up on Wednesday.

SPD urges Merkel to find a quick solution

At the federal level, the SPD asked the coalition partner Union to clear the way for those affected to come to Germany. “We are urging the federal chancellor to find a quick solution,” said the leader of the SPD parliamentary group, Rolf Mützenich, in Berlin with a view to the CDU chancellor, Angela Merkel. Pressure on Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is also growing, especially from the state side.

The Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet (CDU), wants to host up to 1000 refugees from Moria. Rhineland-Palatinate demanded the immediate admission of 1,000 refugees to Germany, 50 of whom could be housed in the state according to the Königstein code. Berlin wants to host 300 victims. Thuringia had already decided months ago to accept some 500 refugees, but failed due to federal resistance.

The German government has offered aid to Greece. “Our priority now is to provide help locally, within the framework of what Greece needs,” Federal Interior Ministry spokesman Steve Alter said in Berlin on Wednesday. Deputy government spokeswoman Martina Fietz said there was agreement in the cabinet that support should be provided jointly by European states.

When asked if Seehofer was willing to allow states and municipalities that had been ready for a long time to host refugees from Moria, his spokesperson replied: “The current situation presents us with challenges, but that is not a reason to question our system. current legal “.

“Follow inhumane German policy”

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,” Managing Director Günter Burkhardt said in Berlin on Wednesday. Rather than guarantee fair asylum procedures, all EU states observed. The EU has tried for years to agree on a common refugee policy and, above all, on quotas for the distribution of people, so far without success.

The aid organization Doctors Without Borders, for its part, criticized the Greek government: “It is enough. As Doctors Without Borders, we urge the Greek authorities to immediately develop an emergency plan and bring all these people to safety on the continent or in other European countries, ”said Marie von Manteuffel, an expert on refugee policy at the aid organization, Wednesday. according to a message.

The president of the council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, called for a quick European solution. Europe has failed to agree on a common path in refugee policy, he told “Passauer Neue Presse.” That is why we must act quickly now. The German Presidency of the Council of the EU must immediately find a European solution for the distribution of asylum seekers among the countries that are ready to receive them. “If that is not possible, Germany must go ahead with the countries that are ready,” Bedford-Strohm said.

Lesbos itself has around 85,000 inhabitants. They are now afraid of what will happen to the migrants, and also that the corona virus could spread uncontrollably, said the mayor of Mytilene in eastern Lesbos, Stratos Kytelis, the Greek state broadcaster ERT. There has always been tension in Moria, because of the Corona problem, the situation now literally exploded. It is not known where people should stay now.