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The migrants from the burning Greek refugee camp of Moria lack everything: water, food, clothes, toilets. Tensions with the locals are rising. Athens sends additional policemen.
By Thomas Bormann, ARD-Studio Athens, currently. Lesbos
The need is great among the refugees. This is demonstrated by this scene on the road shortly after Moria: helpers distribute bottles of water and boxes of tomatoes from the back of a truck to refugees, who raise their hands by the hundreds and fight for each bottle of water. But there is not enough in the cargo area. Many refugees leave empty-handed.
Leyla, a mother from Iraq, sits on the side of the road with her daughter on her lap. “We urgently need clothes,” she says, “a roof over our heads. We need something to eat and water. But there is nothing here, nothing at all.”
When the little food is distributed, it ends with maintaining the distance and the protection of the mask. The island of Lesbos is currently being hit by a corona wave. Also among the refugees, 35 people tested positive at the beginning of the week. Most of them have gone into hiding since the great fire in Moria and mixed with the other refugees. That is why there is a great fear of infection.
If water is distributed, Corona is forgotten
But when bottles of water are distributed, Corona briefly forgets. Hunger and thirst are stronger than fear of the coronavirus. “Yes, of course we are afraid of it,” says Mohammed from Somalia. “But we have no alternative. Everything is overcrowded here. Keep your distance, social distance, that’s impossible here. Not to mention hygiene. There are no toilets here. People crawl into the bushes. That’s our problem.” . now.”
Thousands of refugees in Moria had to stay in the open for the third night in a row, somewhere in the hills around the burned camp. Mohammed had tried to go to the nearby island capital of Mytilene with some friends, but the police held the refugees on every street.
The locals defend themselves
In the western Lesbos port city of Sigri, citizens have barricaded the streets and are not allowing anyone to enter the port. Since yesterday morning there is a ferry with space for 1000 refugees to sleep. But the refugees cannot go there because of the barricade.
The citizens of Sigri do not want to tolerate a ferry with 1000 refugees at its doorstep, some of whom may be infected with Corona. They demand that the 12,600 refugees be transferred from the island of Lesbos to mainland Greece. The people of Lesbos agree with the refugees on this issue, because they too want to leave here.
The government wants to rebuild the camps
But the government of Athens does not yield. She wants to rebuild the Moria refugee camp, perhaps not in the same place, but somewhere on the island of Lesbos. But resistance is stirring across the island. Last night two water cannons were loaded onto the night ferry to Lesbos in Piraeus. Police officers came on board for this purpose. Today they arrive in Lesbos. Apparently, the Athens government does not believe that it can implement its plans with fair arguments.
