Local anger over Greece trying to shelter refugees after Lesvos fire | Greece

Authorities rushed to pitch tents in Lesbos after thousands of men, women and children, forced by devastating fires to evacuate from Greece’s largest refugee camp, spent a second night awake.

Faced with strong opposition from local authorities, who now demanded that the infamous overcrowded facility in Moria be removed “once and for all” from the island, the Greek government tried to break the deadlock.

Chinook helicopters with tents and other vital equipment were observed landing at a military training ground near Mytilene, the island’s main city, and rows of large white tents were being erected.

Officials said it was hoped they could accommodate 2,000 to 3,000 people by the weekend, adding that a ferry and at least two naval ships had been seconded to house several thousand more, although it was unclear if there would be enough.

“We have tents, we are ready to cover the needs of families and vulnerable groups,” said Greek Minister of Migration Notis Mitarachis. “There is a serious problem of cooperation with the local administration, which rejected all the alternative proposals that we made to make these people fall asleep. [somewhere] safely. “

He acknowledged that relief efforts were chaotic, describing the situation as “particularly difficult.”

In a sign of growing frustration, asylum seekers, surrounded by riot police and water cannons, pleaded for help, many holding cardboard posters that read “We want freedom.”

Homeless, young and old families were forced to sleep anywhere: in churches, in cemeteries, in fields, in supermarket parking lots and along roadsides. Three days after the first wave of fires completely devastated the hilltop camp in Moria, a 15-minute drive from Mytilene, an estimated 12,500 people were still forced to fend for themselves.

Refugees interviewed by Greek television amid blankets and makeshift shelters scattered around one of the island’s main boulevards spoke nostalgically about the detention center. Moria is much better. There is no food, no water [and it is] very cold, ”said one young man amid the scenes that caused the first wave of refugees who arrived in the summer of 2015.

“Without basic infrastructure, it’s impossible to sustain food spoilage in the harsh heat of the day,” another said as the camera focused on boxes of rotten eggs.

Five years ago, the island of the Aegean became the first taste of the West for the nearly 1 million men, women and children who arrived on its shores in wobbly boats from Turkey when the Syrian civil war forced people to hit the road. Europe looking for safety.

Moria was born out of this drama. The temporary detention center, which can accommodate no more than 3,000 people, soon developed into a mega-camp, which numbers nearly 10 times as many as the influx of asylum seekers increased. Lesbos initially welcomed new recruits before compassion turned to annoyance and then anger amid reports of rising crime.

Negotiating in Athens with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas, a Greek woman, described Moria as a “sharp reminder” of what now needs to be changed.

“Time is up, how long can Europe live without a migration policy,” he said, adding that the EU will soon introduce a new “migration and asylum pact” that provides a robust system for managing the foreign policy of the 27-member bloc. borders.

Mitsotakis, like his predecessors, bitterly complained about the lack of solidarity on the part of Brussels, saying that Greece, as a border country, was forced to assume a disproportionate responsibility in the fight against migration flows from the Middle East, Asia and, increasingly, Africa.

The coronavirus pandemic has also complicated the response, as dozens of former Moria residents were diagnosed with Covid-19 before a fire destroyed the camp.

Among the thousands of people who escaped the fires, eight were found infected, but even they were missing by Friday, forcing Mitarachis to admit that Lesvos is facing “a very serious public health problem.”

When the first tents began to rise to the island, an aircraft arrived with approximately 200,000 Covid-19 rapid test kits. Each refugee will be checked by doctors before being placed in any formal temporary housing.

“People are very worried,” said Yiannis Mastroiannis, chairman of the Moria village, which overlooks what remains of the site. “After all these years, we are very tired. If they want to keep them here, then it must be somewhere very far away. “

Greece’s center-right government has blamed the fires on asylum seekers protesting the isolation measures in the camp after Covid-19 infections were found among residents. He promised to bring those responsible to justice, although refugees dispute the official version of events. There is also widespread speculation that vigilantes may be behind the arson attacks.

Everyone agrees that Moria is gone. But the specter of the infamous camp, which in the minds of local residents was associated with poverty and international outrage with Lesbos, is also unlikely to be accepted. In a statement, the island’s municipality warned it would use “any means” to stop another camp replacing “the abomination that was Moria.”

“The decision on this issue is final,” the message says. “We are calling on the relevant authorities to cooperate … before it is too late.”

One senior municipal official admitted that if reason did not prevail, right-wing extremists would simply take matters into their own hands.