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Refugee camp on Lesbos: Greece evacuates 1,500 asylum seekers

2019-09-02T14:40:29.006Z


On the Greek Aegean island of Lesbos, as many refugees arrive as they have not in years, the Moria camp is completely overcrowded. Now the authorities have taken extraordinary measures.



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The Greek authorities evacuated about 1500 migrants from the refugee camp on the Greek Aegean island of Lesbos on Monday. Two civilian boats landed in the port of Lesbos to take people to the Greek mainland. Families with small children were allowed on board the boats, they are classified as particularly vulnerable. The boarding of the second boat continued on Monday afternoon.

The camp on Lesbos is completely overcrowded. Once laid out for 3,000 people, around 10,000 migrants are now waiting in the camp near the village of Moria. Thousands of them live outside the official camp on an olive grove under inhumane conditions. To get food, asylum seekers often have to stand in line for hours, in many tents there is no electricity.

Number of arrivals could continue to rise

The evacuation is part of a series of actions taken by the Greek government last Saturday in a brief meeting. It also plans to restrict the possibilities of appealing rejected asylum seekers and to strengthen border management.

Evacuation of 1500 asylum seekers from #Moria camp on #Lesvos still ongoing. Army is now loading bags on a truck. Biggest aviation in recent years on Greek islands. @g_christides @SPIEGELONLINE pic.twitter.com/aGuhCkrG0y

- Steffen Lüdke (@stluedke) 2 September 2019

Most recently, the number of migrants arriving on Lesbos has skyrocketed. There are currently as many migrants arriving in the Greek islands as they have been since the entry into force of the EU Refugee Pact with Turkey. Thirteen boats landed on Lesbos beach in less than an hour last Thursday. A total of 647 migrants arrived on the day, until Monday afternoon reached another 456 refugees the island.

Gianmarco Maraviglia / SPIEGEL ONLINE

These two men are waiting for the evacuation from the camp at Moria

The many arrivals focus mainly on Lesbos - and question the future of the pact, even if the numbers are far from reaching the levels they were at the height of the 2015 refugee crisis. Greece regularly brings vulnerable asylum seekers from the Aegean Islands to the mainland. A comparable evacuation action has not existed for years.

In September and October, more migrants usually come to the Aegean Islands than in other months. That is why the Greek authorities fear that the number of arrivals could increase even more.

Massive evacuation of 1500 asylum seekers from #Moria # Lesvos started at 4:30 AM, all families. Greece is dealing with spike in #refugee arrivals. 3X camp's capacity Here w colleague @stluedke @SPIEGELONLINE pic.twitter.com/2vdX04XjTx

- Giorgos Christides (@g_christides) September 2, 2019

On Friday, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias summoned the Turkish Ambassador to Athens to tell him "his deep dissatisfaction" - and warned him to respect the EU-Turkey agreement. On Monday he relented. The situation with more than 500 arrivals in one day is comparable to that of 2012 and a violation of the EU-Turkey Pact. Greece will hand over a protest note.

Ankara and Brussels had agreed in March 2016 on an agreement that would restrict the illegal immigration of refugees via Turkey to Europe. For this, the EU has promised billions to Turkey for improving the living conditions of millions of refugees. Since the deal, far fewer migrants have landed on the Greek islands, and the Turkish police and coast guard prevented many of them from crossing.

This article is part of the project Global Society, for which our reporters report from four continents. The project is long-term and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

What is the project Global Society?

Under the title Global Society, reporters from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe will be reporting on injustices in a globalized world, socio-political challenges and sustainable development. The reportages, analyzes, photo galleries, videos and podcasts appear in the Politics Department of SPIEGEL. The project is long-term and will be supported over three years by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).

Are the journalistic contents independent of the foundation?

Yes. The editorial content is created without the influence of the Gates Foundation.

Do other media have similar projects?

Yes. Major European media such as "The Guardian" and "El País" have created similar sections on their news pages with "Global Development" or "Planeta Futuro" with the support of the Gates Foundation.

Was there already similar projects at SPIEGEL ONLINE?

SPIEGEL ONLINE has already implemented two projects in recent years with the European Journalism Center (EJC) and the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The "Expedition The Day After tomorrow" on Global Sustainability Goals and the journalistic refugee project "The New Arrivals" Several award-winning multimedia reports on the topics of migration and escape have emerged.

Where can I find all the publications on the Global Society?

The pieces can be found at SPIEGEL ONLINE on the topic page Global Society.

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2019-09-02

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