Several thousand people spontaneously demonstrated in several German cities on Wednesday 9 September to demand the authorities to take care of migrants after the fire at the Greek camp in Moria.
“
Right of residence, everywhere, no one is illegal
” or “
we have room
” chanted demonstrators in Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover and even Münster.
Read also: Dramatic situation at the Lesbos camp
According to the refugee aid NGO Seebrücke, 10,000 people took to the streets in Berlin alone, where the demonstrators gathered in front of the central station planned to continue their journey to the German Ministry of the Interior.
The police for their part did not give an estimate.
Several voices were expressed on Wednesday, including local German politicians, to affirm the willingness to welcome migrants from the devastated Moria camp.
However, the German government refused them an end, reaffirming that it wanted a European compromise on the distribution of migrants on the continent.
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen expressed her “
deep sadness
”, stressing that the EU stood “
ready to help
” Greece, without giving further details.
A fire broke out overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday on the Greek island of Lesbos and devastated the unsanitary Moria camp, the largest in the country and which housed around 12,700 people including 4,000 children.
A new fire broke out on Wednesday evening in a part of this camp which had not yet been too affected, according to an AFP photographer.
The island of Lesbos, with a population of 85,000, was declared in a state of emergency on Wednesday morning.
According to the Greek authorities, at least 3,500 migrants and refugees are now homeless and emergency measures have been taken for their accommodation.
Also see
- Greece declares state of emergency on Lesvos island after fire in Moria camp