pologists
European Refugee Crisis
run by a group of volunteers called the Village of Altogether. That
camp took in the most at-risk refugees, including the disabled, the
elderly, and pregnant women.
Amnesty International described the immigration detention center
at Moria as “very poor, unsanitary conditions and overcrowding…
including overflown toilets, lack of sheets and blankets, filthy
and old mattresses, and broken beds.” Kara Tepe was also
overcrowded with many Syrians camping in tents outside the
camp. “There are not enough tents, toilets, or showers,” according
to Amnesty International.
Because of its civil war, Syrian refugees were considered higher
priority status and were allowed to leave the island more quickly
than other groups, whose refugee status was more closely
scrutinized. To be granted asylum in Europe, migrants must prove
that they are escaping persecution and return to their home
country would mean harm or possibly death. Stefatos said tensions
had clearly arisen between the mostly middle class urban Syrians
and the impoverished refugees from other countries. “The Syrian
refugees were wealthier, had iPhones, and spoke English,” she said.
“Some of the Somali and Afghani refugees couldn’t afford to buy a
loaf of bread.”
6.
They also witnessed scenes of overcrowding and deprivation, but
still sympathized with Lesbos authorities who were overrun by
the crisis: an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 refugees were arriving
in Lesbos every day; since August more than 160,000 migrants
and refugees have entered Greece in 2015, compared to 45,412
in 2014, according to Amnesty International. “They were clearly
overwhelmed,” said Papadopoulos. “There were five or six cops
managing 2,000 people. These people were trying to build a daily
life under the most difficult circumstances, knowing this is not their
home and trying to find some sort of comfort.”
The professors were told harrowing stories of refugees clinging to
rubber dinghies as they journeyed from Turkey across the Aegean
Sea to reach the island. The streets and highways of Lesbos were
clogged with refugees, some walking nearly 50 miles to arrive at
the refugee camps. Amnesty International workers witnessed 100
refugees collapse from exposure to 95-degree heat.
One of the most memorable encounters the professors
experienced was with a Syrian refugee who told them he was
an accountant escaping the civil war and government mandated
military service. He believed that staying in Syria would have
been suicide. “Shutting down borders in Europe doesn’t work,”
said Papadopoulos. “There’s nothing you can do to prevent such a
massive wave of refugees and people who are determined to take
the chance because they have no other choice.”
Both Stefatos and Papadopoulos shared their experiences with
the Lehman community at the Refugee Lives at Risk/Rights
Denied: Frontline Stories from Greece, Uganda and the Dominican
Republic conference. It was sponsored by Lehman Center for
Human Rights and Peace Studies on November 4.
1. Families stay inside their tents, trying to stay out of the blistering
Greek sun.
2. “Every day supplies and essentials are grouped in units and distributed
to the refugees,” said Papadopoulos. “There are daily needs mostly
from mothers, but this is a smooth routine, thanks to the volunteers
involved.”
3. Afghanis preparing a meal at the Moria camp. “They were really
friendly and hospitable,” said Papadopoulos. “The man cooking is a
photographer from Afghanistan and insisted on offering us some food.”
4. Hundreds of women would have to walk for miles, usually carrying
a child, to the nearest village for supplies. Afghani refugees wait in the
overcrowded Moria refugee camp where they can receive documentation
and travel to other parts of Europe.
5. “At the time of our visit, the Moria camp was packed with tents and
new refugees were arriving on police buses,” says Papadopoulos.
6. “It was striking that under these harsh conditions, families and
particularly children tried to maintain a daily routine and a sense of
familiarity,” said Papadopoulos.
Lehman Today/Spring 2015
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