The completely overcrowded Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos burnt down last night and was largely destroyed by numerous fires that were fuelled by the wind. Many of the refugees were able to escape the fire but are now homeless, with a few remaining in the camp. The conditions in the camps in Greece are catastrophic, but the people are being left alone by the European Union and are ultimately being treated like pawns.
The people have no food, no place to sleep, no sanitary facilities. As in the Moria camp, the Covid-19 virus is also spreading in other camps because no one can protect others or themselves under these circumstances.
Just the day before yesterday, the Seebrücke initiative and other organisations set up 13,000 chairs in front of the Bundestag to draw attention to the extremely dangerous situation in the camps. The camps must be evacuated and the people must be helped. The future history of the European Union, now with the German Presidency, will be judged by how it deals with these desperate people in need. The camp, which has been overcrowded for years and where almost 13,000 people were living in catastrophic conditions at the time of the fire, was designed for 2,800 people. If the cause of the fire was indeed arson, who can be seriously surprised? The Moria camp was quarantined due to Covid-19 and everyone had to fear that they would not be able to leave alive. Anyone who denies people the chance to survive should expect that they will look for ways out – have to look for ways out!
Over 170 cities and municipalities in Germany have declared themselves a SAFE HAVEN in recent years and are prepared to take in and protect people. How is it possible that the Ministry of the Interior can simply ignore and block this willingness? Communities that have opened up to refugees so that they can submit their asylum applications must fight back against this.
The editorial team of the FRITZ BAUER BLOG, together with many other organisations, supports the demand to finally help the refugees, evacuate the camps and stop the blockade.
