The French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday night, i.e., September 10, 2020 announced that France and Germany are working together to welcome migrants from the Lesbos Island of Greece, after their camp got devastated by massive fire.
Macron urged the European nations to stand in solidarity with Greece and is looking to having more European countries join this initiative. The details of the response will be chalked out soon.
Speaking on the initiative, Macron said, “We are coordinating to offer a proposition, Germany and France, and we’re trying to include a maximum of European countries, to welcome refugees and minors in particular, depending on the demands of the Greek government.”
The Foreign Minister of Germany – Heiko Maas tweeted (translated from German), “What in #Moria happened is a humanitarian disaster. We have to clarify as quickly as possible with the EU Commission and other helpful EU member states how we can support Greece. This also includes the distribution of refugees among those willing to accept admission in the EU.” (In German – Was in #Moria passiert, ist eine humanitäre Katastrophe. Mit der EU-Kommission und anderen hilfsbereiten EU-Mitgliedstaaten müssen wir schnellstens klären, wie wir Griechenland unterstützen können. Dazu gehört auch die Verteilung von Geflüchteten unter Aufnahmewilligen in der EU.)
Earlier on Wednesday, i.e., September, 9, 2020, fire broke-out at Europe’s largest camp – Moria after residents started setting small fire to express their dissatisfaction over the Coronavirus (COVID-19) led lockdown. The camp was placed under lockdown after 35 people tested positive for the pandemic. Sooner, the series of fire turned hostile and destroyed the refugee camp, leaving thousands of people in need of shelter.
As the fire broke-out, people rushed to evacuate the camp with their belongings as firefighters work to extinguish the blaze. The fire destroyed large swathes of the camp. Most importantly, there were no reports of injuries.
According to United Nations Refugee Agency, the camp had a population of 13,000 people, more than six times its maximum capacity of 2,200 people. The camp also had more than 4,000 children and 407 unaccompanied minors.
The Prime Minister of Greece – Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared a state of emergency on the island, condemning the rioters he said had started the fires that ravaged the camp.
Addressing the nation, Mitsotakis said, “I recognize the difficult conditions. However, nothing can become an alibi for violent reactions to health checks. And, much more, for riots of this magnitude. The situation in Moria cannot continue because it is a matter of public health, humanity and national security at the same time.”
A total of 407 unaccompanied minors from rescued from Moria camp and were taken to Mainland Greece. The children were first sent to shelters on the island before leaving in three chartered flights from Odysseas Elytis airport in Mytilene, the capital of Lesbos. The children have been accommodated in northern mainland Greece, where they will remain temporarily, as the relocation program to EU countries and their placement in long-term mainland guesthouses continues unabated.
Lesbos residents are already at loggerheads with the government over plans to replace Moria with a closed reception center. Locals fear this would mean thousands of asylum seekers would remain on the island permanently. The Greek Government has also confirmed that there is a need of a new facility which is safer and offers more humane conditions having appropriate capacity.
