Wednesday December 23, 2020
Call for help from Lesbos
"We are in limbo"
By Philip Scupin
Three months after the fire in the Moria camp, the situation in the replacement camp on Lesbos remains catastrophic. At Christmas, the residents appeal in an open letter to the EU to finally help.
It was Christmas Eve a year ago when Ali Bakhtyari set foot on European soil for the first time. The Afghan came to Lesbos from Turkey in a boat. Twelve months later, he has still not seen anything other than the Greek island in Europe. The 19-year-old is stuck with around 7,000 other refugees in the Kara Tepe camp, which was set up as a replacement after the fire in Camp Moria in September. Like Ali, most of them have been here for a long time – with no clear prospect of an asylum decision. "It's enough. Most of the people here are exhausted and sick of it," Ali said in an interview with ntv.
In this catastrophic situation, the residents of Kara Tepe are now taking an unusual step: They have written an open letter to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and all Europeans. It's a cry for help at Christmas. "Let us be very clear: we all cannot bear the idea that a new year begins like this for us and the refugees in the other camps like Samos and Chios," the initiators write on behalf of the residents. Animals have more rights than them: freedom from pain and fear, sufficient space, conditions that avoid psychological suffering. "That is why we ask you quite honestly: Would we be treated like this if we were animals?"
"Not even dogs would eat that"
Ali Bahktyari has a film on his cell phone from a tour of the Kara Tepe camp. This shows what the letter is talking about. From his tent, in which he lives with 127 other men, he runs to the showers. Most of them only have cold water. If you want something warm, you need a brand. "Then you can shower for seven minutes," says Ali. The footage shows how some tents are surrounded by sandbags. They are designed to prevent the water from entering again every time it rains. This often happens in the windy corner on the north bank of Lesbos in autumn and winter. There is a break at the food counter when Ali comes by with his cell phone. Not a nice place for him. "Not even dogs would eat it. But they give it to us," he says.
After the fire in the Moria refugee camp, various promises were made to them, write the refugees in the letter to the Europeans. In the new camp, however, few things got better and some things even got worse. "How is it that after three months and so many millions of government donations and funds raised by NGOs, we are still in a place with no running water, hot showers and no working sewage system?"
People are dependent on the goodwill of some organizations that distribute used clothes and shoes. There are also no faster asylum procedures promised after the fire. "Instead, we're sitting here in limbo with nothing to do but wait." Ali calls it "a shame for the EU". Most recently, Development Minister Gerd Müller described the conditions on Lesbos as a “scandal” in the ntv “early start”. They are worse than in African camps. "It's wet, the children are freezing, rats are running through the camps. Unbearable."
SPD Vice Kevin Kühnert sees the Greek government's calculation behind this: people should be deterred from going to Europe. "In this respect nobody should think that it is a coincidence that this equipment is so bad," he tells ntv. But the entire EU is responsible. Thanks to the SPD, Germany is taking in a "homeopathic" number of people. But that's not enough. Numerous municipalities had agreed to take more photos, but Federal Interior Minister Seehofer refused. "I have given up all hope that Horst Seehofer will be part of the solution to this problem," says Kühnert.
"Ready to help ourselves"
In the open letter, the refugees now emphasize that they are not interested in further donations or government funds. Rather, the available money must finally be spent on properly setting up the warehouse. They could even do it themselves under professional guidance: "We are ready to help ourselves and work hard, if only we are let and trusted that we can make this place better."
Ali Bakhtyari would like to live in Germany if his asylum application is approved. But he also says: A deportation back to Afghanistan is just as possible. His wish for 2021 is for the refugees, who may still arrive on the Greek islands. He wishes them not to have to live like him for a year. Stranded on Lesbos since Christmas.
.