“They Just Want Them To Die There”: How Greece’s Government Waged a War on Refugees During the Onset of COVID-19
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world raced to prepare for the imminent arrival of the virus. While the threat that the Coronavirus poses is universal, not all of its potential victims are treated the same. The Greek government, both through indifference and harsh, discriminatory policing, took the opportunity to brutalize an already incredibly vulnerable refugee population.
The refugees on the small island of Lesbos, primarily those in the Moria Camp, are especially at risk. As documented earlier this year by Via News, the camp, which hosts tens of thousands of refugees, is plagued with health risks and lacks many of the resources necessary to properly protect against illness in general, let alone a virus as infectious as Covid-19. This, coupled with a lackluster response and a seeming disdain for refugees by the Greek Government and police force, have primed the Moria Camp for disaster.
Additionally, the threat that this Pandemic poses is turning fear into anger for many Greeks, and a number of them are directing their anger at refugees, and those helping them. There have been countless cases of violence towards refugees, aid workers, doctors, and journalists in Lesbos, even forcing many individuals and NGOs to flee the country entirely.
It is not only angry mobs forcing people out of the country, however. In December of last year, the Greek Government arrested and sought the deportation of Salam Aldeen, Founder of the Danish organization Team Humanity, deeming him a threat to national security due to his organization’s mission to aid refugees struggling in places such as the Moria Camp of Lesbos. Though he was released, he was forced to leave the country. No longer in Greece, his work to help protect the residents of Moria Camp continued from Germany.
“I worked in Lesbos for nearly 5 years,” says Salam, “I was constantly dealing with harassment from the [Greek] Government.”
One of the most prominent cases of this harassment occurred after a particularly harrowing rescue of a sinking boat of refugees. After the initial rescue, Salam received another distress call. Heading back out to sea, he and his team were eventually forced back to land by the Greek Coast Guard.
“When I got back, they tried to get me to sign a paper that was in Greek. I’m glad I followed my gut and didn’t sign it, because it turns out it was a written confession of human trafficking,” Says Salam.
Another string of incidents, Salam alleges, saw continued harassment and threats of arrest after he opened a women and children’s center just outside of the Moria Camp. The facility was eventually closed for “hygiene problems”, an accusation which Salam vehemently rejects.
Similar actions against NGOs and Refugees themselves by Greek police and military help to substantiate Salam’s claims. Various videos that have gone viral, as well as several videos provided to Via News by Salam, show various abuses of migrants both within the country’s borders and at sea. One video purporting to show Greek Coast Guard vessels and personnel intercepting a boat carrying refugees, emptying its fuel tank, and leaving the vessel to float in the sea. The boat was apparently rescued later by a Turkish vessel.
Salam also asserts that the government allows violence against NGO personnel and migrants at the hands of xenophobic vigilantes.
“I’ve called the police to report violence, but they don’t care. They laugh and hang up the phone. This island is full of hate, though there are many good people on the island, but there are also many fascists who the police enable and even support.”
With the Coronavirus posing more of a threat every day to the refugees on Lesbos, Salam doesn’t expect much to be done.
“The Government has no solution.” He says, “They have blocked refugees from going anywhere, no one can leave.
“They just want them to die there.”
