On the evening of September 8th, one of Europe’s largest camps for migrants, named Moria, suffered raging fires that have been catastrophic. About 13,000 people live in this camp, including more than 4,000 children and 407 minors without a guardian.
"The Moria camp no longer exists. The camp has been completely destroyed. The containers and tents have been completely destroyed. The fires are now out. Many migrants and refugees are now back at the camp and looking for their belongings. Charity and activist groups on the ground also say that the fire has destroyed large swathes of the camp,” said George Moutafis, a photographer at the camp, in a CNN report. The causes of these fires are still unknown and under investigation but authorities are considering the protests of the migrants against the lock down measures taken by the government as a possible factor; residents had been upset about the quarantine even though 35 people tested positive for COVID-19.
"All the camp is burned. There is nothing there. I am standing out on the street, near the camp, there are many people here. There is also police but they don't tell us where to go. We have no food or water. They say 'wait here.' It is very hot today and there are women and babies." (Moutafis, 2020).
A government official in Greece stated that approximately 1,800 migrants have moved to a new camp called Kara Tepe. Many migrants are hoping to go to Germany or other countries in Europe because of how devastating the situation is after this catastrophe. Fortunately, Germany has agreed to take 1,553 migrants that were living in camp Moria, but other country’s positions regarding this issue are still unknown.
This event has been disastrous, leading to massive consequences for thousands of families, who are now homeless and have absolutely nothing. Since the lock down, the migrants living in this camp have described how the government has not provided them with enough resources such as medical care, hygiene products, etc. It is the authorities' responsibility to ensure that the migrants affected have access to all the supplies they may need and to guarantee their protection, and the migrants have full rights to insist that the government does their job and fulfills their role as officials of the nation.
Cayetana
Bibliography:
Elinda Labropoulou, "Fire Ravages Europe's Largest Migrant Camp On Lesbos". CNN, 2020.
"Greece’s Moria Camp Fire: What’s Next?". Human Rights Watch, 2020,
"Lesbos: Greek Police Move Migrants To New Camp After Moria Fire". BBC News, 2020
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