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A30 world news
Diahuebs 10 september 2020

New fire breaks out in crowded refugee camp on Greek island

(AP) — Fire struck again exceed their capacity. Succes-
Wednesday night in Greece's sive Greek governments have
notoriously overcrowded urged other European coun-
refugee camp on the is- tries to share the burden.
land of Lesbos, a day after a "The problem of the han-
blaze swept through it and dling of migration flows is,
left thousands in need of after all, mainly a European
emergency shelter. The fires one," Mitsotakis said, noting
caused no injuries, but they Athens was in constant con-
renewed criticism of Eu- tact with European authori-
rope's migration policy. ties on the issue. "Greece has
Wednesday night's fires broke already borne a far heavier
out inside the parts of Moria burden than its share."
camp that had not burned European authorities, who
in the first blaze, sending have often been criticized for
people streaming from the not doing enough to ease the
camp with their belongings, migration burden on south-
according to an Associated ern countries such as Greece,
Press photographer in the Italy and Spain, offered assis-
area. tance.
Later, about 4,000 migrants "We will not leave Greece
who had left the camp for the alone with this situation --
island's main port of Mytilini and above all -- we will not
to board ships for the main- leave the people in this camp
land threw stones at police turned. tiple points and were fanned cannot continue because it alone," German Foreign
blocking the road, and offi- The exact cause of the first by gale-force winds. Fire- constitutes simultaneously Minister Heiko Maas said.
cers responded with tear gas, blaze was being investigated, fighters said protesting camp a question of public health, "We have already offered the
police said. There were no but "what is certain is that the residents hampered their ef- humanity and national secu- Greek government support
reports of injuries or arrests. fire was started, because of forts to put out the blaze. rity." … and we will also make this
Police said migrants also lit the quarantine, by asylum- Aid agencies have long Aid organizations and rights an issue during our (EU)
fires in fields near the site of seekers in the facility," said warned of dire conditions groups renewed criticism of Council Presidency," he add-
the clashes. Migration Minister Notis at Moria, where more than Europe's migration policy, ed. "I believe that the Euro-
Moria had been under a Mitarachi, who flew to Les- 12,500 people live in and which they said led to situa- pean Union as a whole has a
coronavirus lockdown when bos with Greece's interior around a facility built to tions like the dramatic condi- responsibility."
the first fire gutted a large minister and the head of the house just over 2,750. The tions of Moria. Thousands marched in sev-
section of it, and health offi- public health organization. camp — housing those flee- Council of Europe Com- eral German cities to show
cials said some of those who "Instances of unlawful be- ing violence and poverty in missioner for Human Rights their support for those in
had tested positive for the vi- havior such as the ones we the Middle East, Africa and Dunja Mijatović noted simi- Moria. A large crowd packed
rus had fled. experienced yesterday will Afghanistan — has become a larly overcrowded conditions the square in front of Berlin's
"The combination of migra- not be left unpunished," Mi- symbol of what critics say is on other Greek islands and main train station to demand
tion and the pandemic in tarachi said. "Such behavior Europe's failure to humanely said the situation could de- that vulnerable refugees be
these conditions is creating is not acceptable, and also handle the migration and ref- generate there too. brought to Germany, chant-
an exceptionally demanding respect for law and order is ugee situation. The fire shows the urgency ing "We have space."
situation," Alternate Migra- a necessary precondition for Mitarachi said the first blaze of rethinking Europe's ap- Many held signs criticizing
tion Minister Giorgos Kou- the asylum process." left about 3,500 camp resi- proach to migration, "which Interior Minister Horst See-
moutsakos said. Civil pro- Some of those who had test- dents homeless, noting the has led to the overcrowded, hofer, who has rejected of-
tection authorities declared ed positive as well as some fire destroyed administration inhumane and completely fers by several cities to take
a four-month state of emer- of their close contacts who buildings and a health facility, unsustainable situation in in refugees, arguing a pan-
gency for public health rea- had been moved to isolation but only one section of living Moria and elsewhere on the European solution needs to
sons on Lesbos. had left quarantine follow- quarters. Aegean islands," Mijatovic be found.
Officials said the original fire ing the incidents, National Those left homeless will be said. Similar rallies also took place
was started by camp residents Public Health Organization housed temporarily in tents Amnesty International's mi- in Frankfurt, Hamburg and
angered by the lockdown head Panagiotis Arkouma- flown to the island, and gration researcher Adriana Munich.
measures and isolation orders neas said. Eight of them and aboard a ferry and two navy Tidona said "reckless EU Germany holds the EU's ro-
imposed after 35 people test- "a significant number of their ships. policies" were to blame for tating presidency. A spokes-
ed positive for COVID-19. close contacts" had been lo- About 400 unaccompanied the overcrowding in Moria. man for Seehofer said Berlin
The cases were found dur- cated and moved to a new children and teenagers living "As the EU Pact on Migra- was in talks with Athens over
ing broad testing and contact quarantine area. in the camp were being flown tion and Asylum is finalized, what assistance Germany
tracing after the illness of a In dramatic scenes early to other facilities in northern this is a timely indictment of could provide.
Somali man who had been Wednesday, men, women and Greece. A first charter flight the current policy of camps Dutch Development Co-
granted asylum and had left children fled fires that broke with 165 passengers reached and containment," she said. operation Minister Sigrid
the island in July but later re- out during the night at mul- the northern city of Thessa- Under a 2016 deal between Kaag pledged 1 million eu-
loniki late Wednesday, while the European Union and ros (about $1.2 million) in
two more were due to land Turkey designed to stem the emergency aid for Greece to
in Thessaloniki early Thurs- flow of hundreds of thou- help provide accommoda-
day. All the minors were to sands of migrants and refu- tion, housing and care to mi-
be placed in quarantine in the gees, those arriving on Greek grants, while EU Home Af-
new facilities. islands like Lesbos from the fairs Commissioner Ylva Jo-
Prime Minister Kyriakos nearby Turkish coast are held hansson said she had agreed
Mitsotakis said he recognized there pending either depor- to finance the transfer and
the difficult circumstances in tation back to Turkey or the accommodation of the 400
Moria. acceptance of their asylum unaccompanied children and
"However, nothing can be- claims. teenagers to the mainland.
come an excuse for violent Although the deal dramati- European Commission Vice
reaction to health checks. cally reduced the flow, delays President Margaritis Schinas,
And, more so, for unrest of in processing asylum claims who is responsible for mi-
this extent," Mitsotakis said. and the continued arrival of gration matters, will head to
The prime minister added: hundreds of asylum seekers Lesbos Thursday.
"The situation in Moria led island camps to quickly