Two weeks ago, the Moria fire on Lesvos burned like a beacon across Europe, fixing for a moment the gazes of a continent on a calamity that most have, over the past five years, become entirely desensitized to.
Politicians at all levels of national and continental government expressed their shock and their sympathies. President of the European Council, Charles Michel, even visited the island, making a brief tour of the site in a Greek army helicopter. On Twitter, he assured us that he was “deeply moved by the difficult situation of those stranded on Lesvos.”
What happens next will be crucial for their future in Europe.
This article is part of a series focussing on European refugee affairs, ‘Displaced.’ To receive the weekly updates direct to your inbox, subscribe here.
Donate Directly Here: https://helprefugees.org/choose-love/
Last Tuesday night, Moria Camp, Lesvos, burned to the ground, and the whole of European refugee policy was thrown into utter disarray.
Initial reports indicate that some few among the refugees started the blaze. The fire appeared to have started from multiple locations inside the camp, firefighters were obstructed in the efforts to extinguish it, and, on the following days and nights, further blazes were ignited, likely to ensure that entirety of the camp would be utterly incinerated.
There have been no reports of fatalities…
Calls from all corners to evacuate the refugees are so far falling on deaf ears.
This article is part of a series on European refugee affairs called ‘Displaced.’ To receive the weekly updates direct to your inbox, subscribe here.
What had long been feared came to pass last week, with the first case of Coronavirus appearing in Moria Camp.
Its source was not a boat coming from Turkey, as some expected. No, the virus came from Athens. A 40-year old Somalian, whose refugee claim had been recognized earlier this year, returned from the Greek capital to his former island-prison home and soon after began displaying symptoms.
Why a refugee would return to a place routinely described as ‘hell on earth’ in the first place…
“They were supposed to find human rights… these dreams are completely collapsing.”
This article is part of a new series, ‘Displaced,’. To receive the weekly updates direct to your inbox, subscribe here.
Every 19th of August, the world marks World Humanitarian Day, celebrating the work of health and aid workers across the globe, and commemorating those who have been killed or injured in the course of their work.
“We did not expect to be caught in the middle of something so violent.”
This year, one day after that event, the President of Greece came to visit the island of Lesvos, home to the largest refugee camp in Europe, Moria. President Sakellaropoulou came to inaugurate a new government-run COVID-19 clinic, which…
Recent history tells us that taking a ‘tough stance’ on migrants does not stop irregular crossings, nor does it save lives.
This article is part of a new series, ‘Displaced,’. To receive the weekly updates direct to your inbox, subscribe here.
On Tuesday the 18th of August, asylum seeker Abdulfatah Hamdallah set off with a companion from the French coast in an inflatable dinghy, in an attempt to cross the English Channel and reach the United Kingdom.
At some point in the night, Hamdallah’s friend was found back on the beach by a French walker, suffering from hypothermia. …
But it might not be for the better…
This article is the first in a new series, ‘Displaced,’ to focus on the issue of refugees attempting to cross into Europe. To receive the weekly updates direct to your inbox, subscribe here.
ON July 1st, Germany took up the Presidency of the European Council — the peak deliberating body of the 27 members states of the EU — for a six-month term.
One of its main hopes is to reform the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) which, operating since 2010, has largely failed to manage to the flow of migrants into Europe in a timely and humane manner.
“The current European asylum system no longer works and cannot be fixed through small improvements. …
Read this if you’re having trouble sticking to your goals.
In 2019, I became something of a productivity freak. I had moved to a different country, started a new job and, in the midst of this fresh-start, found myself re-focusing on all those personal goals and ambitions that had been neglected in my previous life.
Juggling a busy work schedule and the demands of starting fresh in a new country, I quickly realized that if I was going to properly devote myself to achieving my goals and continue my personal development, I would need a system. …
Violations of international conventions coming from the original champions of liberty.
Imagine that for as long as you could remember you were told you were the smart one. That you would be the high-achiever, the high-earner; that you would make your family proud.
Imagine the successes you had at school and, later, university. Imagine a promising career unfolding before you.
Then imagine all that is taken from you. Perhaps with the guns of your own government, or with those of an invader. Perhaps from civil unrest or from natural disaster.
You lose your family. You are forced to flee. You…
How to practice mindfulness in a pinch.
A few weeks ago, I published a piece called “Grumpy But Good: 5 Self-Care Tips for Managing Your Negativity.” One of the five tips was to ‘focus on the body, not the mind.’
The article pointed out that one way to reduce the stress load coming from your mental negativity is to redirect your attention to your bodily sensations, to feel into what you are actually experiencing rather than think into what you can imagine.
This takes practice, especially for those with already over-active minds, but even from a first effort, good results…
The plight of expatriates stranded outside of their home countries by border controls should prompt us all to reflect on our values.
On Friday, Australian Prime Scott Morrison announced that the number of international flights carrying Australian citizens and permanent residents into the country would be reduced, to ease pressure on the nation’s quarantine systems.
The move, which follows the reimposing of lockdown in Melbourne in response to a dramatic spike in COVID-19 case numbers, will make it that much harder for Australians abroad to get home.
Even before the new measure was confirmed, some Australians overseas expressed concern. A…
