AYS DAILY DIGEST 2/6/2018: Frontex aggressively tries to stop a vessel off Greece — report
EU border agency also observes the situation on the land border to Turkey and purchases new vehicles / More people arriving in Velika Kladusa, Bosnia / SOS Mediterranee criticizes MRCC for early disembarkation / More than 500 people rescued off Spain, critics about detention policy / New evictions rumored in Paris
Greece
The EU border agency, Frontex, had suggested the Greek government to increase the staff at the land border to Turkey, Fabrice Leggeri, head of the agency said in an interview with the German magazine Spiegel on Friday. This happened, as more people arrived by land than sea in April. Because less people came in May, they decided to observe the situation. Asked, why in the first three months of this year some 92% more people arrived than in the previous, he said: “These are the followings of the situation in the Middle East and in Syria. More and more people are looking for protection and flee to Turkey. Their goal is the West.” Further he said, that Frontex is purchasing patrol cars for the land borders and is renting ships and airplanes for their operation areas.
Only one day after, Philippa Kempson recorded a video, saying Frontex “used aggressive tactics to try to stop” a boat from landing despite a rough sea. However, the boat landed safely and everyone was okay, she said. More videos of the incident can be found on her facebook profile. According to volunteers, 35 people were on the boat.
Meanwhile, the situation on the islands remains tensed — especially on Lesvos: After almost 900 people left the Moria camp last week due to riots and are now living in squares and parks, local authorities have now complained, that new arrivals at Skala Sykamia caused tensions with locals and store owners, Ekathimerini reports. Although now concrete reason or example for the tensions is given, the newspaper adds, that the locals are now preparing for the peak of the tourist season. Additionally, Spyros Galinos has slammed the governments plans to open new camps on the island. In a letter to migration minister Dimitirs Vitsas he said, new camps “cannot be allowed under any circumstances” and demanded the decongestion of Moria.
One Happy Family on Lesvos released a newsletter, summarizing the previous weeks and giving an update of the current situation. “With (again) more than 7,000 people residing in Moria, it is clear that medical and psychological services are hardly available”, the group says, criticizing the camp management to not provide protection and safety for the people stuck there. In 2018, their community center has an average of around 660 people.
Also, Humans 4 Humanity is in need of donations to continue their operations on Lesvos.
On the mainland, the Oinoftya Community Centre needs three volunteers from 10th June or sooner to help with the women’s and children’s space in the Dilesi Community Center, some 60 kilometers North of Athens. Educators as well as volunteers over 25 years and with a international driving license are prefererred. Housing is provided, a small contribution for it and transportation costs is requested. Interested volunteers can contact DYPLisa@gmail.com with a copy of the CV and available dates.
The Ellinikon warehouse asks for donations.
Serbia
BelgrAid distributed 672 hygiene packs in the transit centers Kikinda, Obrenovac, Sombor and Subotica, according to their own account: “The distribution of hygiene packs helps individuals to stay clean and fresh even whilst living in a transit centre.”
Miksaliste, together with its partners, on Monday will present a mural created by camp residents as well as locals, activists, cultural workers and educators.
The aim of the mural initiative was to create a collective art work available both to the local community and the users of the Refugee Aid Miksaliste center, as a way of raising awareness about invisible sensitive groups in our society and their potential to contribute to the community’s well-being, provided that community support and equal participation are provided.
Bosnia
“Numbers in Velika Kladuša are growing non stop, push backs from Croatia plus people coming from Sarajevo in order to try the game”, No Name Kitchen reports from the ground. Recently, a van with blankets and tents arrived from Sarajevo to cover the first needs. Also, NNK got a bigger water tank and is now able to provide showers for around 80 people a day.
Several groups have teamed up in Velika Kladusa, to repair two containers and prepare them as emergency shelter for vulnerable groups. For maintainance and running them, they need donations.
Sea
217 people were rescued out of seven boats in the Strait of Gibraltar, Maydayterraneo reports.
SOS Mediterranee criticized the MRCC for ordering the crew to disembark the 158 people, who were rescued on Thursday, in Pozzallo, as the Aquarius did not have reached its full capacity of more than 500, who can be supplied and fed for two to four days.
We left the SAR zone seriously worried that more boats may depart from the shores due to the good weather conditions and may then end up in distress. With us as the only NGO rescue ship in the area, now also absent, these boats may not be discovered and rescued in time. This could result in tragedies which we may never know about, and that are entirely avoidable through coherent use of the few rescue assets patrolling the area”, said Loic Glavany, SAR Coordinator of SOS MEDITERRANEE aboard the Aquarius.
Spain
Manuela Carmena, the mayor of Madrid, plans to give undocumented people the right to work on public projects of the City Hall, giving them the opportunity to earn a legal wage — despite their status, according to El Pais. She argumented, that the City Hall has more than 30 projects underway, but there are not enough workers to do the jobs.
On Friday, more than 500 people from 15 boats were rescued off Spain, ECRE writes. The Council further highlights, that the Spanish Ombudsman “urged the authorities to set up a system of immediate registration of asylum applications in Detention Centres for Foreigners (CIE)”. Most of the people arriving by sea, are immediately detained without access to legal support. “ Spain currently has no rules in place to instruct CIE on the handling of claims made in detention as the adoption of an Implementing Regulation for the Asylum Act has been pending since 2009.” Until mid May, more than 6000 people arrived in Spain by sea.
France
Following the eviction of the Canal St. Denis camp in Paris, many people found themselves in even worse conditions. Most of them were transferred by buses, some to other cities. “We started receiving calls from deceived friends telling us they were sleeping in tents, again. That they didn’t have enough food. That no association was there to help or inform them”, Faces Before Numbers reports. Some were even told, that they will end up in the streets again after two days. Others were brought two other tents instead of gyms with little support and food. In a park, the group found more than 30 people without anything — women and children were among them. Additionally, teams report about a planned eviction of Jaures and Poissonnière next week.
Belgium
A few hundred people formed a human chain in Gent in solidarity with the parents of Mawda, VRT reports. The demonstrators demanded an independent investigation and trial into the death of Mawda, the immediate cessation of expulsions and the closure of closed centers.
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