AYS Weekend Digest 13–14/06/2020 — Greek Coast Guard Ignores Boat in Distress for Over 15 Hours
Deadly Shipwreck Off Of Libyan Coast///People Evicted From Camps Sleeping Rough in Athens///Bosnian Law Against Distribution of Food///& More
FEATURE
Greek Coast Guard Ignores Boat in Distress for Over 15 Hours
A dramatic but all-too-familiar story unfolded over the weekend, when a boat carrying 32 people in distress spent over 15 hours adrift at sea before the Greek government bothered to rescue them.
Several people on board were injured and one pregnant woman was in severe pain. Although some sources reported that she went into labor on the boat, that turned out to be untrue, although the woman did need attention at the local hospital. Regardless, it’s clear that the woman along with several other passengers had been in severe medical distress that was only made worse by spending 15 hours adrift in the Mediterranean.
This callous act unfortunately follows an established pattern in the Mediterranean. Greek and Turkish coast guards were at the scene but both refused to conduct a rescue, saying that the boat was in waters belonging to the other country. The Greek coastguard had removed the boat’s engine and set them adrift early Saturday morning, in the hopes that they would drift back to Turkey. It has become routine for the Greek coastguard to sabotage people’s vessels or set them adrift in flimsy rafts. Not only does this show that the excuse that the vessel was never in Greek waters was a lie, it shows how Greek coastguard official policy seems to be based on brutal racism and cruelty.
The people on board this particular ship were rescued by the Greek coastguard, after over fifteen hours of international outcry. They were taken to Petra, where they will be tested for coronavirus before quarantining in Megala Therma. A large group of locals was waiting for them in the port, expressing their disapproval of the rescue and of more people on the move landing on the island.
This particular story ended somewhat happily, with all people on board rescued and given clean bills of health by the hospital on Lesvos. But what will happen to these people now, dropped into a filthy camp environment, with many people on the island opposing their presence there? What about the countless others who’ve been subjected to illegal, violent pushbacks, with tactics that are designed to kill?
SEA
Deadly Shipwreck Off the Coast of Libya
A boat carrying about three dozen people on the move capsized off the coast of the Libyan town of Zawiya. There were about 20 survivors, who were deported back to Libya, but about a dozen people are still missing, including several children. The Libyan Coast Guard was nowhere to be found.
It can be tempting to write these deaths off as accidents, but they are not. They are a consequence of the deadly border policy the EU has been waging for years, where it has almost completely closed down legal pathways to asylum. The blood of these people (including that of the survivors, because they were condemned to return to war-torn Libya) is on the hands of the EU.
TURKEY
Turkey Bombs KRG, Hit Refugee Camp
GREECE
People Forced Out of Camps Sleeping Rough in Viktoria Square
A group of about 90 people, including 40 children, pregnant women and disabled people, have been forced to settle in Viktoria Square in Athens as a result of the Greek government’s new policy that evicts recognized refugees. The group of people traveled to Athens from Moria and Mytilene after getting evicted from their camp accommodations. Local nonprofits delivered food and other important items like sleeping bags, and representatives of the Afghan Community met with them, but more help will be needed.
Even once people receive refugee status, they are not able to stand on their own feet in a society that is completely stacked against them. They do not have money because financial assistance to refugees has been cut, and what little money they had is often spent on transportation to the mainland. They often cannot get a social security number or VAT number to work or access social services because of the language barrier, or because of office employees refusing them service, likely due to racism.
Ever since this scheme was announced, people on the move and their allies have been warning that mass evictions from refugee camps without creating any other kind of safety net will only lead to homelessness. This is a deliberate policy to harm people on the move, motivated by racism and xenophobia. Racist bureaucrats invent rules to stop people on the move from getting necessary paperwork. Meanwhile, violent police officers brutalize people in the camps and at the ports of Lesvos, beating people up and removing them from ferries even if they have a valid ticket.
The goal of the mass evictions was never to combat overcrowding in the camps and create better living conditions there. The goal is to intimidate, terrify, and brutalize already desperate people and force them into humiliating poverty and homelessness. The 90 people in Viktoria Square are unfortunately just the beginning.
Border Violence Monitoring and associated organizations have characterized the Greek government’s attitude towards border monitoring as a “shock doctrine.” In addition to ongoing lawless racist violence perpetrated by assorted security forces that has characterized border hotspots for decades, these high-profile deportations are scaring remaining people on the move. This “shock doctrine” is physical and psychological warfare. You can read more about this practice here.
A Black Lives Matter rally took place in Athens on Sunday. Photos of the event can be found here.
The organization Racist Crime Watch filed a criminal complaint in the case of two police officers who shot and injured two people on the move in Evros last week. The police officers justified this violent act because “they didn’t pull over.” Racist Crime Watch is demanding that the court investigate the racial motivations of this crime and indict the officers for racist motives.
CROATIA
More Police Brutality Against People on the Move
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
Law Against Distribution of Food Hurts People on the Move
The crisis headquarters of Una-Sana canton in Bosnia passed a law banning the distribution of food and other goods in “illegal camps.” This has forced many local activists to stop vital food and clothing distribution work they were doing.
In many places in Una-Sana, especially in Velika Kladuša, there are no services that will continue to care for vulnerable people on the move. There is not a single formal humanitarian organization in Velika Kladuša, even as the number of arrivals grows each day. People are subject to violent beatings by the police as well.
This law serves no other purpose than intimidation, because the government’s mentality is that not feeding people will “deter” them and they’ll “go back to where they came from.”
SERBIA
Militarized Treatment of People on the Move
People on the move in Serbia are increasingly treated like enemy combatants. Camps where people on the move, including children, are trying to survive, are guarded by uniformed, armed soldiers in vehicles covered in camouflage paint. This show of force is unnecessary and traumatizing for people that have escaped from war zones. Its only purpose is to intimidate and to further demonize people on the move in the minds of Serbian people.
Are You Syrious has already reported how the Serbian government took advantage of COVID-19 to further crack down on people on the move, confining them to camps indefinitely, even if they already had homes outside of camps. A comprehensive reportage can be found here (in Spanish).
LIBYA
Mass Graves Found in Libya
As the conflict in Libya grows in intensity and brutality, Libya’s internationally recognized government uncovered mass graves in the town of Tarhuna after retaking it from Haftar’s forces. The graves are considered evidence of war crimes because they contained the bodies of soldiers and civilians alike, and evidence that they were executed in a brutal manner. The UN expressed its horror.
To make the situation in Libya worse, coronavirus is making a reappearance. The disease was largely contained before an outbreak of several dozen cases happened in the southern town of Sabha, overwhelming local authorities.
A country that is roiled by civil war, where the extent of war crimes and mass graves is just beginning to be discovered, a country that will be unable to deal with a growing pandemic is considered a safe country by many EU nations. This is the country countless people are deported to every day because Europe does not want to take them in.
SPAIN
12 People Rescued From Boat in Cadiz
This is the first landing in the Calas de Roche area since the start of quarantine.
The 12 men on board were assisted with landing by a Guardia Civil helicopter, given food by local fishermen, and masks and blankets by civil protection.
They are all reported to be in good health.
FRANCE
Call For Help From Parisian Camps
Many people on the move are living in Paris, sleeping rough or in very unorganized camps. They face food shortages, living spaces infested with vermin, police brutality, and now cannot access assistance funds because OFFI decided to arbitrarily switch the cards they are using. Local organizers are collecting donations of food, clothing, tents and more. For more information about what items are needed and how to donate, look at this Facebook post. To help financially, please donate to this GoFundMe.
GERMANY
Conflict Between Interior Ministers Over Acceptance of People From the Greek Islands
Tensions will be high at the meeting of the German interior ministers next Wednesday. The interior ministers of the states of Berlin and Thuringia want to push forward a proposal that will let them accept people stuck in camps in the Greek islands. However, the interior minister of Germany, Horst Seehofer, has already expressed his opposition to this plan, saying states must cooperate with the national government.
Some local governments in Germany have expressed frustration with the national government’s inaction when it comes to refugee resettlement. The German government is not even close to fulfilling its existing obligation of accepting 350 unaccompanied children. The two states want to accept more children, and Thuringia wants to expand the populations available for resettlement by accepting women, especially pregnant women traveling alone. Under certain aspects of EU Law, they may be allowed to do so and bypass federal regulations.
We don’t know what will happen at the meeting, but Berlin and Thuringia are likely going to face steep opposition from Seehofer, other states, and opposing parties in their own local governments. This is echoing a pattern we’ve seen across Europe, of local governments wanting to do more to help, but being stopped by the national government.
On Sunday a “Belt of Solidarity” demonstration took place in Berlin. People gathered to show their opposition to the “deadly EU border regime.” This demonstration was especially relevant after Saturday’s distress call in the Aegean was only resolved due to public pressure.
UK
UK Home Office Will Fingerprint People in Calais
British border guards will begin fingerprinting people in Calais if they are caught trying to use the Eurotunnel to try and enter England. Fingerprinting means that their information will be on record and any asylum application they make to England in the future will be automatically denied under the Dublin regulations.
There are several problems with this scheme. It is a gross violation of privacy and the right to asylum, because it ensures any application will be denied before it can even be made. Border guards in Calais are not trained to use electronic fingerprint scanners, so the scheme will likely cause chaos.
The UK is continuing to externalize its border to French territory and extend intensive security practices, but people still cannot apply to asylum in Britain until they physically land on British soil.
GENERAL
Connections Between #BLM and Europe
Amid global protests against police brutality, Balkan Insight published an extensive report on police brutality in the Balkans. From Hungary to Turkey, police abuse of power remains a huge problem and although victims can take their case to the European Court of Human Rights, it’s not very likely that they’ll get justice.
Police violence affects vulnerable groups like people on the move and Roma people, and they are often least likely to get justice for the way they were treated. We strongly encourage you to read this report and keep in mind that police violence against racial minorities is not just a problem in the USA, but a viper that must be ended in our own backyard as well.
On the twentieth of June, Europe Must Act is organizing #OpenTheCamps to mark World Refugee Day and push for an end to inhumane conditions in the camps. You can learn more about the event here and look at their extensive activist toolkit here. Racism is not just an American problem, but is killing countless people in Europe daily. Take action to #OpenTheCamps!
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