Action? How can we back these demands? Online petition? Emergency demonstrations at Frontex offices and Greek Embassies? Before someone dies...
"We demand the immediate end of hotspot procedures and the instant
withdrawal of Frontex personnel. The EU has to immediately put an end to
the slowing-down of registration procedures produced by Frontex which is
life-threatening. We denounce the procedure of ‘speeding up returns’ in
the strongest possible terms. We call for the opening of land borders so
that people on the move do not have to risk, and at times lose, their
lives. We demand widespread humanitarian aid provisions to sufficiently
address the pressing needs of those who arrive on the Greek islands and
a dignified welcoming of refugees by offering protection".
http://infomobile.w2eu.net/2015/10/24/frontex-slows-down-registration-procedures-in-hot-spot-moria-leaving-refugees-for-days-in-life-threatening-conditions/
(on the blog also with video!)
Frontex slows down registration procedures in “Hot Spot” Moria, leaving
refugees for days in life-threatening conditions
Welcome to Europe and Alarm Phone Statement about the Situation on
Lesvos Island / Greece
Refugees who survive the journey and succeed to cross the maritime
border between Turkey and Greece in small and overcrowded plastic boats
are subjected to the so-called EU ‘hotspot approach’ since its launch on
Friday 16th of October 2015. As part of the European Agenda on
Migration, hotspots are now being deployed by mobile teams of the
European border agency Frontex to support so-called ‘frontline EU
states’ in systematically identifying and screening travellers who
‘illegally’ entered EU territory. One of Frontex’ main tasks is to speed
up the ‘return process’, thus the deportation of those who Frontex
‘identifies’ as not coming from a country of war and/or as not having
valid grounds for asylum in Europe.
Since Frontex has entered the scene, registration processes were
dramatically slowed down. Frontex procedures of ‘screening’ individuals
takes a long time which has caused great delays and thus created a
situation of humanitarian emergency for the hundreds of people waiting
outside. The official opening of this hotspot on Lesvos coincided with
increased numbers of new arrivals and deteriorating weather conditions.
While it rained non-stop in the past few days, dinghies kept arriving
from Turkey. In the absence of any functioning queuing system and any
form of crowd management by the authorities, and without access to
shelter (protecting people from the harsh weather conditions), sanitary
infrastructures such as toilets, as well as to food, water, dry
clothing, medication and doctors, hundreds of desperate refugees are
left to survive in between mud and piles of garbage outside of Moria’s
fences.
The scenes in Moria remind us of war-zones: For several miles people are
queuing, often for many days. They are exhausted and stand, sit or even
lie in the mud, often after just having escaped death when crossing the
sea. Highly vulnerable individuals are neither identified, nor
protected, supported or prioritized. There are children, elderly, and
pregnant women who are only cared for by activist volunteers and who are
made to wait outside by Frontex, and those who drop out of this
never-ending queue have to get back to the end of the line. Several
women lost their unborn babies due to the stressful circumstances
waiting in the line, families got separated in the chaotic situation,
children are crying desperately for their parents.
Welcome to Europe has documented this awful situation already since the
beginning of October in several Blogposts that included pictures of the
scenery: http://infomobile.w2eu.net/.
At the same time, authorities have separated procedures and
accommodation of Syrians from Non-Syrians, creating a two-class system
where some are prioritized while others are discriminated against, even
if one can hardly speak of any privilege in this situation of mass
suffering.
For several months now, UNHCR as well as dozens of International and
Greek NGOs have rushed to Lesvos to offer humanitarian aid to fill the
gaps left by the Greek government. However, the foreseeable
deterioration of weather conditions seems to have caught everyone by
surprise – no one was prepared for the consequences of rain fall, nor
has anybody managed to support those who are presently situated in
several locations on the island, without basic resources and shelter.
The response to the humanitarian crisis is too little and too late,
while millions of Euros have flown into emergency aid. At the same time,
the civil society, including mainly locals but also people coming from
all over the world to help, has shown great solidarity without which we
might have had to report of more victims of Fortress Europe on Lesvos
Island.
The ongoing tragedy in the “Hot Spot” and around, mirrors the failure of
Europe to protect refugees and the violence of the border regime on
which European Migration policies are based. Screening and registration
are priority, peoples’ lives are not.
We demand the immediate end of hotspot procedures and the instant
withdrawal of Frontex personnel. The EU has to immediately put an end to
the slowing-down of registration procedures produced by Frontex which is
life-threatening. We denounce the procedure of ‘speeding up returns’ in
the strongest possible terms. We call for the opening of land borders so
that people on the move do not have to risk, and at times lose, their
lives. We demand widespread humanitarian aid provisions to sufficiently
address the pressing needs of those who arrive on the Greek islands and
a dignified welcoming of refugees by offering protection.
Freedom of movement for all!
Welcome to Europe - http://infomobile.w2eu.net/
Watch The Med Alarm Phone - http://alarmphone.org/
