My friend, Chris Mitchell, pictured above, is going back to help refugees in the Greek islands. A big, friendly bear of a man, Chris worked with me in the Council for many years, retired, and decided to do something practical about the refugee crisis on Europe’s borders rather than sitting around bemoaning it, as most of us liberal-hearted types do. I’m going to get him to describe what he’s looking to do in his own words; and then, with his permission, I’ve cut and pasted some Facebook posts and photos from his time on Leros last year to give you a flavour of what he found back then.

If you want to contribute to Chris’s campaign, you can do that here. He’s already raised his initial target, but let’s see if we can double it, eh?

Chris’s appeal

Hi folks,

I’m off again next week to Leros in the Aegean to work with a local refugee group for three weeks. Last year it was people climbing out of rubber dinghies, getting some respite, food and clothing whilst papers were sorted, then back on a ferry to Athens and onwards. That ground to a halt whilst I was there. Europe closed its borders and hearts to people fleeing horrors, and dumped the whole crisis on a Greek nation who they had only just plunged into the worst of austerity. Now thousands of refugees are just stuck in camps or worse, in limbo, going nowhere, with nothing to do; school, college, earnings, lives, relationships on hold. Leros Solidarity, who I am re-joining, are trying to make those lives a little less sterile with education, language classes, activities and maybe even a little bit of fun in a bleak situation.

Like last time I’m running an appeal, targeted at feeding minds and souls, now that mouths are generally being fed on Leros. Find it here.

The appeal is hosted on Just Giving through a charity, Aegean Solidarity Network Team UK. One resource is the 15 ukuleles and a teaching pack I’m taking with me (yes!? There are thousands of school kids and adults in Fife and beyond who will understand why instantly). This needs £280 of funding and I’m hoping to raise at least £1,000 in total so ASN can use the rest for other refugee relief projects I may be involved with.

If you gave to my appeal last year, thank you. If you would like to give again, thanks again. I’m self funding so donations go to helping refugees not me.

Chris’s story from last year

21st February:

Arrived in Kos 21st. £200 gone straight into buying food for 140 refugees who arrived in the two nights it was “safe” to cross to Kos. Weather bad. Since appeal began 3 weeks ago, refugees to Greece have doubled, fatalities up by 96 a third. Need immense. Donations will help.

26th February:

Handed over an AED defibrillator and batteries to Kos Solidarity. These inspiring and dedicated local people on Kos find refugees landing on their beaches. Some including kids, are very poorly. They provide dry clothes, support and no doubt some reassurance and hope that there is some humanity to be found. Thanks to aedlocator.org and you all who made this donation possible with your crowdfunding help. Still time to donate.

29th February

The favoured mode of transport offered to refugees fleeing to Europe

25 refugees had just landed on Kos after a long, cold night at sea. They were the last, of over 200 who had arrived in that 24 hrs. At 8am the morning before, I called my hotel to check out and go to nearby Leros. There I was told volunteers were much needed, refugee landings were in daily hundreds.
At 8.15 our first call to the port where 10 boys and men had been brought ashore by the Italian Coastguard boat. Off with dry clothes, shoes, food and water to distribute at the camp. A ferry to Leros would wait.

In the next 24 hours, 3 more boats and some 200 refugees would arrive: mothers with babies, young children, pregnant women, people on crutches and wheel chairs, old men from the east.

From the last grey beached whale of a boat at dawn, one father carried ashore a child in a blanket. Eyes closed. Cold clawed hands. No pulse to be found. No response. Then a rasping breath to my ear. Dad pointed to his own head. The boy, who he could have held in his arms since Syria or beyond, was, he reassured me, profoundly disabled. I hoped so. A call to MSF for a doctor to check at the UNHCR hotel. Another economic migrant?

 

Moored alongside sits a warship. Opened means the buildings and high fences are in place to contain 600 but without the necessary infrastructure to meet refugees’ basic needs. It already has some 400 refugees including women children and older people. Ferry tickets onward to Athens are being drastically cut back as Athens is overflowing. This morning I saw refugees in a race along the harbour as word spread the ticket office was open. Soon this camp and Leros will overflow as refugees keep coming.

On Monday evening, NGOs were called to the camp where the army asked them to provide food, rubbish bins and collection and other basic camp infrastructure at least for the next 4 days. The army still cannot provide it yet. Some NGOS such as MSF will not work at the camp under police or military control. Others find themselves under huge moral pressure to feed hungry refugees and supply basic products such as nappies and baby milk. Tonight, I passed through two sets of 15ft high fences equipped for razor wire to deliver and help serve out good food provided by Leros Solidarity, the local community group and two other small NGOs. The gates are locked and guarded by the army so refugees cannot get out to source their own food and medical products, unless their registration papers are through. Those from Pakistan or Africa will only get out to be deported, unless an asylum claim is successful. This is effectively a detention camp where those doing the detaining cannot feed and provide basic care to those they detain.

Earlier last week an experienced aid worker predicted to me the camps would open to meet the political imperatives but the infrastructure to make inmates lives tolerable would be at least two weeks away. He was right.

At the root of this is the EU forcing the Greeks to keep the refugees, to meet impossible deadlines and at the same time closing borders to the rest of Europe.

In the forthcoming referendum, the moral coward David Cameron wants us to endorse his ill gained and mean spirited curbs on refugees’ rights. He could have urged participation in a principled European project of peace and humanity, driving foward the values of solidarity, human rights, dignity and equality enshrined in the EU Constitution. Instead he is complicit in Fortress Europe. Is that the reason to vote yes?