Refugee crisis: latest news from across Europe 2-3.7.16
Topic
01 July 2016
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Greece: PLEIADES - REPORT ON "ELLINIKO" REFUGEE CAMP (HELLENIC ACTION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - Pleiades, link): A Report on Living Conditions: Based on information available on June 30, 2016.
Are You Syrious (link)
Gianluca D’Agostino, captain of the ship Diciotti (coastal guard), arrived to Catania with the bodies of 10 refugee women that drowned in the June 30th shipwreck. Here is the captain’s testimony.
"The dead women were brought along with the other 348 refugees, 108 of which were survivors of the same shipwreck. Meanwhile, the police mentioned that the two smugglers have been captured.
The captain said “My men risked their lives. If the dinghy hadn’t made it, my men would have sunk with the refugees. They found themselves surrounded by floating corpses, and they directed themselves towards the people they thought were still alive. For some, we found out they were already dead, despite the reanimation on board the Diciotti. We fought against the time and the dangerous sea, plus the dinghy’s floor crushed. However, the tragedy was contained, we saved as many lives as possible. The boys have been very courageous and I’m really proud of their performance and reactions”.
France: Calais kitchen in desperate need of donations
"This morning Calais Kitchens confirmed that, due to low stock and funds, they will be unable to distribute food packs next week...
In order to keep up their amazing work, Calais Kitchens must raise £7000 a week to cover costs. Please click here to send either a one-off or, better still, a monthly donation and share with your networks. Help them here".
EU set to spend €62 billion on Africa to tackle migration (euractiv, link):
"The EU has made significant funds available for a migration partnership with African countries, so that asylum seekers can be intercepted before they reach the bloc’s external borders....
Repatriation, irregular migrants, “before the end of the year”, have become part of Brussels’ everyday jargon since the shameful mess of the Balkans route began to unfold. This time, however, it appears they are going to be followed up with action. After its declaration, the EU has ceased its mere lip service to migration policy and has green lit a Commission paper that is set to open up a new era in tackling irregular migration.
So-called “migration pacts” are in the pipeline with selected African countries, in an attempt to stymie the number of migrants making their way from Africa. Countries such as Nigeria, Sudan and Mali will act as outer defence posts, charged with filtering migrants thousands of miles before they reach the EU’s external border."
News (2-3.7.16)
Greece: Film on Idomeni border wins award in Dublin - Caoimhe Butterly’s ‘The Border’ highlights plight of 12,000 people at Greek frontier (Irish Times, link): "The Grand Prize in Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) Human Rights Film Awards was won on Thursday by Caoimhe Butterly for her short documentary The Border – an examination of life at the Idomeni border crossing in Greece. It highlights the dislocation of the more than 12,000 women, men and children migrants who were stranded there earlier this year and the real impact of European border closures as expressed by those most directly affected. The ICCL Human Rights Film Awards are the only short film awards in Ireland dedicated to human rights and five such films were shortlisted for the Grand Prize this year.
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