Pre-removal detention center seen from above in the Moria campgrounds
Please pray for and take action in solidarity with more than 40 thousand migrants stranded on the Aegean Islands who will suffer the severest impacts should New Democracy implement its new plan to end the “refugee crisis”–which is at least in part a result of many European countries refusing to take steps in solidarity with Greece.
New Democracy’s plan is to replace the existing camp structures with closed prison-like detention centers and speed up the deportation process. Another step involves closing down all spaces that serve as alternative accommodation centers for migrants and—often run by civil society and grassroots organizations.
Also in the latest announcement, the Greek government says it will require all NGOs operating in migrant aid to register. The government will then evaluate their legitimacy against some unspecified criteria. This scrutiny might lead to many of those organizations, which play a crucial role in humanitarian, legal and human rights work, having to leave the country.