Over the past year, migration flows in the Northern Aegean have changed. The large boatloads of people who once arrived —carrying fear, hope, and memories of the places they left behind— are no longer here. The Greek coast guard continues its pushbacks, making the crossing almost impossible for anyone who tries. Arrests continue, and those who dare —often because smugglers blackmail them— risk not only their lives but also facing sentences that can destroy them forever.
The routes have shifted. Many now choose to cross from the southern part of the country through Crete. Huge vessels, packed with people, travel immense distances over uncertain waters, holding on to the hope of reaching a place of safety.
This cycle will continue to repeat. The routes will change, the directions will shift, the nationalities will differ, but violent displacement will never cease. Wars will not stop, and we must always stand against this oppression —fighting for a life without violence, without forced uprooting.
What matters most is to remember that we have one another; to keep solidarity alive, and to stand side by side with all those struggling to survive. We have strength in solidarity.
