"Barbed wire still surrounds the place where the refugee camp of Moria once stood. At what used to be the entrance to the camp, excavators have started clearing the area. Although the site is no longer is use, evidence of what used to be the largest refugee camp in Europe is everywhere. Faded graffiti is still visible on the outer walls: "Graveyard," "#MeMoria," "Welcome to Europe" with two stars with sad faces drawn alongside."
"Scattered among the rubble and ash are burned shoes, signs in Arabic outlining measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, bandages and scorched medical supplies. The Moria refugee camp was engulfed in flames on the evening of September 8, 2020Image: Angelos Tzortzinis/dpa/AFP via Unicef Deutschland/picture alliance In the middle of all this, one tree stands out: Green and undamaged, it rises from the scene of destruction around it like a beacon of resilience."
"What happened at the Moria refugee camp? DW visited the site in early December, just a few days after Storm Adel hit Lesbos and on the second day of the trial known as the Mardini trial where 24 aid workers are accused of helping migrants illegally enter Greece. The trial is a reminder of how closely Moria's past is still linked to the island's present."
Moria camp stood outside Mytilene on Lesbos and was built in 2013. Designed for fewer than 3,000 people, it became Europe’s largest refugee facility and was dangerously overcrowded during the 2015 refugee influx from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The camp drew criticism for dire living conditions and was destroyed by fire on the evening of September 8, 2020. Evidence of the camp lingers among rubble, ash, burned shoes, medical supplies, and graffiti reading “Graveyard,” “#MeMoria,” and “Welcome to Europe.” Excavators have begun clearing the site, and a trial accusing 24 aid workers underscores ongoing legal and humanitarian repercussions.
Read at www.dw.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]