Fires And Chaos: Why The Greek Migrant Crisis Is Worsening Amid The Pandemic

Topline

Europe’s largest migrant camp — which mostly houses asylum seekers fleeing Africa and Afghanistan — remains on the brink of chaos after overcrowding and fears of a Covid-19 outbreak led to fires which razed the camp to the ground, leaving thousands homeless.

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

Germany’s Interior Minister Horst Seehofer told the BBC the fires at Moria were “a sharp reminder to all of us for what we need to change in Europe.” 

Key Background

The unrest in Moria has rekindled the divisive issue of how migration and asylum should be handled by European Union nations. Poland and Hungry are against providing asylum for migrants fleeing war torn countries like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, while Italy and Greece, a common landing point for migrants from Africa and the Middle East heading for Northern Europe, say they can’t deal with the new arrivals alone. The EU’s migrant crisis began in 2015, with asylum seekers freely crossing the EU’s open borders, many of whom head to Germany, which took in over 1 million refugees. In 2016, most EU countries closed their borders, which led to Greece keeping migrants in camps like Moria.

Further Reading

Police fire teargas as migrants demand to leave Greek island after fire (Reuters)

Pandemic Collides With Europe’s Migrant Crisis to Set Off a Calamity in Greece (New York Times)

Riot police deployed to new Lesbos refugee camp after fire (CNN)