Moria migrants and Greek islanders protest over new camp

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Moria migrants and Greek islanders protest over new camp

Thousands of migrants and refugees left without shelter after a fire on the Greek island of Lesbos have been protesting against the construction of a replacement camp.



Almost 13,000 people had been living in squalor in the overcrowded Moria camp and are desperate to leave the island.



The island's residents also oppose the reconstruction of the camp and have blocked roads to stop aid deliveries.



But the Greek army has already begun setting up replacement accommodation.



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Families have been sleeping in fields and on roads after fleeing the blaze on Wednesday, as authorities struggle to find accommodation for them.



The Moria camp was initially designed to house 3,000 migrants. People from 70 countries had been sheltered there, most from Afghanistan.



On Friday, migrants and refugees approached police barriers blocking the road out of Moria camp, holding signs calling for "freedom" and opposing the construction of a new camp.



There is also strong resistance from locals for a new camp to house them.



"We don't want another camp, and we will oppose any construction work," local leader Vangelis Violatzis was quoted as saying. "We've faced this situation for five years, it's time for others to bear this burden."





Migrants from the burnt-out Moria camp are staging a protest in front of the police barriers which prevent them from moving to other parts of the island.

Singing and banging plastic bottles, they march up and down a stretch of coastal road, calling for the right to leave Lesbos.

One person carried a large piece of cardboard emblazoned with the message: "We don't want food, we want freedom." Another banner read: "Moria kills all lives".Many local Greeks too want the migrants to leave the island.



They strongly oppose plans to rebuild a temporary camp. Sanitary conditions are grim. There's little running water, and washing is difficult.







The question of how to deal with the mass arrivals of migrants, mainly to Italy and Greece, has divided the EU for years.



Italy and Greece have accused wealthier northern countries of failing to do more, while a number of central and eastern nations are openly resistant to the idea of taking in a quota of migrants.



Reported by: Bethany bell

Source:https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54125761