Refugees at Samos port. Stefanie Eisenschenk/Flickr. Some rights reserved.These past few days have seen some important statements from both the municipality and the regional authority concerning its strategy for managing the refugees coming to the island over the coming (colder) months. These statements at least show that the local authorities are preparing for the winter and contrasts sharply with their lack of action earlier in the year.
There are some positive aspects to their statements. They say that the refugees must be treated with the ‘humanism of our age-old culture’; that the island cannot stand by and see people drown, or abandoned on the beaches; that it is necessary to provide at least some shelter at the ports as the refugees are processed and then wait for the ferries to take them on to Athens.
It also acknowledges the valuable work of the many volunteers on Samos who help the refugees. In the statement from the Prefecture (15 September 2015) there is a clear rejection of the idea that if the refugees are not helped this will stop others from crossing. This is said to be unacceptable.
