Souda refugee camp, Chios (January 2017). Photo: Ludek Stavinoha. All rights reserved.
After the US president Donald Trump signed the first executive order banning entry of people from seven majority-Muslim countries, the resistance that emerged was powerful, with lawyers providing pro-bono services and activists and ordinary individuals protesting at airports. Amidst those standing up against the blatant bigotry of this ban, one particularly remarkable connection took place.
It was between an American protesting in front of the Los Angeles airport, who had previously volunteered at the Souda refugee camp on the Greek island of Chios, and his Syrian friend and refugee Mohammad, who has been stuck in Chios for over a year. The former live-streamed a video of the latter through his smartphone into a loudspeaker, and from across the world Mohammad rallied the protestors in California and led a chant of “F*ck Trump”.
