Greece: The new, 38 million Euro Samos camp, showcased as providing “dignity” to migrants arriving in Greece, described as “disgrace”

Context

  • Critical state of the Aegean island camps: overcrowding and frustration for islanders and camp inhabitants at ‘frontline’
  • The EU hopes new camps will signal an end to the shameful images of the refugee crisis
  • The EU has pledged 250 million Euros to build reception centres on the islands
  • Athens announced an international social media campaign to deter migration flow from Afghanistan
  • Controversial “pushback” measures: 40km steel wall along Greece-Turkey border built with sound cannon technology to “have a contingency plan and be ready for the next emergency”

Samos Reception Centre (closed)

  • Opened on 18.09.21, with the plan to move 500 people in
  • 1 of 5 multipurpose reception and identification centres due to open
  • Aim of EU: “modern and safe”, “controlled access centre”, “necessary conditions of safeguarding and restraint for illegal migrants who are to be controlled”
  • Meant to allow “swifter and fairer” asylum procedures and end to ad-hoc solutions

Criticisms

  • Comparison to prison due to dramatic restrictions and multi-layered fence
    • arrivals required to remain indoors for 25 days
    • Deportees and those with rejections will be held in “closed” pre-detention area
  • NGO’s protest against new camps, noting symbolism of Greece and the EU’s hardened stance on refugees
  • Harsh policies said to increase a “fortress-minded Europe”
  • Highly controlled and closed camp will worsen people’s mental health

Response to criticisms

  • Acknowledgment, but determined to go ahead
  • Decision to detain asylum seekers reflects the law “to screen them and register them to make sure they don’t have fake [papers] and aren’t terrorists, aren’t a danger”
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