Fortress Europe Border Updates
Update from Edirne: Day 5 - 15.03.202
Eva and Lorenz report on day five on the ground in Karaağaç/Edirne
Today was the worst day so far. People had to deal with lots of rain and a freezing wind. We were soaked and ice cold after distributing plastic sheets in the streets. But while we could go to our hotel for a hot shower, refugees had to stay outside in the mud. Water entered the “tents”, their feet are freezing in their wet shoes and they can’t make fire to bring some warmth during nighttime. It’s 0° outside at the moment and tomorrow it’s expected to fall even further down to -4°. It’s insane how horrible the conditions are right now. We get more and more requests for medication and the risk to the health of the people is further increasing. People keep asking when Europe is going to help them and when it will finally refrain from infringements of their human rights. This leaves us with the difficult task to explain how Europe just doesn’t care enough to help.
Our day started with distributing another delivery of plastic sheets but soon we were stopped by the police, showing more determination this time. They checked our passports carefully, as well as all the goods in the car and sent us away with the order not to distribute anymore. So, we left, changing our tactic towards preparing goods for distribution by our local contacts, which worked out well for the rest of the day. Still, it was frustrating to have all that stuff people need so desperately but not being allowed to hand it out. In the evening we managed to hand out some more blankets through the car window to some special cases: some young men with ripped trousers, a pregnant woman and some fathers. To see how much a simple blanket or a plastic sheet seems to make a difference for these people leaves us heartbroken.
The practices which seemingly will lead to the ultimate dissolution of the Pazarkule “camp” continued today. People were brought to some kind of detention center, run by the Red Crescent and will be taken East in busses. People increasingly end up in bus stations, parks and streets of Istanbul, joining the thousands of homeless that lived in the city already. Some of them probably saw the bus ticket plus a pair of socks (for singles) / 300 lira (~ 43€ for families) as the lesser evil, compared to being locked up in the horrible conditions we described. But we also heard about police pressuring singles and families with kids to choose - either depart to Istanbul or attempt the dangerous crossing of the Ebro river to the Greek side, knowing that they will most likely suffer police brutality, being stripped of their belongings and ultimately pushed back to the Turkish side. Many already experienced this procedure once or multiple times during the past days.
We distributed phone numbers to stay in contact with people and hear where they will end up. It seems like their suffering will not end with the closing of the “camp”.
Tonight, women and children were told to prepare for transport to hotels in the bordering city Edirne, which is a surprise and relief, during freezing nights after a rainy day. On the other hand, this threat to unity of families in the camp might leave the remaining members with no other choice than leaving as well. We can’t help but understand this as another move to dissolve the camp. It might seem paradoxical but most people actually want to stay as they still hope to reach Europe. But more and more they realize that they have been part of an evil political game.
Today was the worst day so far. People had to deal with lots of rain and a freezing wind. We were soaked and ice cold after distributing plastic sheets in the streets. But while we could go to our hotel for a hot shower, refugees had to stay outside in the mud. Water entered the “tents”, their feet are freezing in their wet shoes and they can’t make fire to bring some warmth during nighttime. It’s 0° outside at the moment and tomorrow it’s expected to fall even further down to -4°. It’s insane how horrible the conditions are right now. We get more and more requests for medication and the risk to the health of the people is further increasing. People keep asking when Europe is going to help them and when it will finally refrain from infringements of their human rights. This leaves us with the difficult task to explain how Europe just doesn’t care enough to help.
Our day started with distributing another delivery of plastic sheets but soon we were stopped by the police, showing more determination this time. They checked our passports carefully, as well as all the goods in the car and sent us away with the order not to distribute anymore. So, we left, changing our tactic towards preparing goods for distribution by our local contacts, which worked out well for the rest of the day. Still, it was frustrating to have all that stuff people need so desperately but not being allowed to hand it out. In the evening we managed to hand out some more blankets through the car window to some special cases: some young men with ripped trousers, a pregnant woman and some fathers. To see how much a simple blanket or a plastic sheet seems to make a difference for these people leaves us heartbroken.
The practices which seemingly will lead to the ultimate dissolution of the Pazarkule “camp” continued today. People were brought to some kind of detention center, run by the Red Crescent and will be taken East in busses. People increasingly end up in bus stations, parks and streets of Istanbul, joining the thousands of homeless that lived in the city already. Some of them probably saw the bus ticket plus a pair of socks (for singles) / 300 lira (~ 43€ for families) as the lesser evil, compared to being locked up in the horrible conditions we described. But we also heard about police pressuring singles and families with kids to choose - either depart to Istanbul or attempt the dangerous crossing of the Ebro river to the Greek side, knowing that they will most likely suffer police brutality, being stripped of their belongings and ultimately pushed back to the Turkish side. Many already experienced this procedure once or multiple times during the past days.
We distributed phone numbers to stay in contact with people and hear where they will end up. It seems like their suffering will not end with the closing of the “camp”.
Tonight, women and children were told to prepare for transport to hotels in the bordering city Edirne, which is a surprise and relief, during freezing nights after a rainy day. On the other hand, this threat to unity of families in the camp might leave the remaining members with no other choice than leaving as well. We can’t help but understand this as another move to dissolve the camp. It might seem paradoxical but most people actually want to stay as they still hope to reach Europe. But more and more they realize that they have been part of an evil political game.
