Fortress Europe Border Updates
Update from Edirne / Istanbul 8 -18.03.2020
Lorenz reports from Istanbul and the updates we received from Edirne
The situation at the border is worsening. Last night people tried again to cross into Greece to use their last chances. Greece reacted with even more tear gas and shootings.
Tonight people will try again, hoping that once they reach european ground they will be protected and granted their human rights. It could be beautiful how much they believe in human rights and Europe, if it would not be so sad.
If the conditions were horrible before, now they are even worse. Temperature fall down to -7 last night, no one was allowed to leave the camp. There was just food distribution to women and children, men didn’t receive any food as people inside the camp told me.
Cleary the plan is to force people to leave. 1000 were removed volunteerly today and taken to Istanbul. An estimated 6000 are still there and refuse to leave, still hoping for Europe to show some humanity.
Many people are hiding in the area around the border, after fleeing from the camp. Our local partners wanted to provide them with food today, but they were hindered by the police. They will try tonight again. Also they managed to smuggle some food inside the camp to at least reduce the hunger for some people. All this was paid by the donations we collected. Also one family with 4 sick children can stay in the hotel we stayed in for some days, arranged by our local contacts and also paid by our donations.
Lorenz distributed blankets, bread, milk, canned food, fruits, water, medication and pain killers at the main bus station in Istanbul to the people stuck there. He was alone today and had so much to do today. When people realised he was helping, they came to him and asked for individual help. Many wanted to return to the cities they used to live in and finally Lorenz bought for around 40 individuals, families and groups bus tickets to destinations all over turkey. Some of them talked to Eva in arabic as they were special cases or in need of someone to talk to. Almost all of them were Syrian, they used to have a flat, a job and their children went to school. Still their life was difficult and challenging, as their is little to no support for refugees in Turkey. Some of them could return now to their flats thank to Lorenz effort and the bus tickets we could provide.. A young Syrian man Eva talked to told her, he just wanted to go home to finally sleep, take a shower and eat after spending 15 days hungry outside in the cold at the border. He is now on his way back to Gaziantep.
The family that we organized bus tickets for yesterday send a voice message thanking for our support as they reached home now.
Others lost everything and have no place to return to, some families had to stay at the bus station and Lorenz will provide them with food again tomorrow.
We were told that from tomorrow on, the UNHCR will be working at the main bus station to organize the bus tickets. So hopefully they will take over and we can focus on the most vulnerable cases and the provision of food and medication.
Ironically and despite the difficult situation for refugees in Turkey and Greece, the UNHCR and IOM announced today they will pause the resettlement program due to Corona. Germany as well is stopping the humanitarian relocation of refugees living in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. As if the refugees could not stay 14-days in quarantine as Europeans do. Seems just like a suitable excuse to give up even the last bit of humanity.
The situation at the border is worsening. Last night people tried again to cross into Greece to use their last chances. Greece reacted with even more tear gas and shootings.
Tonight people will try again, hoping that once they reach european ground they will be protected and granted their human rights. It could be beautiful how much they believe in human rights and Europe, if it would not be so sad.
If the conditions were horrible before, now they are even worse. Temperature fall down to -7 last night, no one was allowed to leave the camp. There was just food distribution to women and children, men didn’t receive any food as people inside the camp told me.
Cleary the plan is to force people to leave. 1000 were removed volunteerly today and taken to Istanbul. An estimated 6000 are still there and refuse to leave, still hoping for Europe to show some humanity.
Many people are hiding in the area around the border, after fleeing from the camp. Our local partners wanted to provide them with food today, but they were hindered by the police. They will try tonight again. Also they managed to smuggle some food inside the camp to at least reduce the hunger for some people. All this was paid by the donations we collected. Also one family with 4 sick children can stay in the hotel we stayed in for some days, arranged by our local contacts and also paid by our donations.
Lorenz distributed blankets, bread, milk, canned food, fruits, water, medication and pain killers at the main bus station in Istanbul to the people stuck there. He was alone today and had so much to do today. When people realised he was helping, they came to him and asked for individual help. Many wanted to return to the cities they used to live in and finally Lorenz bought for around 40 individuals, families and groups bus tickets to destinations all over turkey. Some of them talked to Eva in arabic as they were special cases or in need of someone to talk to. Almost all of them were Syrian, they used to have a flat, a job and their children went to school. Still their life was difficult and challenging, as their is little to no support for refugees in Turkey. Some of them could return now to their flats thank to Lorenz effort and the bus tickets we could provide.. A young Syrian man Eva talked to told her, he just wanted to go home to finally sleep, take a shower and eat after spending 15 days hungry outside in the cold at the border. He is now on his way back to Gaziantep.
The family that we organized bus tickets for yesterday send a voice message thanking for our support as they reached home now.
Others lost everything and have no place to return to, some families had to stay at the bus station and Lorenz will provide them with food again tomorrow.
We were told that from tomorrow on, the UNHCR will be working at the main bus station to organize the bus tickets. So hopefully they will take over and we can focus on the most vulnerable cases and the provision of food and medication.
Ironically and despite the difficult situation for refugees in Turkey and Greece, the UNHCR and IOM announced today they will pause the resettlement program due to Corona. Germany as well is stopping the humanitarian relocation of refugees living in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. As if the refugees could not stay 14-days in quarantine as Europeans do. Seems just like a suitable excuse to give up even the last bit of humanity.
