Afghans protest over conditions in Greek refugee camp

TMP – 20/02/2017

During a visit of the Greek Migration Minister Mr. Yannis Mouzalas to the Hellenikon refugee camp in southern Athens on 6 February, a group of Afghan migrants protested against their living conditions in the camp.

The protestors tried to block Mouzalas from entering the former airport terminal, which now houses the Hellenikon refugee camp, and shouted at him to go. About 1,600 refugees and migrants live at Hellenikon, with around of these 600 staying in the old arrivals terminal, where they share tents and have very poor sanitation facilities.

The protesters were demanding better quality food, better sanitation facilities and hot water. Speaking to Reuters, one Afghan man said, “We have a bad situation in this camp. It’s like one year in jail.”

Around 60,000 refugees and migrants have been stuck in Greece for nearly a year after borders where shut down throughout the Balkans. This stopped the onward journey many migrants had planned to take to central and western Europe.

The cold winter in Greece this year has had a severe impact on the many thousands of refugees and migrants staying in tent camps, where there is often a lack of heating and hot water. Authorities on the Greek island of Lesbos are also investigating three recent deaths at a refugee camp there, which might have been caused by fumes from makeshift heaters.