Together we are calling on European leaders to act now. The fire in Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesvos was a disaster waiting to happen. The biggest refugee camp in Europe has gone up in flames, leaving over 12,000 people without shelter, amidst the global pandemic. The European migration policies that trap people in inhumane conditions across the Greek islands must end.
Moria camp was more than an overcrowded and unsafe camp. It had become a symbol of how Europe treats people on the move. For years, we have witnessed the harmful impact of European policies on people’s lives: appalling conditions in camps on the islands, numerous deaths at sea, violence and pushbacks at the borders of Europe.
The European Union is at a critical turning point, soon presenting a ‘fresh start’ on migration (in the form of a new Migration and Asylum Pact). The whole world witnessed the fire at Moria: European leaders and the European Commission must realise that enough is enough. Those who have the power to make decisions in the next days, weeks and months have a historic responsibility.
Join us in calling on European leaders and the European Commission to:
- Immediately evacuate all people who had to flee Moria camp. Basic human rights to shelter, food, sanitation facilities and healthcare cannot be upheld on Lesvos or the other Greek islands. Urgently decongest the islands and focus on relocation across Europe.
- Abandon any future approach to migration that would again trap people in inhumane conditions in camps on islands (or facilities at borders), awaiting a decision on their asylum claim. The policy of restricting asylum seekers’ movement from the islands to mainland Greece has to end.
- Implement migration policies that ensure protection, as opposed to exclusion. This requires increased solidarity and responsibility sharing between European countries, and an end to systematic human rights abuses at the borders.
The need for action has never before been more urgent.
Co-signed by 341 organisations, movements, parliamentarians and MEPs:
Angela Schirò, Member National Parliament (Italy)
Anton Gomez-Reino Varela, Member National Parliament (Spain)
Clare Daly, Member of the European Parliament
Cornelia Ernst, Member of the European Parliament (Germany)
Dietmar Koester, Member of the European Parliament (Germany)
Katina Schubert, Member of the Berlin Parliament
Malin Björk, Member of the European Parliament (Sweden)
Pietro Bartolo, Member of the European Parliament (Brussels)
Sara Conti, Member National Parliament (San Marino)
Saskia Bricmont, Member of the European Parliament (Belgium)
A Buon Diritto Onlus (Italy)
A SAN MAURO RESTANDO UMANI (Italy)
Aachener Netzwerk für humanitäre Hilfe und interkulturelle Friedensarbeit e.V. (Germany)
Action for Education (Greece)
Action for Women (Greece, Switzerland)
ActionAid International (South Africa)
Aegean Solidarity Network (ASN) Team UK (UK)
AERéP28 collectif pour l’accueil des exilé.e.s et la régularisation des sans papiers d’Eure-et-Loir (France)
Agir pour la paix (Belgium)
AlarmPhone (France)
Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights (LADDH) (Algeria)
Ali Aperte (Italy)
Alliance des Avocats pour les Droits de l’Homme (France)
Amref Health Africa (Italy)
AMURTEL Greece (Greece)
Andalucía Acoge (Spain)
ANTIGONE – Information and Documentation Centre on Racism, Ecology, Peace and Non Violence (Greece)
Åpne øyan! (Norway)
Arab Renaissance for Democracy & Development (Jordan)
Are You Syrious (Croatia)
ARSIS – Association for the Social Support of Youth (Greece)
Asamblea de Apoyo a Personas Migrantes de Salamanca (Spain)
ASGI (Italy)
Asociación Libre de Abogadas y Abogados (ALA) (Spain)
Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de Andalucía (APDHA) (Spain)
Associació d mediadors interculturals Vine amb mi (Spain)
Association européenne de défense des droits de l’Homme (AEDH)s de l’homme (Belgium)
AsyLex (Switzerland)
Attika Human Support (Greece)
Avocat.e.s Européen.nes Démocrates / European Democratic Lawyers (AED/EDL) (France)
Avocats sans Frontières France (Greece)
Balkanbrücke (Germany)
Balloona Matata (Spain)
Baobab Experience (Italy)
Baobab Experience (Spain)
Basta Violenza alle Frontiere (Italy)
Be a Robin (Switzerland)
Becky’s Bathhouse (Greece)
Better Days (Greece)
Bikes for Refugees (Scotland)
Boat Refugee Foundation (Stichting Bootvluchteling) (Netherlands)
Borderline Lesvos (Germany)
borderline-europe e.V. – Menschenrechte ohne Grenzen (Germany, Italy, Greece)
Bras Not Bombs (UK)
Bridge2 (UK)
Bxl Refugees – Plateforme Citoyenne De Soutien Aux Réfugiés (Belgium)
Ca-minando Fronteras (Spain)
CAAT Projects (The Netherlands)
Cabinet Avocat Ghymers (Belgium)
Cabinet d’avocats KOMPASO (Belgium)
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) (Tunisia, Switzerland, Belgium)
Calais Food Collective (France)
Cambridge Convoy Refugee Action Group (CamCRAG) (UK)
Campagna Lesvoscalling (Italy)
CARE International (Switzerland)
Caritas Europa (Brussels)
Caritas Sweden (Sweden)
Casetta Rossa spazio pubblico per l’autogoverno (Italy)
Catch a Smile (Luxembourg)
Centar za mirovne studije – Centre for Peace Studies
Center for Legal Aid – Voice in Bulgaria (Bulgaria)
Center for the Cultivation of Technology
Centre Avec (Belgium)
Centre for Research on Women’s Issues (CRWI) “Diotima” (Greece)
CENTRO PASTORAL SAN CARLOS BORROMEO (Spain)
Child Circle (Belgium)
Choosehumanity (Switzerland)
CNCD-11.11.11 (Belgium)
COCIS (Italy)
Collective Aid (Serbia, Bosnia, France)
Commission étrangers Ligue des droits humains (Belgium)
Consiglio Italiano per i Rifugiati (Italy)
COORDINADORA DE BARRIOS (Spain)
Coordinadora Obrim Fronteres (Catalonia)
Counterpoints Arts (UK)
CRIBS International (UK)
CRID – Centre de recherche et d’information pour le développement (France)
Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies (Syria)
DANIEL MUÑOZ JOGA AND SPORT (Spain)
Danish Refugee Council (DRC)
DentalCoop-Asociacion de Voluntarios para la Salud Dental (Spain)
DIAKONIE (Austria)
Distribute Aid (Sweden)
Donate4Refugees (UK)
Donatella Quattrone (Italy)
DUISPUNKT Initiative für Vielfalt, Toleranz und Solidarität in Duisburg (Germany)
ECHO100PLUS (Austria, Greece)
ECOLO (Belgium)
Ecological Movement of Thessaloniki (Greece)
EDGE Funders Alliance (Belgium)
Ela Pame Mazi (The Netherlands)
ELIX (Greece)
Elmbridge CAN (UK)
Elpida Home (Greece)
EMERGENCY ONG ONLUS (Italy)
Emmaus Åland (Finland)
EMMAUS EUROPE (France)
Eugenio Cav.Gianotti (Italy)
EuroMed Rights
Europe Must Act
EuropeCares (Belgium)
Everyday, just a smile (Switzerland)
Eye Love You (The Netherlands)
Fair Planet (Greece)
Federation Christian organisations for international servie volunteering – FOCSIV (Italy)
Feeding Hope International T/A Hope Cafe (UK)
Fenix – Humanitarian Legal Aid (Greece)
Festival DiverCity (Italy)
FILEF Nuova Emigrazione Belgio (Belgium)
Firetree Philanthropy (Singapore)
Firetree Trust (Singapore)
Flüchtlingsrat Thüringen e.V. (Germany)
foodKIND (Switzerland)
FORO DE ABOGAD@S DE IZQUIERDAS-RED DE ABOGAD@S DEMÓCRATAS DE ESPAÑA (Spain)
Foundation for Social Diversity (Fundacja na rzecz Różnorodności Społecznej) (Poland)
Foundation Institute of Public Affairs (Poland)
France terre d’asile (France)
French National Bar Council (France)
Friends Of Refugees (UK)
Fund for Global Human Rights (UK)
Fundacja Polskie Forum Migracyjne (Poland)
FundAction (Belgium)
Gablitz hilft! Flüchtlingshilfe (Austria)
GAME (Denmark)
Global Citizen
Glocal Roots (Greece, Switzerland)
Greek Helsinki Monitor (Greece)
Greek Housing Network (Greece)
Guerrilla Foundation (Germany)
Heilig Geist Kloster (Germany)
Heimatstern e.V. (Germany)
Hellenic League for Human Rights (Greece)
Hello My Friend (UK)
Help Refugees/ Choose Love (UK)
Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (Poland)
HERMINE e.V. (Germany)
Herts for Refugees (UK)
HIAS Greece (Greece)
Hoffnung leben e.V. (Germany)
Hope and Aid Direct (UK)
HuBB – Humans Before Borders (Portugal)
Human Aid Now (The Netherlands)
Human Rights Watch
Humanist Union of Greece (Greece)
Humanity Now (USA)
HumanRights360 (Greece)
I AM YOU (Sweden)
IGNASI FORTUNY (France)
Il Migrant (Italy)
İnsan Hakları Derneği / Human Rights Association (Turkey)
Institute for Urban Politics (Serbia)
Inter Alia (Greece)
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) (france)
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
INTERSOS (Italy)
INTERSOS Hellas (Greece)
InterVolve (Greece)
Iuventa10 (Germany)
Jesuit Refugee Service Greece (Greece)
Justice and Peace Nederland (Netherlands)
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) (USA)
kitev (Germany)
Kitrinos Healthcare (UK, Greece)
Koraki (UK)
Kultursprung e.V. Duisburg (Germany)
La Cimade (France)
La Luna di Vasilika – VasilikaMoon (Italy)
LATRA (Greece)
Le Paria (France)
Legal Centre Lesvos (Greece)
Legambiente Onlus (Italy)
Lesvos Solidarity (Greece)
Lewisham Donation Hub (UK)
Liberare Roma (Italy)
Lighthouse Relief (LHR) (Sweden, Greece)
Ligue des droits humains (Belgium)
Linea d’Ombra.odv, Trieste (italy)
Lokal Harmonie e.V. (Germany)
Love Welcomes (UK)
Maître Franck LEVY (France)
Mama Africa Onlus (Italy)
MAMbrella (Switzerland)
Mani Rosse Antirazziste (Italy)
MARDi (UK)
Mare Liberum (Greece)
Medecins du Monde (Greece)
Médecins Sans Frontières
Medici per i Diritti Umani (Italy)
Melissa: Network of Migrant Women in Greece (Greece)
Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke – ActionAid Denmark (Denmark)
Migrant Voice (UK)
Migrants Social Center Athens (Greece)
MiGreat (Netherlands)
Minority Rights Group – Greece (Greece)
Minority Rights Group International (UK)
Mission Congregation of the Servants of the Holy Spirit (Spain)
Mission Congregation Servants of the Holy Spirit (Italy)
MISSION LIFELINE e.V. (Germany)
Mobile Info Team (Greece)
Modus Oprandi (France)
Mosaik Support Center for Refugees and Locals (Greece)
Mouvement Ouvrier Chrétien (Belgium)
Movement for Movement (Germany)
Mundo en Movimiento (Spain)
Musicians Without Borders (Netherlands)
Musikarama (Greece)
Nätverket NU ÄR DET NOG! (Sweden)
Network for Children’s Rights (Greece)
No name kitchen (Spain)
Northern Lights Aid (Greece)
Norwegian Refugee Council (Norway)
Offene Arme e.V (Greece)
Office of Displaced Designers (UK)
Officina 47 (Italy)
OMNES (Greece)
One Family-No Borders (Norway)
One Happy Family (Switzerland)
Open Arms (Spain)
Open Arms Italia (Italy)
Open Cultural Center (Greece, Spain)
Open Hearts Open Borders (OHOB Ltd.) (UK)
Open Ideas Foundation (Poland)
Oxfam (Belgium)
Pampiraiki Support Initiative for Refugees & Migrants (Greece)
PANK (Croatia)
Peaceful Heart Network (Sweden)
Perichoresis NGO (Greece)
Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) (Belgium)
Platzhirsch Festival der Artenvielfalt Duisburg (Germany)
Pomozi (Germany)
Portsmouth Cares – Donations for Refugees (UK)
Povod, Institute for culture and development of international relations in culture (Slovenia)
Progetto Melting Pot Europa (Italy)
Project Armonia (Greece)
Project Play (France)
PTs for Refugees (USA)
RAAH Fest Fund (UK)
Re-Act Refugee Action Scotland (Scotland)
REACT – Refugee Education Across Conflicts Trust (UK)
ReFOCUS Media Labs (Poland)
Refugee 4 Refugees (Greece)
Refugee Biriyani & Bananas (UK)
Refugee Compassion (UK)
Refugee Info Bus (UK)
Refugee Law Clinic Berlin e.V. (Germany)
Refugee Legal Support (RLS) (Greece)
Refugee Rescue (UK)
Refugee Rights Europe (RRE) (UK, Belgium)
Refugee Support Europe (UK)
Refugee Trauma Initiative (Greece)
Refugee Women’s Centre (France)
Refugee Youth Service (UK, France, Greece)
RefugeeEd (UK)
Refugees International (USA)
Refugees Welcome Portugal (Portugal)
Réfugiés bienvenue (France)
REFUGYM (UK)
Rethinking Refugees – Knowledge and Action (Poland)
Safe Passage International (UK, France, Greece)
Saferworld (UK)
Samos LGBTQI+ Group (Greece)
Samos Volunteers (Greece)
SAO Association for Displaced Women (Switzerland)
Save the Children
Science for the People (USA)
Sea-Eye e.V. (Germany)
Sea-Watch e.V. (Germany)
Second Tree (Greece)
Seebrücke – Schafft Sichere Häfen (Germany)
Seeds of Humanity Hellas (Greece)
ShowerPower Foundation (Greece, The Netherlands)
SINGA (France)
SINGA Stuttgart (Germany)
SNAPAP CGATA Algerie (Algeria)
Soc. coop. Soc. „Formato Famiglia“ (Italy)
SOCIAL COMMUNITY INITIATIVE – School For Refugees (Spain)
Solberga Foundation (UK)
SolidariTee (UK)
SolidarityNow (Greece)
SOS Bihać (Bosnia)
SOS Refugiados Europe (Spain, Greece)
Stichting Boxwise (Netherlands)
Stichting Open Roads Media (The Netherlands)
Stiftung Erneuerbar Freiheit (Germany)
Still I Rise (Greece, Italy)
Support Art Workers (Greece)
SWAN (UK)
Symbiosis-School of Political Studies in Greece (Greece)
Team Humanity (Denmark)
Terra! (Italy)
Terre des hommes Hellas (Greece)
Terre des Hommes International Federation (Switzerland)
Tesserae Urban Social Research (Germany)
Thalassa of Solidarity (Greece)
the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) (Belgium)
The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (UK)
The Lava Project (Greece)
The Open University, (UK)
The Present (The Netherlands)
The School Bus Project (UK)
The Swallows India Bangladesh (Sweden)
Theater Arbeit Duisburg e.V. (Germany)
Theorie und Praxis e.V. (Germany)
Three Peas (UK)
UDS – UNIONE DONNE SAMMARINESI (San Marino, France)
Utopia56 (France)
València Acull / Valencia Acoge (Spain)
VELOS YOUTH (Greece)
Verein Esperanza (Switzerland)
Verein FAIR. (Switzerland)
Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen (Belgium)
Voice of Ezidis (France)
Volkshilfe Österreich (Austria)
Vzw humain (Belgium)
Walk Of Shame (The Netherlands)
Watch The Med- Alarmphone (Germany)
Watershed Foundation (Germany)
Wave – Thessaloniki (Greece)
Wave of Hope for the Future (Italy, Greece)
We Gaan Ze Halen / Let’s Bring Them Here (The Netherlands)
Wegrand Stiftung (Germany)
Wir packen’s an e.V. (Germany)
Women Refugge route (Denmark)
World At Play (UK)
Yoga and sport for refugees (France)
yourhope4lesbo (Italy)
Youth organization „Protests“
Οικόπολις – μια παράλληλη πόλη / Oikopolis – a parallel city (Greece)
#SOSMoria (Netherlands)
11.11.11 (Belgium)
350.org (Europe)