Posts Tagged “Lesbos”

Increased numbers of refugees arriving at Greek land borders and islands

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Increased numbers of refugees arriving at Greek land borders and islands

The Greek Reporter news agency reports that the Greek Government’s Minister for Migration has expressed “deep concern” over the increasing trend of refugee and migrant flows to the country in recent weeks. “The increasing flows in the islands do not scare me because we know what to do. It is really troubling, however, to see…

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“Children never asked for this – that’s my motivation, simple”

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“Children never asked for this – that’s my motivation, simple”

Some years ago Joby Fox lost his own young daughter to cancer. The media images of the crisis unfolding in the Mediterranean deeply moved him. “Children never asked for this – that’s my motivation, simple.” The Northern Ireland singer/songwriter flew to the Greek island of Lesbos in the winter of 2015. Leaving his wife and…

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Greek PM asked to end island containment policy

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Greek PM asked to end island containment policy

In an open letter, nineteen aid organisations and human rights groups have called on Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to end the “containment policy” which traps asylum seekers on the islands and “to immediately transfer asylum seekers to the mainland and meet their protection needs.” The groups include ActionAid, Amnesty International, Care, Danish Refugee Council, Human…

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Refugee Rescue profile on BBC One NI

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Refugee Rescue profile on BBC One NI

Three Fridays ago I sat in what must be one of the world’s smallest TV studios in BBC’s Broadcasting House in Belfast. On the stool next to me was Joby Fox who I’d last seen singing at the launch of Community Relations week in 2016. We talked on air (if that’s the correct phrase for…

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Happy to finally sleep in a real bed – Pope’s refugees settling into Rome

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Happy to finally sleep in a real bed – Pope’s refugees settling into Rome

On a Saturday morning three weeks’ ago, Pope Francis visited the Greek island of Lesbos. Anne Le Nir explains in a Global Pulse article that the Pope welcomed twelve refugees on board his flight back to Italy and they now in the ‘Haven House’ in the Community of Sant’Egidio in the Palazzo Leopardi. “To help the…

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EU-Turkey agreement “has now divided the refugees in Greece into two distinct groups”

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EU-Turkey agreement “has now divided the refugees in Greece into two distinct groups”

Matthew Carter is CAFOD’s Humanitarian Director. He writes on the aid agency’s blog about a family who fled the conflict in Syria and took the dangerous sea journey to Greece. Waleed, his wife and 4-year-old son borrowed money to make the journey. The short sea crossing cost them $1,850 and they shared their journey with 70…

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Pope Francis & Bartholomew I visit Lesbos; 3 families return to Vatican with Pope

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Pope Francis & Bartholomew I visit Lesbos; 3 families return to Vatican with Pope

This morning’s Guardian newspaper reports that Pope Francis will today spend five hours on Greek the island of Lesbos with Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, and with Ieronymos II, archbishop of Athens and all Greece. His visit is described as “a dramatic rebuke to the European Union’s policy of sending…

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Aid organisations scale back work in Greece as they react to EU-Turkey deal

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Aid organisations scale back work in Greece as they react to EU-Turkey deal

The UNHRC, the United Nations’ refugee agency, is scaling back its assistance to refugees landing on Greek shores. A UNHRC spokesperson explained: “UNHCR has till now been supporting the authorities in the so-called hotspots on the Greek islands, where refugees and migrants were received, assisted, and registered. “Under the new provisions, these sites have now…

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