Lesvos: The media's one sided picture.
Attack after attack after attack. German identitarians coming to play tourist to our misery. Yesterday the compound of One Happy Family was on fire. And while we can't yet speculate on the cause of the fire, we have our suspicions. No the sitution has not drasticly improved, however.
Last weekend there was a demonstration in Mytillini. More then a demonstration, it was a media event. Safos square filled with people, among them many journalists, trying to get the latest perspective on the escalation of xenophobia driven attacks on NGO workers and independent volunteers. What is missing here? Dispite the news coverage of the worldwide corona virus outbreaks, there is still some coverage on the situation here and the border situation of greece in general. Coverage of the Evros land border. Coverage of the NGO's that have either evacuated or and how scared they are. We are scared too.
It's better to not go out at night alone, or to walk in the streets close to this or that location. Have you heard? Somebody got attacked just now on the corner of so and so! We have been followed, photographed and put up on facist/patriotic facebook pages. For us now too, being hunted, shouted at and intimidated is a daily reality.
But guess for whom this has always been a daily reality on this Island? The people that are forced to stay here against their will. People that cant leave even though they expirience similair cirumstances and treatment. They are still here. The conditions in the camps have not improved. Mother are still culthing babies in the mud with no proper tents. The desperation still hangs thick around Moria. When some people could apperantly leave the island, even with geographical restricitons, hundereds of people went to the port. Their was waiting for them, are the new riot police units, Europe Incarnate, dressed in black gear. Armed to the teeth, here to protect the status qua, capital and white supremacy.
Also yesterday, it was announced they would curb the financial support for the housing and general allowance. This has been happening a lot lately, where immaterial support for migrants has been casualy rolled back without any real notice or annoucement. This is indicative of the news that is not heard because of the current incidents, but has a profound impact on the living conditions of the migrants here and everywhere in Greece.
NBK thanks all those who express solidarity. We are glad to see that many people share with us the Antifacist struggle. However, we must be careful that we don't also fall in the same pitt as the mainstream media, and forget about the people that are suffering the most at the hands of xenophobia, capitalism and their protectors.