Humanitarianism in crisis

 

14 

HARVARD FXB CENTER – HUMANITARIANISM IN CRISIS: LESBOS, GREECE

During the winter, doctors had documented cases where pregnant women had 

miscarried due to the stressful circumstances, as well as cases where families had 

become separated. They expressed growing concerns about gangrene and other 

diseases brought on by the cold, wet conditions.

d

epArture

 

to

 A

thens

Until as late as July 2015 only one commercial ferry boat connected Lesbos with 

Athens, carrying both locals and tourists, forcing registered refugees to compete for 

a limited number of tickets. The cost of such a ticket is approximately Euro 50 per 

person. In August another ferry, Eleftherios Venizelos, with a capacity of 2,000-2,500 

passengers, was permanently stationed in the port of Mytilene and charged with 

exclusively transporting registered migrants. Later, Terra Jet, with a capacity of 1,300 

passengers and a departure schedule of every 2 days, was sent to assist. These efforts, 

however well intentioned, proved insufficient to alleviate the growing frustration of 

refugees on the ground who struggle daily to survive under inhumane conditions.

Groups of migrants often took to demonstrating in front of the port and in the middle of 

the city, blocking main roads as they demanded faster processing times and causing 

increased tensions with locals struggling to cope. This frustration reached a boiling point 

when a group of over a hundred Afghans tried to forcibly board Eleutherios Venizelos 

without tickets and without having completed the registration process. This prompted 

a response from riot police. Despite the frustration and growing tension, however, no 

serious incidents of violence have been reported between locals and migrants, speaking 

to the unique tolerance of the island population. 

On September 7, the Greek alternate minister on migration policy announced new short-

term measures aimed at addressing some of the most pressing humanitarian needs 

facing Lesbos. Hoping to alleviate the long delays during registration and departure 

to Athens, additional staff and increased ferry routes were temporarily added. These 

new measures, which went into effect immediately, resulted in the identification and 

registration of 17,000 people as well as their departure to Athens within 3 days, helping 

to ease the pressure of a by then 30,000-strong migrant population in Mytilene. 

During November 2015, the economic and financial difficulties facing Greece, along with 

the implementation of new austerity measures, led many shipping industry employees 

to demonstrate against the government, with strikes lasting 4 to 5 days at a time. This 

caused major delays in the flow of migrants from the island to Athens. During this period 

thousands upon thousands of refugees found themselves stranded in Lesbos, with more 

and more arriving from Turkey daily. 

Unfortunately, those who eventually make it to Athens are faced with yet more problems. 

Recent developments in Europe led to a unilateral sealing of borders by the majority 

of Balkan countries, blocking primary routes towards destination countries in northern 

Europe (see page 20). 

“

These efforts 

... proved 

insufficient 

to alleviate 

the growing 

frustration of 

refugees ... who 

struggle daily

 to survive 

under 

inhumane 

conditions. 

”

---

 

15 

HARVARD FXB CENTER – HUMANITARIANISM IN CRISIS: LESBOS, GREECE

a 

LocaL

 

man

 

puLLs

 

a

 

stranded

 

boat

 

to

 

safety

 

near

 s

kamia

.

g

reece

’

s

 r

esponsibility

Greece has been criticized for its failure to respond quickly and manage the crisis 

properly. An objective analysis places the greatest responsibility at the feet of the new 

government, especially in light of promises made when it came to power on January 25, 

2015. At that time the new government announced an “open borders” and an “absence 

of maritime borders” policy, potentially triggering the ensuing flow of migrants into the 

country by way of Lesbos and the other islands of the eastern Aegean Sea. 

The idea itself is certainly commendable as it lies, in principle, firmly on the side of 

human rights. What is inexcusable, however, is when such a policy is not accompanied 

with adequate preparation and infrastructure, such as proper reception centers, 

registration points, transportation facilities, and a rational, pre-determined geographic 

distribution of the incoming population. Such a failure is tragic, instilling hopes in the 

hearts of millions who risk everything to embark on an arduous month-long journey only 

to arrive at a destination where even their most basic needs go unmet.

In retrospect, Greece’s failure to predict the sheer numbers of those who would make 

the trip lies in a deeper, more fundamental failure to understand the human trafficking 

and smuggling industry and its incredible capacity for exploiting and moving vast 

numbers of people in short periods of time. Ultimately, the consequences fell on the 

shoulders of the native populations who were forced to shoulder the burden for caring 

for hundreds of thousands of migrants without proper preparation or infrastructure. 

t

he

 

efforts

 

of

 

the

 

locAl

 

populAtion

 

As the first boats began to land on Lesbos, the local population responded in a 

uniquely humanistic manner, characteristic of the island and its history. Many locals saw 

themselves and their own past in the migrants, knowing that only a short generation 

before, their own parents and grandparents had made the journey across the sea when 

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