Humanitarianism in crisis

 

16 

HARVARD FXB CENTER – HUMANITARIANISM IN CRISIS: LESBOS, GREECE

8 

This incident marked the first time that a boat of such size and material was seen in Lesbos, 

indicating the changing tactics of smugglers who continuously find new ways to exploit the 

situation and maximize profit.

fleeing the Greek genocide. At those shores where boats most frequently arrive, people 

can be seen waiting with water, food and clothes, while in village centers others organize 

clothing collection and gather first aid kits to provide help to those with the greatest 

need. 

Locals describe the migrants with dignity and self-respect and speak of moments when 

migrants have offered to pay volunteers for their help and supplies. When payment 

is refused, the reaction is one of surprise and gratitude, as, according to their own 

testimony, no part of the migrants’ journey has come without a monetary cost. 

Volunteers can also be seen assisting children and elderly people to disembark boats, 

and many fishermen can be seen daily towing stranded boats and the people in them to 

shore. A typical example is the September 12 rescue of 250 migrants stranded at sea. 

Locals were awakened by the sound of a large wooden boat crashing onto the rocks. 

During the rescue operation that ensued, rescuers were notified of another boat,

8

 equal 

in size, and heading in the same direction. Despite darkness, unfavorable weather, and 

dangerous sea conditions, local fishermen didn’t hesitate to leave their homes and 

rescue the second boat, which was sailing rudderless and very close to the rocks. 

Another noteworthy example is the rescue of 35 people by the ferry Blue Star 1. The 

captain, while en route from Athens to Mytilene, spotted the half-sunk boat 4 miles from 

the southeastern coast of Lesbos and without hesitation stopped the 2,500 passenger 

ferry and recovered the migrants, among them a 7-month old baby and an elderly man. 

The Greek Coast Guard echoes this humanitarianism and has for the past 5 years 

shown a propensity for rescuing people without causing loss of life. All documented loss 

of life has been a result of poor weather conditions which delayed the Coast Guard from 

reaching those in need in time. 

Although transportation of immigrants by car or bus is illegal, some locals, in direct 

defiance of the law, transport migrants from northern Lesbos to the camp. In early July 

2015, two women were brought to court after having been arrested for transporting 

refugees. The case mobilized other locals to demonstrate outside the courthouse in 

support of the women, and while the law remains in effect, enforcement has given way 

to the will of the people, with police largely turning a blind eye to those who assist. 

For those who have to walk the 30 to 40 mile journey to the camps, locals from villages 

along the way provide them with food, snacks, and water. In the village of Kalloni, the 

local NGO Agkalia, formed by the local priest Papa-Stratis Dimou, offers shelter, food, 

and health care to those who walk from the northwestern part of the island. Memorable 

is the moment that Papa-Stratis shared with a pregnant migrant who had been in 

serious need of medical assistance and had become separated from her husband 

during their journey. After he had cared for her and helped her locate her husband, 

Papa-Stratis, the husband, and his wife shared a moment of affection that truly 

transcended religion and culture. 

“

As the first 

boats began 

to land ... 

the locals 

responded 

in a uniquely 

humanistic 

manner, 

characteristic of 

the island and 

its history. 

”

---

 

17 

HARVARD FXB CENTER – HUMANITARIANISM IN CRISIS: LESBOS, GREECE

The husband knelt before the 

priest, kissing his hands, thanking 

him for having saved his wife and 

unborn child. Hundreds of such 

moments have been documented, 

not just between locals and 

immigrants, but between 

refugees, immigrants, and tourists 

who assist in times of need.

In the camps, locals routinely 

bring food and medicine and 

provide supplies or pledge their 

time working with the Social 

Kitchen “The Other Human.” 

Many migrants and refugees 

are surprised to learn that these 

people are volunteering their 

time and paying for supplies 

out of their own pockets, having 

assumed that these efforts were funded by the Greek or European governments.

Additionally, many locals welcome refugee families into their houses, offering warmth, 

food, and the chance to take a shower before continuing their difficult trip, while others 

share their own clothes with them. 

g

rowing

 

tensions

As Greece teeters on the verge of total economic collapse, the unchecked arrival of 

migrants compounds the systemic problems locals struggle with daily. Many fear the 

impact of littered streets and polluted beaches on tourism, the local economic lifeline. 

Attempts by locals to control the accumulation of rubbish are not enough to prevent the 

situation from turning into an environmental disaster. Locals cannot properly dispose of 

all of the boats that arrive each day, for instance, and these boats, when abandoned, 

take on water and become impossible to move without substantial effort. Abandoned 

dinghies dot the shore well beyond the main landing points of Skamia and Molyvos, with 

piles of deflated, rotting rubber boats and hundreds of life jackets drifting to inaccessible 

points along Lesbos’ extensive shoreline.

Overwhelmed, especially during the summer, locals were reaching boiling point. Many 

went on record saying that “our city does not belong to us anymore” and expressed 

frustration at not being able to go to work or take their children to school. Feeling 

abandoned by their government and left to sort out the crisis on their own, the 

community grew divided. Verbal conflict between locals is a daily occurrence, with 

altercations between those who desire to help the migrants and those who blame 

them for their troubles. In most cases these altercations are non-physical and reflect 

emotional rather than rational beliefs; those who are one day seen arguing against 

providing assistance to the migrants can be found helping to rescue them in times of 

peril.

a

n

 

overcrowded

 

wooden

 

boat

 

is

 

rescued

.                                                c

redit

: w

ikimedia

 c

ommons

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