#Moria was not meant to be a decent temporary home, and it really wasn’t. No one will miss it. I walked through burned rats in the rancid pile of mess that Europe made. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/13/world/europe/camp-fire-greece-migrants.html?referringSource=articleShare

Asylum seekers have slept out on a 2.5km stretch of road & on the hills around #Moria for 5 nights. Locals are understandably fed up. COVID-19 is a spectre hanging over the@. Of 300 people resettled in a new tent city the army built, 7 tested + yesterday acc to Greek authorities

Asylum seekers want to leave Lesbos (and Greece). The only ones who want this to happen more than the asylum seekers are the Lesbos locals. An odd alignment of interests. The Greek govt has a massive task on its hands managing the crisis & both sets of expectations.

Which brings me to the role of EU countries. There is blatant cherry-picking of asylum seekers to relocate especially by wealthy European countries. “Must be a sole child.” “Must be Syrian.” “Must be under 15.” #Moria is majority families of Afghan origin.

Asylum seekers & refugees aren’t t-shirts you’d like in red, in size small. The hyper selective approach from EU members offering ultra limited relocation supports Greece’s long-standing complaint that there is a dearth of meaningful solidarity from most.

The European Commission funded the #Moria mess but was always able to maintain arms length from its squalor & never took responsibility for it, blaming the Greeks instead. Now the possibility of a new reception facility co-managed the Commission & Greece could change that.

On numbers. Here’s what I understand to be more or less the accurate numbers for the camp. 12,600 people lived in #Moria at the time of fire. About 1,200 have been granted asylum but hadn’t yet left for various reasons. 430 or so we’re unaccompanied minors (have been relocated).