The Fire: Samos Refugee Camp in Greece, May 2020

The following videos were shared with us by a refugee contributor based in Samos refugee camp, Greece.  Tragic fires broke out in May 2020, during the height of the pandemic. The captions that accompany these videos were shared with us via WhatsApp and explain the situation in the camp.

“The situation was horrible before the fire. This has been made worse by this fire. People are being rounded up and asked to gather in the main square of the camp. I don’t know what social distancing is and if we have ever heard of it. It doesn’t apply here. Here it is about distancing yourself from disease that is all over the camp.”

“With NGOs and media personnel pulling out for the camp due to coronavirus, police have started to use more force and brutality to scare residents at the camp. We have been beaten and many of us are scared of going out or speaking up. Some refugees protested against the inhumane treatment and appalling situation in the camp and they were beaten badly by police.”

“We feel like the coronavirus has made our situation even worse. Lots of volunteers and support organisations have withdrawn from here. We have very little and the camp is overcrowded. With this fire we have lots of families moving to live together now because they lost their tents. This is just another chapter of our unending suffering.”