The politics of compassion

An afternoon exploring the island gives much more of a flavour of how the crisis is being addressed.

To begin with, it was individuals and small charities who received the refugees from the boats. It was make shift, but worked. Then the large charities moved in and provided much needed infrastructure including buses and better accommodation. The most recent addition is a wealthy American charity which has seen fit to try to take over a large part of the operation. Thus far with limited success. It is all politics.

Anyone new to the detail would be surprised that the refugees cannot be helped until they have been accepted. This means that they must walk up a long hill from the beach and wait their turn. Volunteers do everything they can to mitigate this harshness.

Of vital importance for the safety of the refugees is the presence of the coast guard, mainly young men and women. It seems that the funding for this is in danger.

One major project is the reuse of a derelict hotel. A team of volunteer builders is on its way from the UK. This will help but there is much money needed and many complex details to be worked through, not least Greek building regulations.  

It is clear that politics looms large, but in spite of this great work is being done.