Press. voanews.com
Looking
out across the narrow slither of the Aegean Sea that separates the small Greek
village of Skala Sikamineas from the Turkish mainland, all appears calm. Previously
crowded with the dinghies of refugees and the speedboats of their smugglers,
the number of those braving the crossing has eased from a torrent to a trickle
during 2016.
The
tranquility is uncertain, however, in the wake of Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s threat to allow refugees to make the crossing. Dinghies are
reportedly being amassed along parts of the Turkish coast. Yet in this small fishing community perched
on the north coast of Lesvos, one of the first that would feel the impact of
any new surge, the compassion for those arriving on their shores remains
undimmed.
At its
peak last year, the stream of refugees reached 88 boats in one day, Stratos
Valiamos recalled, each making the 5 mile journey from Turkey, and each packed
with dozens of people. Often forgoing the catches they needed to feed their
families, fishermen here spent their working hours assisting in efforts to
rescue those who put their faith in the smugglers, only to be packed into
overcrowded, unreliable dinghies.
“They
were asking for help,” Valiamos said, “some boats had holes, in others the
engines didn’t work. We were finding people who were swimming in order to reach
us.” Meanwhile on the shore, villagers took in families, shaken from their
crossing and uncertain of what was to come next. “The only thing you do is
help,” added Valiamos, who was nominated for a Nobel Prize and whose attitude
is typical of many in Skala Sikamineas.
“And if
it happens again, we will do the same,” he said.
Valiamos
and many others in his community now have time to return to their lives —
according to the UN’s refugees agency, last month an average of 66 people
arrived daily across the whole of Lesvos, compared with 12,500 daily in August
2015.
But that
may change in the wake of the growing political gulf between the European Union
(EU) and Turkey. Made in March, the EU-Turkey agreement included a plan to send
“new irregular migrants” who had just arrived in Greece back to Turkey and
prompted a crackdown by Turkish authorities on those attempting the journey.
But the
agreement is now on shaky ground as the two sides clash over Ankara’s potential
EU membership.
With
Europe critical of the political clampdown in Turkey following a July coup
attempt, Erdogan recently threatened that “the border gates will be opened.”
His country is home to more than 2.7 million refugees. “I feel if he want to
stop the smuggling trade, he can; and I feel if he wants to open it up and send
thousands, well that’s well within his power,” Heard said.
Tourism
suffered
Villagers
who have helped refugees for much longer than a decade are now waiting to see
how the current political struggle will play out, aware that they will feel the
impact. In the past, Georgios Gigintis has been hassled by the police for
driving refugees to the nearest town, but as a hotel owner, he is worried about
large numbers of new arrivals.
He says
that even though the number of refugees was far lower than before, bookings
over this summer were down 90 to 95 percent. “I don’t know what could happen
tomorrow — we’re between our government and the Turkish government,” he said.
Same
theater
Yet while
some nearby towns have started shunning refugees and the volunteers that help
them — there have been several small protests when refugees are brought on
shore — those in Skala Sikamineas refuse to tread this path.
“Before there were no volunteers, there were
no rescue teams, there were just fishermen and local people helping in the
shore, on the sea, and dealing with situation alone, and they will continue
to,” said Andrea Montenegro of Lighthouse Relief, another organization based in
the village. “We’re here because they want us to be,” she said. Despite his
fears, Gigintis refuses to blame the refugees themselves.
“I think
it is in our nature to help, because of our own history,” he said, referring to
the mass movement of Pontian and Anatolian Greeks amid persecution in the early
20th century in what is modern-day Turkey — an event commemorated by the Greek
government as genocide. “We now have the same theater, but with different
actors,” he said.
Pawns in
a game
Hostility,
it seems, is only reserved for the politicians themselves. Numerous residents who spoke to VOA referred
to what they called “the game,” and the sense that the political classes had no
concern for either the refugees’ welfare or that of the town. Unable to change
their situation, they have chosen to react to it with compassion. “They are
playing games with these people,” said Valiamos of situation faced by refugees,
“and me as well, I am regarded as their pawn.”
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