Nobel Prize nomination for Greek islanders?

An online petition has been made by the grassroots campaign group, Avaaz, on behalf of the residents of the Greek islands who have been rescuing, feeding and sheltering hundreds of thousands of desperate migrants arriving at their shores.

This is the text of the petition: “Ordinary residents of Greek islands and other volunteers have been on the front lines of Europe’s refugee crisis for months, opening up their hearts and homes to save hundreds of thousands fleeing war and terror. For their compassion and courage, for treating those in danger with humanity, and for setting an example for the rest of the world to follow, we citizens around the world, nominate these brave women and men for a Nobel Peace Prize.”

Nearly 1 million migrants entered Europe in “irregular arrivals” last year, most fleeing conflict, persecution and poverty in the Middle East and Africa, according to the International Organization for Migration. These tidal waves of humanity have made the Mediterranean “the deadliest route for migrants on our planet,” the IOM’s Director General William Lacy Swing has said, with nearly 3,700 people drowning in its waters last year. And more are continuing to drown on a daily basis, especially in the last weeks, when the weather has turned to winter at last, and the sea is freezing cold.

According to an article in the Guardian (Sunday 24 January, 2016), “of the 900,000 refugees who entered Europe last year most were received – scared, soaked and travelling in rickety boats – by those who live on the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.

The islanders, including fishermen who gave up their work to rescue people from the sea, are in line to be honoured with one of the world’s most esteemed awards. Eminent academics from the universities of Oxford, Princeton, Harvard, Cornell and Copenhagen are drafting a submission in favour of awarding the prize to the people of Lesbos, Kos, Chíos, Samos, Rhodes and Leros.”

The article goes on to say that “it must be noted that a people of a country already dealing with its own economic crisis responded to the unfolding tragedy of the refugee crisis with “empathy and self-sacrifice”, opening their homes to the dispossessed, risking their lives to save others and taking care of the sick and injured.”

At the time of posting, the petition had amassed 313,975 signatures

 

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I’m very proud of my compatriots, and feel the islanders and volunteers more than deserve to be commemorated for their actions. However, as they would be the first to say, prizes are neither here nor there. Helping people in need is its own reward, and their smiles is all the thanks most of them require. The nomination, however, could serve to highlight this huge problem, which a lot of countries feel is not their concern. On the beach, humanity is what is needed. Afterwards, appropriate policies are necessary; and in this matter, both Europe and America have been found lacking. Despite the stats, despite the photographs and the eyewitness accounts, this issue is not being dealt with as seriously as it merits.

And it is a very complex issue. Apart from the purely humanitarian angle, there are other aspects that are unclear and sometimes highly unsavory.

First there is the ‘business’ dimension: traffickers in humans and goods, black marketeers, makers of fake documents and all sorts of others have been making A LOT of money out of this crisis, essentially by preying on their fellow men who are in dire need. Then there is human abuse – of women, unaccompanied children, the weak: sexual abuse, kidnapping of minors, even simple theft of people’s money and meager possessions. Thirdly, there needs to be some kind of control. It is obvious that not everyone can demand to relocate to Europe so it is imperative that arrivals are sorted out. Letting in people who are ‘unsuitable’ – criminals, terrorists or just people hoping to take advantage of some countries’ welfare system – will not do anything for the true refugees’ cause. There are also geo-political concerns: relations between countries are getting strained, and the concept of Schengen is floundering.

What are the real issues here? Particular interests? Economics? Politics? Time for the powers-that-be to pull up their socks. It took them an inordinate amount of time to even recognize there was a crisis. Some are now making an effort, such as Germany, the UK, the Scandinavian countries; but it is still too little, too late. (The Germans, especially, have started feeling they are being crowded out – there is bound to be a backlash, such as a rise in extreme-right politics.) Some, such as Turkey, are not yet fulfilling their obligations. Neither is the government of Greece as organized as it needs to be. Others still, like some of the Eastern European countries, don’t want to know—despite having themselves, in the past, sought refuge in other societies.

Meanwhile, the fishermen on Lesbos are pulling people out of the sea instead of fishing for lobsters. And the grannies are knitting bootees and bonnets, putting volunteers up in their houses and welcoming wet and weary arrivals with a smile. Some of their parents were refugees themselves, fleeing Turkey in the 1920’s and landing, destitute, on these islands. They know what it’s like to be unwanted.

 

If anyone wants to sign the petition, go to Avaaz.org.

 

 

 

 

22 thoughts on “Nobel Prize nomination for Greek islanders?”

  1. As a Greek-American with paternal generational roots on Crete let me say America does not fall short on too much. If Greeks wish to enter the USA or other nationalities they will go through appropriate channels, as my ancestors did when they left Crete to arrive at Ellis island, NYC. in the last Century! America is and will always be a land of opportunity and freedoms! America is peoples of all other countries.

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    1. You are right about this; and also the Greek-American community is doing a lot to help Greece at the moment. What I meant is that there is a lack of coherent policies to deal with the problem. I really think think the west, with America leading, have a tendency to meddle in foreign countries with no thought – or disregard – of the consequences. This happened in Irak, Syria and Libya, to name a few.

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      1. America and its people will defend its country first and foremost. Billions of taxpayers monies are spent defending this Nation and the rights of other Nations. Not withstanding any Country under war will see affects to its citizens, both economically, as a society and a need to a free independent peaceful world. Where equality is for all peoples.

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  2. The dignity of the locals in dealing with tragedy upon tragedy is worthy of such an award. I fear for their way of life, for many of those whom they save do not share the Greek’s admirable sense of humanity as we are seeing here in northern Europe when they arrive.

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    1. Their way of life has already been affected, I fear. The tides of history… And I agree with you, look what happened in Germany. The problem is that all this does not help the cause of the people really in need…

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  4. The act displayed by those fishermen is definitely an outstanding one. Welcoming strangers not only in their homes but also in their hearts is something really extraordinary for them.
    I salute them for this!!

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  6. Pingback: Nobel Prize nomination for Greek islanders? – Sketches and Vignettes from la Dordogne

  7. I have already signed the petition from Avaaz when it arrived in my mail box a few days ago. It is not enough and I am conscious that it is nothing compared to what Greek Islanders do everyday.
    As you say the issue is complex if we look at it from “the-power-that-be” angle. And even from citizens of their countries. All will congratulate the Greek Islanders and be moved by images on TV or a well told story. But when it comes to welcoming foreigners as your neighbour and fellow countryman, this is utterly different!
    I am afraid selfishness is often at the core of humankind – though not in the Greek Islanders… 🙂

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  8. I’m sure they can be as selfish as the next person. They were faced with a situation beyond their control and dealt with it as best they could. They can identify both with losing people at sea and with immigration because of their own background and past. What I think is the most admirable is they’ve borne it for so long. And with no end in sight… It was not just a one-off.

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  12. I am a New Zealander living on my little America, with no TV, or radio, or newspaper (by choice) and have no faith in the hargingers of news on the internet, so my determined ignorance does not allow me an opinion in political matters. But here I see you write of thousands of Greek families looking after thousands of the lost and poor and foot-sore and hungry. They should be heralded for their silent work. Lauded. I had no idea of this.. thank you.. c

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  13. This is really interesting! I live in the UK, and I applaud the good work that many people are doing to help these poor souls. However, others feel that our government are letting our own citizens down by making these migrants a priority. It is causing a lot of unrest – especially as we see the Scandinavian countries now closing their borders and imposing sanctions. I worry about this world sometimes – and yes, I am well aware of the problems that such a sudden influx of people can have on a country, along with the liars and scammers that infiltrate on the pretext of being a “refugee” but seriously….its a basic human instinct to help someone…..and if we can’t even do that without suspicion, well its a sad place to be.

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    1. It’s a very complicated issue, isn’t it. However, the islanders have to deal with it on the most basic level – someone drowning at your doorstep, destitute and terrified. After that, a lot of other parameters creep in…

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  14. You offer some interesting insight. Living in Canada, I feel (now, more than ever) as though I’m almost under attack by the constant stream of crap coming from south of us. News worthy or not, the never-ending twitter feed and resultant debate are exhausting. I do feel a little starved for different perspectives, at times. I feel starved for some positive news. Thank you for this.

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I’d love to hear what you think

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