Peaceful protest for relocation from Lesvos – island prison

Last night was cold and clear as around a hundred refugees settled down to try to sleep under thin, scratchy UNHCR blankets in the public Square in Mytillini Harbour Lesvos. It is their second night here protesting the disgusting living conditions in Moria camp. UN money is not reaching the people in the camps, refugees say, with regular water shortages, huge queues when there is water at all, terrible and tiny meals, a prison section inside the camp where people facing deportation are kept behind razor wire, and near or over double the numbers the camp was designed for. There are fights between the different nationalities forced into such over crowed space, and riots too.

One young man showed me a video taken of someone trying to find a way to hang himself from the roof of the prison section the other day, while many bear huge scars from self harming.

This peaceful protest will continue until the authorities make plans to move the people to the mainland, and a storm is due in tonight. Today we took a mobile phone charging station to the people, but we fear police with step in if tents are delivered.