The 20th of March 2019 marked the sad, third anniversary of the EU-Turkey Deal; a bad deal for refugees and asylum seekers who where looking for safety in Europe, because the current policies are still not offering sufficient safe routes into Europe.
The Eu-Turkey Deal stipulates that, among other things, Turkey controls its own border and all new irregular migrants crossing from Turkey to Lesbos as of 20 March 2016 will be returned to Turkey. For every Syrian being returned to Turkey from the Greek islands, another Syrian will be resettled to the EU. Turkey will take any necessary measures to prevent new sea or land routes for irregular migration opening from Turkey to the EU. The Deal is shameful and in fact people still die and get arrested through this.

This is the reason why people of Lesbos demonstrated together at the 20th of March against this bloody Deal.
Around 120 people met at Sappo Square with banners and marched through the streets until the “Άγαλμα Μικρασιάτισσας Μάνας” Monument, “The Mother from Asia Minor.” Locals and Refugees held speeches in front an installation made out of a fences and life jackets as an image of this brutal, unhuman policy.

The truth is that desperate people will not stop trying to escape war and violence, and, despite the deal, arrivals in Lesbos have not and will not stop. As a result, camps remain overcrowded and services overstretched.

Freedom of movement is everybody’s right!