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Oct 27, 20204 min read

How has Greece utilized the pandemic to push back refugees?

By: Annika Hesse


COVID-19 has displayed an array of negative effects on immigration across the world. Many governments have completely closed down their borders in hopes of keeping the infectious disease contained and out of their countries. And although their actions seem to be in good faith, many migrant-burdened governments are utilizing the pandemic to keep asylum seekers out. This is becoming an increasingly pressing issue in multiple southern European states where the migrant crisis has been growing exponentially since 2015. Greece, specifically, which has been used as a buffer zone for unwanted immigrants since the crisis first started, is now especially overwhelmed due to the refugee centers being overcrowded due to the pandemic. They are not only neglecting the inhumane conditions in the overflowing centers, but they have also resorted to various tactics to expel migrants from the country. However, it is unfair to place all the blame on Greece as many European countries have only offered modest compensations for their role as the gatekeeper of the EU.


How has COVID-19 exacerbated the migrant crisis? How has Greece responded?

The coronavirus has left many Middle-Eastern countries such as Tunisia in economic turmoil, while other countries such as Libya are dealing with the harsh effects of war. This has resulted in an increase in migrants arriving at the borders of European countries. Many of these migrants choose to travel across the Mediterranean Sea because it is cheaper than land travel. The EU has been working to discourage dangerous and illegal maritime migration for years by halting rescue missions to pick up rafts from the sea. They have depended on countries like Turkey to help head off maritime migration. However, in the wake of the pandemic, and the increase of migrants, Greece has decided to take matters into their own hands. It was revealed in mid-August that Greece has secretly pushed out over 1000 migrants over the last few months beginning in March. “Pushed-out” meaning that on 31 different occasions, Greece officials have smuggled out migrants from detention centers in the middle of the night, leaving them alone and helpless on idle boats in the Aegean Sea where they were rescued by the Turkish Coast guard. “It is a human rights and humanitarian disaster”, says Professor Crepeau, the former director of the McGill Center for Human Rights.


What happens to the migrants who do make it to Greece?

The migrants that do arrive on the shores of Greece, unfortunately, don’t have it any better. Europe’s largest refugee camp, Moria, is located on the Greek island of Lesbos, and the conditions there are execrable. The refugees“live in cramped tents with limited access to toilets, showers, and health care.” They also lack access to adequate water, basic sanitation services, or hygiene products. The Greek government has made little to no efforts to address the overcrowding that makes social distancing guidelines impossible. The facility’s population is 17,000, 7 times its capacity of about 2,500. Additionally, there have been reports of violent beatings, rape, and 15 people have been injured and at least 5 people have been murdered in “attacks that resemble ‘prison or gang-style violence.’” In protest against these inhumane circumstances, a few camp residents burned down the camp, leaving nearly 12,000 of its residents stranded in a cemetery and some country roads nearby. This outburst has challenged European leaders to tackle the migrant crisis and come up with a long-term solution, however, with rising tensions amongst European countries due to the pandemic and impatience, this will prove to be a difficult task.


What is the International Community doing?

A crucial aspect of international refugee law is non-refoulement which is the principle that migrants can not be forced to return to countries where they are liable to be subjected to persecution. Countries abide by this principle to ensure that refugees are not reinserted in dangerous and unsafe situations in their home countries. However, Greece, which used to be much more understanding and willing to offer help to migrants, has grown bitter after years of minimal financial relief by European countries in addition to rising geopolitical tensions. On February 27th, 2020, Turkey announced that it would no longer stop migrants trying to cross its borders into Europe. This announcement marked the end of the agreement Turkey had made with Greece in which Turkey agreed to prevent asylum-seekers from finding their way into Greece. Turkey then proceeded to send thousands of migrants over into Greece in hopes of receiving some financial compensation from Greece in order to stop the flow of migrants across the Turkish border. Greece responded by resorting to shady border patrol tactics, such as the one mentioned above. Their response is also partly due to the election and growing support for their conservative government. Furthermore, since the COVID-19 pandemic set in not long after Turkey’s announcement, European countries have shown no urgency to interfere with Greece’s methods because they have been struggling to contain the virus within their own borders.


There is no doubt that Greece is struggling to handle the pandemic crisis affecting its own people, much less the thousands of refugees forced to flee their home countries. However, this does not justify the methods they have turned to and the conditions they have subjected the migrants to. Greece has taken advantage of COVID-19 to do what they have wanted to do since 2015; keep migrants out of their country. And if migrants somehow do manage to land on Greek shores, Greek officials do the bare minimum to set them up in refugee centers where they are faced with circumstances comparable to those they fled from. The burden the pandemic has put on Greece and other European countries is considerable, however, their negligent actions are inexcusable. As global leaders in a pandemic-ridden world, Greece and Europe must do better.


Discussion Questions:

  • Is it the responsibility of the International Community to step in since European countries are neglecting the problem?

  • Was Turkey’s decision to stop preventing migrants from going to Europe warranted?

  • To what extent are the affluent countries of the EU (ie Germany, Denmark) at fault for Greece’s actions?


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