Only two days have passed after the events in Paris, and journalists have arrived on our small island by the dozens, looking for a story -some piece of information linking to the notorious “Syrian passport” found at the attack scene. It was strange to suddenly be bombarded with questions about the situation in Leros by so many people. Strange, because for us on the island, it was just another day. Another day that we were thinking about taking care of the people who arrived in the past two days, to feed them, make sure they have clothes, etc. At any one moment at the camp, and around the Port in Leros, there are a hundred different situations that need tending to. Today was no different. People from the port authority were busy tending to the latest arrivals, people from the Solidarity Network were distributing home cooked meals to people from yesterday’s arrival, with the help of local high school students who chose to spend their Sunday helping others. The same goes for the people of MSF and UNHCR and the rest of the volunteers on the island. Everyone went on with their tasks.
What I mean to say is that there are a million stories to follow if you are a journalist and are so inclined. Happy stories, sad stories, stories of crime and mistreatment, scandals, etc. But this story with the passport is a joke. And, without getting deep into it, I mean it at least from the point of view of the volunteers here in Leros. There have been something like 30,000 people passing through the island in the last few months (don’t quote me on that number, I have not cross-checked it). Even if it is a FACT that this passport passed through the island, so what? Yes, simply, so what? It is quite simple: People who wish to blame the tragic events in Paris on the refugee influx will do so anyway (they don’t need a passport for that, although it would come in handy). For anyone even vaguely familiar with the situation in Syria, this would seem absurd, but our world is often absurd, so that’s that. We move on, trying to help and handle the situation locally, one day at a time, hopefully with a calm demeanor. As for the journalists, they are of course welcome to snoop around all they like with regards to the infamous “Syrian passport”. But, as long as they’re here anyway, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to keep covering the actual story, you know the one about the horrific war in Syria pushing thousands of people away from their homes daily and-on Leros-about the hundreds of volunteers who have come together to help them.
I don’t even want to comment about the events in Paris. Everything’s already been said and written everywhere around the internet and the Press. I’ve obviously felt very sad since Friday-this goes without saying-but I’ve been feeling sad for so many different people in so many different situations around Europe and the Middle East for a while now, and this is not a good pattern. What I would like to say, however, and what I strongly believe, is that violence breeds more violence, so I would suggest that everyone remain calm and, FOR ONCE (even on a personal level if not on a collective or national one) try to sort out actual information and form an educated idea of what is happening in Syria and the Middle East and what our collective governments are responsible for. Just because governments tend to respond (to many things) with, well, bombs, this doesn’t mean that we, as individuals, also have to. Let’s at least try to foster -hopefully firstly among our physical peers and not straight away with hundreds of strangers on the internet- some form of dignified discussion about all the things that have led us here. “Us” refers to ALL OF US. Violence takes many forms. It would help if we tried to eliminate all of them.
I’m sorry for the long post (and the semi-rant). Here are some photos from Sunday’s food distribution in and around the “Refugee Camp” in Leros. Our story is solidarity, and we’re sticking to it:
