We in Europe have moved on from concentration camps, and have now instituted more effective cheaper and eminently deniable dilution camps. Get with the project, Donald, and don't be so old-fashioned.

Last weekend, 629 people drowned off the coast of Libya while trying to reach Europe. While this occured, Search and Rescue organizations in the Mediterranean were being held back at port. Since January, 1,408 women, children and men have died or gone missing on their journey crossing the Mediterranean, according to the UNHCR.
In the Aegean, since March 2016, when the EU-Turkey deal was signed, the number of people crossing to Greece has decreased. However, the journey remains far from safe. Since 2016, 513 human lives have been lost in their journey from Turkey to Greece.

Moreover, the newly arrived people we assist have systematically been arriving to Lesvos in worse condition and health. According to them, the increasing numbers of Turkish police, and their sometimes aggressive and violent tactics, has forced them to go into hiding for days, even weeks, often without access to food or water.

Because of this, Lighthouse Relief and other groups in the Mediterranean, are uniting today to protest against the criminalization of Search and Rescue activities in the area. Furthermore, Lighthouse Relief stands against the recent measures by some European states, that do not respect human dignity.

Lighthouse Relief will remain committed to preventing further catastrophes at the sea, being the only organisation in Northern Lesvos with spotting teams almost 24 hours a day. Lighthouse Relief will also remain committed to promoting dignity for those arriving to Europe’s shores by assisting all new arrivals.

Yet, there should be a sense of shared responsibility. Responsibility both, among organizations and states alike. We demand that these obligations are respected and all human lives are treated with dignity and respect.

SOS MEDITERRANEE Proactiva Open Arms Sea-Watch Refugee Rescue / 'Mo Chara' sea-eye Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) LIFELINE

#SeaRescueIsNotACrime #SafePassage #WithRefugees