“The land of a hundred thousand welcomes responded to this latest crisis by welcoming only four children.”
A new campaign is asking the Irish government to aid in the urgent relocation of 400 refugees.
Following a fire in the Moria refugee camp in Lesvos, Greece, over 13,000 men, women, and children have been subjected to even harsher living conditions and are desperately seeing evacuation.
The Irish government has agreed to relocate just four unaccompanied minors from the camp, but a female led campaign is asking them to evacuate 400, as conditions only continue to deteriorate in Lesvos.
Established by over 20 women who have worked as volunteers in camps across Greece, Calais, Lebanon and Italy, 400 Welcomes are calling on the government to welcome 400 refugees in their time of need.
Claire Dunne, an Irish doctor in Lesvos, Greece, joins the call to evacuate 400 refugees -women, men and children- to Ireland. Join us in calling on the government to act.
👉 Sign the Letter – link in bio
👉 Post your #400Welcomes photo
👉 Join the campaign pic.twitter.com/oiMtDV1G6A— 400WELCOMES (@400welcomes) September 28, 2020
Syrian-Irish journalist and humanitarian worker Razan Ibrahim says that while the empathy of Irish people runs deep, action is needed on a higher level.
“The land of a hundred thousand welcomes responded to this latest crisis by welcoming only four children,” he says.
“Ireland can do better and can do more. Our response to the refugee crisis shows us who we really are and what we stand for. We are raising the bar and asking the Irish government to respond and to better share the responsibility of relocation.”
The initiative, launched this week, has already gained significant support online. Comedians Foil, Arms, and Hog have also pledged their support to 400 Welcomes, while singer-songwriter Mick Flannery and Irish band Wyvern Lingo urged others to do the same.
Moria refugee camp was intended to house 2,500 but was housing 13,000 (That's more packed than Coppers pre Covid). Fire destroyed the camp. The Irish Government has agreed to take in four… yep. Pester your local politician to up it to 400 https://t.co/oYCzTeBO69 #400welcomes pic.twitter.com/RJdoOaSz8F
— Foil Arms and Hog (@FoilArmsAndHog) September 29, 2020
The group also has created a letter on Uplift allowing supporters to contact their local TDs regarding the relocation of these 400 displaced people.
As of yesterday, over 11,000 people had pledged their support for the campaign.
You can find out more here.
