EUROPE-MIGRANTS/PIRAEUS FERRY ARRIVAL Ferry carrying Syrian refugees arrives on Greek mainland

Record ID: 143236

  • Title: EUROPE-MIGRANTS/PIRAEUS FERRY ARRIVAL Ferry carrying Syrian refugees arrives on Greek mainland
  • Date: 20th August 2015
  • Summary: PIRAEUS, GREECE (AUGUST 20, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ELEFTHERIOS VENIZELOS FERRY, CARRYING SYRIAN REFUGEES, REACHING PORT CITY OF PIRAEUS, NEAR ATHENS VARIOUS OF REFUGEES ON DECK OF FERRY REFUGEE GIRL ON BOARD OF FERRY WAVING REFUGEES ON DECK REFUGEE ON DECK RAISING ARMS AND GIVING THUMBS UP SIGN VARIOUS OF FERRY DOCKING / PORT EMPLOYEES AND POLICE STANDING BY VARIOUS OF
  • Embargoed: 4th September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA8NSU09A003LHHH8DYC7QG2D30
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A ferry carrying just over 2,400 Syrian refugees arrived on the Greek mainland on Thursday (August 20) as the wave of migrants fleeing conflict and poverty westward continued unabated, straining a country which is already in economic crisis.
    The ferry "Eleftherios Venizelos" departed from the southern Aegean island of Kos on Wednesday (August 19) and stopped at several other islands to pick up more Syrians on the voyage to the mainland. It was chartered by the Greek government to ease conditions on islands in the eastern Aegean, where migrants are arriving on inflatable dinghies and small boats from nearby Turkey.
    Many of the Syrians raised their hands forming the victory sign as they disembarked in the port city of Piraeus from the ship, happy that they made it another step further to freedom and safety.
    "Frankly, I feel happy and sad. Sad because I left my country, we have nasty war, and I'm so happy because I'm here," said 28-year-old Mustafa Mahmoud, a university graduate who decided to leave his hometown of Aleppo after being forced to serve in the Syrian army for more than four years. He is now considered a deserter, but has his sights set on Germany, not going back home.
    Kurdish refugee Mustafa Gio and his entire extended family fled the ongoing military conflict in Syria, because they did not feel safe anymore in the city of Afrin anymore. They, too, plan to live in Germany.
    "Everyday one hundred, two hundred body is murdered, is killed, because we escaped from Syria to go to the Germany, to the Europe," said the 30-year-old Gio, who was picked up by the ferry from Lesbos island where he said the situation was very bad for migrants.
    "It's very bad, Mytilini is very very bad, very bad. No tents, no food, no water, very very bad, very very bad," said Gio.
    Greece has been found largely unprepared to deal with the migrant crisis in recent weeks, prompting criticism from aid agencies. Arrivals in July totalled 50,000, far outstripping the figure for the whole of 2014.
    Most of the Syrians who arrived at Piraeus said they had no intention of staying in Greece as they flee their country's civil war. They plan instead to head almost immediately to the country's northern border via the second city of Thessaloniki, hoping to move on to other European countries.
    "It was dangerous, we had to go, from Turkey, from Bodrum, it was a bit dangerous but we made it," said 22-year old Morade, a civil engineer student who plans to continue his studies in either Germany or the Netherlands.
    Apart from buses on hand to take the refugees from the port to the Piraeus metro station, nobody appeared to be available to offer guidance on where to go, but most of the refugees managed to make their way to Athens' central train station to continue their northward journey towards the once-sleepy Macedonian border town of Gevgelija, which has been overwhelmed by migrants coming on foot from the south.
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