Anger against EU on the rise after migrant shipwreck off Greek coast

Greece’s caretaker government declared three days of mourning after a boat reportedly carrying hundreds of migrants sank off the coast, killing at least 79 people. All scheduled pre-election party events were cancelled while public anger for the lack of a coherent EU migration policy is mounting.

According to Greek press reports, the death toll is expected to rise dramatically as more than 700 people reportedly were on board. The Greek authorities said 104 people have so far been rescued.

Greek newspaper Efimerida ton Sintakton has on its front page today the tile “SHAME” in several languages in a message directly criticising Europe’s failure in dealing with the migration issue.

“Our civilisation is going through a very big crisis”, Alexis Tsipras said. [Efimerida ton Sintakton]

Centre-right New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis (EPP) emphasised that now the priority is to save as many lives as possible, noting that the new incident “highlights in a dramatic way that migration remains a problem, which requires a coherent European policy.”

“So that the despicable criminal networks that traffic in desperate people will finally get the decisive response they deserve”, Mitsotakis said.

For his part, main opposition leftist leader Alexis Tsipras (Syriza – EU Left) commented, “unfortunately, human life nowadays does not have the same value for all people […] It has a lot to do with your colour, your race, your origin.”

“Our civilisation is going through a very big crisis”, he added.

Moreover, influential leftist lawmaker Alexis Charitsis published a shocking picture on social media calling on the caretaker government to find a housing solution for the rescued migrants.

(1/2) Από το πρωί τοπικές αρχές και κάτοικοι της Καλαμάτας δίνουν μια δύσκολη μάχη για την περίθαλψη των διασωθεντων. Δεν είναι δυνατόν όμως οι άνθρωποι αυτοί να διαμένουν στις αβίωτες συνθήκες μιας αποθήκης. Δυστυχώς δεν είναι η πρώτη φορά. pic.twitter.com/h4jzLJN5BH

— Αλέξης Χαρίτσης (@alexischaritsis) June 14, 2023

Several Greek media reported that a debate scheduled for tonight would likely be postponed.

EU hypocrisy

Analysts estimate that the migration issue will re-emerge in the pre-election discussion. However, not much could be discussed, considering that the solution lies in the hands of Brussels.

Many mainstream media criticised the EU for its poor management when finding a permanent solution to the migration issue.

News website In.gr, commented, “The European policy is based on distributing economic packages here and there, in order not to ‘burden’ the countries of the rich north with the hordes of uprooted people.”

“And in the European Union of solidarity, as it claims, most people cry for the dead children of the shipwrecks, but exorcise the… evil of Islamic illegal immigrants”.

Following years of debates, EU home affairs ministers reached a migration deal last week described as “historic” by officials that would see EU states pay €20,000 for each migrant they refuse to host.

Read more: EU ministers reach ‘historic’ deal on migrant relocation

Two EU member states, Poland and Hungary, expressed their opposition while talks about the entire migration package with the European Parliament in the coming months are expected to be tough.

(Sarantis Michalopoulos | EURACTIV.com)