‘Absolutely desperate’: Child refugees with relatives in UK ‘in limbo' after Lesbos fire as Britain urged to act

Ministers are being urged to offer sanctuary to some of the thousands of asylum seekers left stranded after a fire on the Greek island of Lesbos, including unaccompanied minors with family members in Britain.

More than 12,000 people living in overcrowded conditions in the notorious Moria refugee camp, Europe’s largest, were displaced after a massive blaze early on Wednesday.

Among those affected are 4,000 children, including over 407 unaccompanied minors, some of whom have been identified as having family members in the UK – but who are still waiting to be transferred to the country months after being accepted for family reunion under the Dublin III law.

Charities said the situation in Lesbos was becoming increasingly desperate, with people dehydrated due to the lack of shelter and difficulty getting aid to everyone who needs it. A peaceful protest by the camp’s residents on Saturday morning led to Greek police spraying tear gas at refugees, including children.

The UNHCR refugee agency said the 407 unaccompanied children – some with family members in Britain – had been transferred to mainland Greece shortly after the fire and were now in hotels and in safer conditions – but they cannot stay there permanently.

NGOs said that while these youngsters were now in a safer place, there was a lack of information being given to them regarding their asylum cases and whether they would be granted permanent settlement in a European country.

Concern has also been raised that unaccompanied minors who had been in the Moria camp remain stranded on Lesbos, because they were not identified for transfer to the mainland.

Germany and France have offered to take in children affected by the fire, but the UK is yet to offer any assistance.

Britain’s shadow home secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, called on the UK government to take in some of the refugees – particularly unaccompanied children – in order to “live up to our responsibilities and promises as a country and offers of a place of safety”.

“Unaccompanied children caught up in the Moria camp fire are facing unimaginable horrors. The government must show compassion and act without delay,” he added.

Stefania Tomasini, family reunification caseworker at the charity Safe Passage International, assists unaccompanied minors in Greece to go through the process to join family members in the UK. She said one of her clients, Ahmed, who is in Lesbos, was accepted for family reunion to join his uncle in May but was still waiting for the Greek and British governments to arrange his transfer. He has since turned 18.

“I have never heard him so upset and worried, he said that even the war in Syria was better than the situation in Moria. The olive grove where he had been sleeping in a tent with six other people was completely destroyed, so he lost everything including all his documents,” said Ms Tomasini.

“He is absolutely desperate, with no idea where to go for food or where to sleep. He just wants to be safe with his uncle but despite everything, he says he is lucky because he had his application accepted but all his friends have no hope of getting off Lesbos.”

Amelia Cooper, of the Legal Centre Lesvos, said that several unaccompanied children had been found on the island after the initial transfers took place – and that those who had been transferred hadn’t been given adequate information about what was happening.

“The kids who were transferred don’t know what’s happening. I received messages from children when they were at the airport saying they didn’t know where they were going or for what purpose," she said.

"Since being there, some of the minors have said they don’t have clear information on how long they’ll be in these hotels, and where they’ll be transferred to next."

Sandy Protogerou, head of Safe Passage in Greece, said there were still unaccompanied children with relatives in the UK stuck on Lesbos, and that following the fire it would be more difficult than ever for them to process their requests to join their loved ones.

“We now have a situation where there is no official site or formal asylum procedure on the island, as well as tensions between local authorities and the migrants. All these people are in limbo. Many don’t know where to turn, they have no guidance,” she said.

“For those already pending transfer, it is high time that they’re moved as soon as possible. There is no reason to keep them in such conditions when they have the right to come to the UK. They’ve already been waiting for months since the approval.”

Labour Peer Lord Alf Dubs wrote to Home Secretary Priti Patel on Thursday urging the government to rapidly organise the transfer of unaccompanied children to safety in the UK, warning that failing to act would be an “outrage”.

He told The Independent the fire in Moria was “an explosion waiting to happen” due to severe overcrowding and mounting desperation among residents there, and called on the UK to expedite the transfer of children under Dublin III to their relatives “as a matter of urgency”.

“The UK can do much better on child refugees,” he said. “We’re dragging our heels. Other countries are doing a lot better. The Greeks made a plea for other countries to help sometime ago, before the fire, and we haven’t responded. It’s very depressing. This is an international emergency which requires international cooperation.”

A Home Office spokesperson said they had received Lord Dubs’ letter and would respond in due course, but added that the UK’s longstanding policy was to not participate in relocation within Europe, as the UK’s resettlement schemes already provide safe and legal routes direct from conflict regions.

However, all of the UK’s resettlement schemes have been closed since 12 March, when they were paused due to the coronavirus pandemic. Campaigners have accused the government of prioritising holiday travel and removal flights – which have continued throughout lockdown – over the transfer of refugees.

The Greek authorities on the island of Lesbos are said to be building a new refugee camp several miles from the original one in response to the blaze, but charities on the ground say this is no long-term solution.

Freya Mergler, field manager of Help Refugees in Greece, said all refugees should be evacuated from the Lesbos because they are in “such a dire situation”, and called on the UK to act to take some of them in.

“The UK needs to play its role and take responsibility to support these people because right now, it is definitely not doing its share. What’s happened is so devastating and the situation now is more horrific than it’s ever been. If there was ever a time for the UK to take responsibility, it’s now,” she said.

Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesperson for the UNHCR,  said Greece needed “continued support” from European countries and EU institutions to ensure the immediate protection of those most at risk.

He added: “UNHCR would welcome a chance to open discussions with the UK on relocations if there is capacity to help. We are of course available to offer any technical support and advice.”

A UK government spokesperson said: “We are very concerned by the reports and images emerging from the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos following the devastating fire. We are working across government and with our embassy in Greece to actively monitor the situation as it develops.”