Authors: Refugee Support Aegean & PRO ASYL | rsaegean.org | 17 December 2019
Currently, there are over 7,600 individuals living inside and around Samos hotspot. That is nearly 12 times more that the hotspot’s official capacity which is for 648 persons. The conditions remain exceedingly dangerous despite the multiple reports and media publications for the unbearable situation that persists in the hotspot for years now because of the overcrowding and insufficiency of necessary provisions and despite the protests of the refugees and the island’s residents. The creation of a new structure with announced capacity of 5,000 plus people, few kilometres away from Vathy, has intensified the existing xenophobic climate on the island. Members of Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) have visited the island recently and spoke with refugees residing inside and outside the hotspot. The refugees spoke about their entrapment and the unbearable reception conditions that create a permanent humanitarian crisis with no end in sight.