Fortress Europe Border Updates

Update 12 - 23.03.2020

Still fighting for human rights at the border of Europe

The situation in the “camp” is constant escalation. The people are starved and freezing, and have been left with no other option so they are forced to keep trying to cross the border over and over again. Tear gas is a constant now. The people at the border in Edirne are receiving less and less food. Last night, food was distributed but people had to wait in line for several hours - just to receive some crackers...


The storage room at the bus station in Istanbul has instead turned into  accomodation for those in need. Children are running around and playing in the surrounding areas. There is enough food and water, and people have started to build up a kind of structure. Some help with the distribution of food, others collect the rubbish and a child has  taken over the task of cleaning the floor. Local workers of the bus station give sweets to the children, the owner of a laundry store accommodates a big family in his backroom.

Rumors have circulated that Istanbul is preparing for a lockdown, so many want to leave as soon as possible now in order to avoid being locked in again- the only question remains as to where.

The cooperation with the UNHCR has ended, or at least they no longer reply. So we are once again in charge of both organizing the bus tickets and paying. Buses are crowded, and it remains quite chaotic with the few tickets we can organize and it is not always possible to get a ticket for the same day.

In Edirne, the new system to work around restrictions to access is going well. Over the last few days, delivery has not been a problem. Alongside food for everyone else, we have also been able to supply a pregnant woman (7 months) with clothes, shoes and other hygiene products. We ask for lists of the most needed items and then aim to both purchase and distribute them. For now that is mostly bread, pasta, rice, lentils, oil, sugar, tea and eggs.



The situation in the “camp” is constant escalation. The people are starved and freezing, and have been left with no other option so they are forced to keep trying to cross the border over and over again. Tear gas is a constant now. The people at the border in Edirne are receiving less and less food. Last night, food was distributed but people had to wait in line for several hours - just to receive some crackers...


The storage room at the bus station in Istanbul has instead turned into  accomodation for those in need. Children are running around and playing in the surrounding areas. There is enough food and water, and people have started to build up a kind of structure. Some help with the distribution of food, others collect the rubbish and a child has  taken over the task of cleaning the floor. Local workers of the bus station give sweets to the children, the owner of a laundry store accommodates a big family in his backroom.

Rumors have circulated that Istanbul is preparing for a lockdown, so many want to leave as soon as possible now in order to avoid being locked in again- the only question remains as to where.

The cooperation with the UNHCR has ended, or at least they no longer reply. So we are once again in charge of both organizing the bus tickets and paying. Buses are crowded, and it remains quite chaotic with the few tickets we can organize and it is not always possible to get a ticket for the same day.

In Edirne, the new system to work around restrictions to access is going well. Over the last few days, delivery has not been a problem. Alongside food for everyone else, we have also been able to supply a pregnant woman (7 months) with clothes, shoes and other hygiene products. We ask for lists of the most needed items and then aim to both purchase and distribute them. For now that is mostly bread, pasta, rice, lentils, oil, sugar, tea and eggs.



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