Idomeni refugee camp evacuated

The eviction of refugees from the Idomeni camp in Greece met no resistance yesterday after dozens of police officers entered the site at midnight. Two young student volunteers from Granada, contacted by this newspaper, described the officers' entry to the camp as uneventful. “The evacuation early in the morning was a peaceful one. There were a lot of police so there wouldn't be riots. I suppose they wanted to avoid that after the tear gas incidents on Wednesday”, explained Elena Zancajo and Beatriz Pérez. “The police let the refugees sleep, it wasn't until a reasonable hour that they starting waking them up tent by tent”, they added.

The students were among the few volunteers left inside the camp this morning, as the Greek security forces stopped journalists and members of NGOs from entering the site.

The feeling among refugees was reported to be one of dejection. Living conditions at Idomeni had been harsh because refugees had been living practically out in the open, in very unstable tents. The camp was raised near the Macedonian border in February in the hope of crossing and reaching the more desirable destinations of Germany and Sweden. But in reality, Idomeni had become a rat hole which the refugees have now been forced to leave.

The majority, who had come from countries in conflict such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, were being transferred by bus to various shelters set up by the Greek government over the past few days. More than 2,500 had already been moved before yesterday.

The level of desperation among refugees at the extreme conditions was such that one family was even considering returning to Syria, a country that has been at war for six years.