The Vinton Presbyterian Church is pleased to announce that International Peacemaker  Efi  Latsoudi  from Greece will be speaking at the church on September 25th  at 6:30 pm. She will share with the audience the issues concerning the plight of refugees that Greece is experiencing, a pertinent subject for our country as well.

 

Efi  Latsoudi  is co-founder of Lesvos Solidarity (https://www.lesvossolidarity.org/en/) ,  a grassroots organization on the Greek island of Lesvos that believes in an open society and the eradication of racism, fascism and discrimination. The organization does advocacy work and provides  a number of  programs and services related to housing and education and the employment, medical and psychosocial needs of refugees.

 

Her organization works with the most vulnerable refugees.  Somehave serious medical conditions and have experienced torture and violence. There also are pregnant women, newborns, large families with children, and people  who ¢â‚¬â„¢ve  been shipwrecked and lost loved ones.

 

Additional Background Information

Greece is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in recorded history. At least  18  people have died in the fires in a mountainous region near the border with Turkey. That is also where migrants enter Greece, often illegally.  These  facts have exposed an ugly current in Greek society.

Officials say that lightning is  probably what  started the first fire in the  Alexandroupolis  area nearly two weeks ago, and that flames spread throughout the region because of dry and windy conditions.

But locals are  blaming migrants for setting the fires, people  who'vecrossed into Greece from the Turkish border seeking asylum. In private messaging apps and on social media, local far-right militias have been coordinating patrols, sharing locations of supposed migrant sightings and calling on people to hunt them, beat them, and even murder them.

A viral  video  spread on the internet from  the leader of the ultranationalist political party Greek Solution, one of  several  far-right  parties Greeks voted into their parliament in national elections in June.  Police investigated the video's claims and found 13 Syrians and Pakistanis being held captive.  Then, based on the  uncorroborated  testimony of the three men arrested for holding them, officials charged the migrants with arson.