It is not enough just to criticise the status quo. We know that viable alternatives to camps exist. Every day, we are campaigning for leaders and politicians to choose these alternatives. 

 

Across Europe, communities have demonstrated a spirit of welcome. Towns, cities and regions have made clear and bold statements that they are ready and willing to accept refugees stuck in Greece. 

 

Organising movements including the From Sea to City, Europe Welcomes and our own Cities Must Act are evidence of this ready-made solution. With open arms, they offer an alternative to makeshift camps and closed detention centres that ensures dignity, safety and a future for all.

 

But we must also recognise that there will always be people on the move. Thus, points of reception along refugee routes, such as on the Aegean Islands, must be made ready. These too should embody a spirit of welcome and must uphold human rights.

 

But barbed wire and remote camps are not the approach. Instead, we advocate for humane, community-led accommodation structures. In recent years, the example of Pikpa offers one obvious example of how we can receive asylum seekers, if we only choose hospitality over hostility.

 

Join Europe Must Act’s campaigning and ask our politicians to choose alternatives.