Immigrants

[Anonymous]

I am planning to visit Kalymnos next week with my family and I am quite worry about situation with immigrants on Kos and Kalymnos. We come to Kos airport and then we are taking the boat in Mastichari port to Kalymnos. How is the situation in those area ? Is it safe ? How about Mausouri where we have studio ?

Regards

Greg

[Anonymous]

Hey. It’s ok.

You’ll be fine

Just come, relax, climb and dont worry.

Mike

[Anonymous]

“Is it safe?”…”Don’t worry”. It seems we’re talking about monsters. We’re talking about ourselves.

I read on Kalymnos News that two days ago an extraordinary meeting of the Municipal Council of Kalymnos discussed the serious issue of immigration, having as first priority the use of “floating reception centers” for immigrants: a prison on water, while we are at the crags! The Mayor himself is supporting this solution. We’ll see, but honestly, I’m thinking about avoiding tourism in Greece because of this terrible image of Fortress Europe. Immigrants are not the real enemy, real enemy is instead a system of war, business and corruption that makes profit even on them.

Sorry to mix climbing and politics, but this is really too much for me as a passionate climber, a humble tourist and a human being. We should all be ashamed.

[Anonymous]

Hi

I am in Kalymnos fof two weeks. We drove to the the port today. There are some immigrants near the port and on the beacb. I am do not know what to do ….I saw also families with children…what to they need…is there a place to go to spent money….Should I go there to buy them some food and water..I have a problem to only clim drinking beer and having fun while this poor people have this horrible time in there lifes

[Anonymous]

The OP asked a simple question; is it safe?

I answered without expressing any opinion on the situation here.

In general yes it’s an awful situation, but, this country relies on tourism, especially the islands and especially now as the financial situation here gets worse as tax rises kick in. This is making a bad situation worse.

People that don’t live here see only the tv news and what the media wants to show.

Locally many have tried and are trying to help the immigrants and on Kalymnos the problem is not so bad as kos.

So, yes it’s safe here, yes it’s awful and the world needs to wake up to it and fix it.

Yes you are welcome to come here and help them if you wish rather than going to the crags….

[Anonymous]

The OP asked a simple question; is it safe?

I answered without expressing any opinion on the situation here.

In general yes it’s an awful situation, but, this country relies on tourism, especially the islands and especially now as the financial situation here gets worse as tax rises kick in. This is making a bad situation worse.

People that don’t live here see only the tv news and what the media wants to show.

Locally many have tried and are trying to help the immigrants and on Kalymnos the problem is not so bad as kos.

So, yes it’s safe here, yes it’s awful and the world needs to wake up to it and fix it.

Yes you are welcome to come here and help them if you wish rather than going to the crags….

[Anonymous]

Guys!

Yes, it is safe.

They are people in great need as all nations once upon the time.

If you want to help, you can. In many ways. Either here, buying food, giving clothes, helping to find/search/rescue them from the cliffs facing Turkey. Local volunteer rescue team has been called several times to assist police and coast guard. Or, just passing by the port and giving them a big smile.

Either back at you country, voting against/protesting/being active against policies & multinationals that promote war for profit.

Unfortunately, those people who come here, are those who can afford to pay 3-5.000 euros/head to the Turkish traffickers. So, because I met many of them, they are former CEO’s, sales managers, doctors, etc. who sold everything back home and left. Poor people go to war and get killed!

AND THEY ARE NOT ISIS TERRORISTS AS NEWS SAY

So, the problem is there, it’s big, concerns everyone, but Kalymnos is safe and beautiful as always.

[Anonymous]

You will not see them in Kos airport or Mastichari. You will see them in Kalymnos port but you will see many of them temporary renting flats in Masouri, waiting for their papers, and not be surprised if they stay in a better or more expensive than yours or mine.

Especially those, they are clean, well dressed, and if ladies didn’t wear this muslim scarf you would thing they were Greek, Italian, Spanish, Israeli, etc.

[Anonymous]

Sorry Mike, I probably put too much passion in my message.

This happened because in Italy we already used ships to contain immigrants and there were protests about it; somebody also talked about building “floating prisons” in general, that could be a good business… This is crazy.

But obviously I didn’t want to judge Kalymnians. I am with them. I know that the situation on the island was already difficult before immigrants came, so I understand it’s difficult to deal with this additional problem.

I’m against what’s happening there as well as here in Italy, where media and politicians are saying bullshit, provoking fear and creating a new enemy.

I want Kalymnos safe and beautiful as we all know it and I agree with you, Local, when you said that we need to (and we can) fight wherever we are.

Let’s all climb responsibly, that today can mean a lot of things. CIAO to everybody!

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know who we can contact to offer help?

I have been looking on the Kalymnos Municipal Building website (like their town hall, I think) but there are no email addresses that I can find.

[Anonymous]

Are there any updates related to the situation on the island? It appears that the situation changes daily. Is it media panic? I’m basing my question on information such as these: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/11844851/Lesbos-mayor-calls-for-help-after-migrant-ferry-riot.html.

[Anonymous]

Lesbos (the island mentioned in the article above) receives 50% of the refugees coming into Greece. Kos about 28%. Kalymnos receives much smaller numbers. There have not been any riots, angry demonstrations or anything of that sort. The refugees are at or around the port waiting until they are able to leave for the mainland, and many of them are “housed” at an old building on the outskirts of Pothia. For climbers who want to help by donating food, clothing, or their free time, there is a group of volunteers on Kalymnos distributing the aid and helping out in many other ways. They do an excellent job and can always use extra help. This is their facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1420997938186432/

[Author]

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