The Coast Guard rescued 106 refugees, among them many small children, off the coast of Tilos. The mayor of the island, Maria Kamma, was at the port at that moment and faced verbal attacks from a tourist who was disturbed by the incident.
And it was not just annoyance; she went a step further urging Maria Kamma to do the “right” thing and “throw the refugees into the sea.”
Maria Kamma, in a post on her personal Facebook account, describes the incident and repeats the response she gave to the upset bathing woman.
“Madam, this island is not for you,” Maria Kamma will repeat, no matter how many times it takes.
The post of the mayor of Tilos, Maria Kamma
“Tonight, those of us who were at the port of Tilos faced both sides of the coin…
One hundred six (106) refugees, among them many children, were safely transported to our island.
The scenes I personally witnessed left me shattered…
Men, crying and holding many of their small children in their arms, thanking the port officers and trying to kiss their hands…
The Coast Guard officers were carefully lifting children and the injured down from the ship.
Police, medical and nursing staff were there, as well as locals offering dry clothes, bread, shoes, and whatever else they could quickly bring…
Unfortunately many small children and babies…
And suddenly a “lady,” who is fishing at the port, apparently disturbed by the “noise” of the event (this racket!)
Starts shouting where they are taking them, why are you gathering them?
Thinking that she disagreed with the process of registering the refugees by the Coast Guard, I replied that madam, this is how it’s done; the officers are taking them to the Port Authority to be registered.
Not at all!
“They should throw them into the sea!”
This was the wish of the “lady”! And she began to teach me lessons! How we must keep our country and our lands Greek, how we are Christians and “they” have no place here!
To expel them, to throw them into the sea where they bring them to our islands, referring to the Coast Guard men who transported 106 human souls; this was their crime!
That’s what made the woman angry! She was watching the Coast Guard men helping the children down from the boat, and she was mad because they didn’t speak Greek and weren’t “Christian children.”
We were thanking them, and she was just about to insult them!
And she had the audacity to want to film me because I dared to tell her how unfair she was. “Who are you?” I asked her, and I said who I am; tell me your name, I respond to her. She gave a name, I don’t know if it’s real, but I truly told her, and I will say it again:
“Madam, this island is not for you.”
Maria Kamma, Mayor of Tilos
“The society of Tilos believes in humanity”
This is not the first time that the island of Tilos has become “front-page news” for the right reasons. In mid-August, the rescue of a 50-day-old refugee child, who had been stranded in the mountains with his parents for three days, moved everyone.
We must not forget that the Tilos City Council was the first to unanimously decide to accept and host refugees in its community.
Mayor Maria Kamma, speaking to VIMA about the first same-sex marriages that were conducted in Tilos in 2008, made a specific remark that encapsulates the timeless mindset of the entire local community.
“We are talking about human rights, and this is where everything begins and ends. The society of Tilos believes in humanity, believes in the freedom and happiness of people.
The society of Tilos has such a perspective; let’s not forget how we managed the refugee crisis in recent years.”
Against the degrading devaluation of human life, voices like that of the mayor of Tilos will be heard loudly to remind everyone of the vital importance of solidarity and generosity.