Migrants from Moria: Merkel announces joint action with Paris
Activists set up 13,000 empty chairs, one for each migrant in Moria camp, in front of the Reichstag in Berlin, September 7, 2020. REUTERS / Hannibal Hanschke
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2 min
After the fire in the Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, pressure is mounting on European officials to find a solution to help the 13,000 migrants who are now homeless.
Angela Merkel announced Thursday evening that a Franco-German initiative would allow the transfer of unaccompanied minors to other European countries.
They would be 400.
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With our correspondent in Berlin,
Pascal Thibaut
Thirteen thousand chairs had been installed in Berlin in front of Parliament on Monday, one for each
migrant in the Moria camp
.
The NGO collective behind this action wanted to prevent public opinion from forgetting the dramatic situation on the Greek island of Lesbos.
48 hours later, the
Moria camp fire
and its consequences are at the heart of the debates in Germany.
The media devote their headlines to it.
Germans have taken to the streets for the past two days.
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See also: Moria fire in Greece: thousands of migrants find themselves homeless on the island of Lesbos
The mayors of ten major cities have written to Chancellor Merkel to offer to welcome migrants.
Several regions have done the same.
If the left is particularly in point, it is not alone.
Sixteen conservative deputies have in an open letter called for the reception of 5,000 migrants from Moria.
Pressure is mounting against the Minister of the Interior, who has certainly welcomed the care of unaccompanied minors, the consequence of a Franco-German initiative.
But Horst Seehofer has so far refused proposals from German cities and regions to host refugees and pleads for a European solution rather than a Germanic lone rider.
But if the pressure remains as strong, it will be very difficult for the German government to maintain its current position.
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Also to listen: Reception of migrants: "At European level, what we see above all are walls"
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International Migration
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Moria fire in Greece: thousands of migrants find themselves homeless on the island of Lesbos
Greece: a major fire ravages the Moria migrant camp in Lesbos
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