31 Ocak 2019 Perşembe

Youngsters to walk around Europe, raising awareness about the plight of refugees at the Turkish-Greek border

YOUNG PEOPLE aim to raise more awareness of the plight of refugees in the Turkey-Greece border by walking across Europe this coming weekend.

These young men and women say refugees have been living under severe cold snaps and there seems to be little care or regard from those in political office.

Mehmed Gokcel (22), a Romania citizen with Turkish roots who has been living in London for years and has been a student of politics, is among the organizers of the event called: “Walk across Europe to help refugees in Greece.”

He climbed Mount Snowdon in May 2018, the highest mountain in Wales and the highest point in the British Isles, to support the campaign for refugees in Athens.

Gokcel said together with his friends they had raised £5,000 through a charity organization called “Time to Help” and subsidized refugees living in Athens, incorporation with locals.

His father was a professor of sociology in Turkey before the university was shut down by a presidential decree after the July coup attempt in 2016 and was dismissed from his post.

The group includes youths with Turkish, Albanian, Pakistani origins who now reside in London. They mainly focus on helping Turkish nationals in Greece, who fled persecution back in Turkey, as a part of a political crackdown on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s dissidents.

“I listened to the stories of people fleeing Turkey who had been living in tough circumstances after they reached other parts of Europe and felt obliged to do something to help,” Gokcel said.

He told a story of Turkish asylum seekers he met in Athens last year, witnessing what he calls “heartbreaking.”

Two families were living in the same small apartment, children were sleeping on the floor, he remembers.

“We couldn’t solve their problem completely but our visit was far more than moral support,” said the young volunteer.

Gokcel and his friends are now planning another visit to Athens at the end of February, to help more families in need.

Open your hearts and assist

These brave and charitable said they expect more people to support their campaign. By walking this weekend in Europe, they have set a target of raising £50,000. 

The walk will start this Saturday in Brussels, Belgium, then to Luxemburg and finish up in Germany. By the time they finish, they would have clocked 50 kilometres and an estimated 12 hours.

“We will try to understand the struggle and hardship refugees face when crossing from Turkey into Greece during dark and cold winter months,” Gokcel said.

Hamza Shah (21), a retail supervisor with a degree in Economics, will be joining the walk together with friends and family.

He was born in London and has Pakistani roots. He said he met some Turkish people in London following the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, where the government accused Gulen movement of trying to topple Erdogan.

Alleged followers of the movement have been labelled as terrorists by the Turkish government. 

Shah said: “I heard stories of children losing their parents, fathers dying in prison unlawfully, and a teacher whose innocence was proved only after his death in prison. Many teachers, doctors lost their jobs. I listened to many heartbreaking stories.”

After seeing the huge humanitarian crisis in the wake of a mass crackdown in Turkey, he reacted by bidding to help people.

He is planning to visit Athens in March to meet asylum seekers living in hard conditions.

“Humans look after each other to save humanity,” he said. Shah lashed out at the way some Turks are persecuted.

“Anyone can be forced out of their home. This situation can happen to anyone,” he said, urging donors to help those people.

I drew the pictures of freedom in the cell, with a brush made-of my own hair: Turkish teacher

The post Youngsters to walk around Europe, raising awareness about the plight of refugees at the Turkish-Greek border appeared first on IPA NEWS.



from IPA NEWS https://ipa.news/2019/01/31/youngsters-to-walk-around-europe-raising-awareness-about-the-plight-of-refugees-at-the-turkish-greek-border/
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