The mayor of the remote island of Tilos, Maria Kamma, shared a Facebook post describing an incident she had with a woman at the port of Tilos, following the arrival of 106 migrants who had been rescued by the coast guard.
In her post, the mayor of Tilos mentions the “two sides of the coin” during the arrival of the 106 rescued people.
On one side, according to Ms. Kamma, “men, crying and holding their small children in their arms, thanked the coast guards and tried to kiss their hands…” And on the other, a woman who was fishing with her husband, who, as the mayor noted, “asked for them to be thrown into the sea.”
In the end, when the woman tried to record the mayor on video, Ms. Kamma told her, “Madam, this island is not for you.”
The full post by the mayor of Tilos:
Tonight, at the port of Tilos, we were confronted with both sides of the coin… One hundred and six (106) refugees, including many children, were safely brought to our island. The scenes I witnessed personally broke me apart…
Men, crying and holding their small children in their arms, thanked the coast guards and tried to kiss their hands…
The coast guard officers, with great care, were lifting children and the injured off the boat. Police officers, medical and nursing staff were present, and island residents offered dry clothes, bread, shoes, and whatever else they could quickly gather… Unfortunately, there were many children and babies…
And suddenly, a “lady” who was fishing at the port with her partner, clearly had her vacation “ruined” by this commotion! She started yelling, “Where are you taking them? Why are you bringing them here?”
Thinking she disagreed with the registration process by the coast guard, I replied, “Madam, this is how it’s done; the coast guards take them to the port authority for registration.” But no!
“Throw them into the sea!” That was the “lady’s” wish! And she began lecturing me! That we must keep our country and land Greek, that we are Christians, and “they” have no place here! We should throw them out, throw them into the sea, where the coast guards brought 106 human souls. That was their crime! That’s why the woman was angry, folks! She watched the coast guards helping the children off the boat, and she got angry because they didn’t speak Greek and weren’t Christian children!!! We were thanking them, and she was close to insulting them!
And she had the audacity to want to record me on video because I dared to tell her how wrong she was. “Who do you think you are?” she said. I replied, “Who do you think you are? Tell me your name.” She gave me a name; I don’t know if it was real, but I honestly told her, and I’ll say it again:
Madam, this island is not for you!
