Open Arms turns 8 years old and we want to continue saving lives with you
When Open Arms was found, on this day 8 years ago on the Greek island of Lesbos, we were just two first lifeguards with binoculars and fins helping in one of the biggest humanitarian crises in history. For months we rescued, by swimming or with the few means we had, thousands of people who daily risked their lives in the Aegean Sea fleeing the war in Syria, or conflicts in countries like Iraq or Afghanistan.
That was the spark of an immense popular response thanks to the thousands of people who have supported, encouraged and accompanied us from the ground on this long journey of 8 years and we want to celebrate with you the lives of the almost 70,000 people that together we have put to safety.
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Despite the efforts of organized civil society, more than 28,000 lives have sunk into the largest liquid cemetery on the planet due to the deliberate inaction of the governments and institutions of #FortressEurope. How many more lives could have been saved with the involvement of the states?
In these years, only the solidarity and mobilization of citizens have demonstrated once again that the values of humanity, empathy and respect for human life are not a dead letter, but rather the fundamental pillars on which peaceful and democratic coexistence is based, and on which the #EU was once based.
Today we also celebrate all the people who, like you, have helped us get here. And we will continue with the commitment to save lives at sea and on land and to defend the rights of people in vulnerable situations, until legal and safe routes are guaranteed for all!
JOIN OUR CAUSE. THEY NEED YOU
Photography: Fernando del Berro
