Summer of Solidarity - Winter of Deterrence [Episode 4]

Wednesday, Feb 25, 2026

EFSYN

Reflect on Lesbos’ 2015 refugee crisis, tracing shifts from open borders to current European migration challenges and solidarity.

🔗 Read the article on efsyn.gr

[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]

Ten years after the summer of 2015, Lesbos is remembered for a period that marked both the island and Europe when over 850,000 refugees and migrants arrived at Greek islands, with Lesbos serving as a main transit point; local residents spontaneously mobilized in acts of solidarity. This episode tracks the transition from the Balkan route and open borders to their closure, the EU-Turkey agreement, and the entrapment of tens of thousands of people, concluding with the current focus on deterrence and returns, where refugee lives are lost to criminal operations in the Aegean and Mediterranean. The reflection serves as a reminder that 2015 is relevant for shaping a future of humanity and solidarity.

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