E9: Greece and the EU drowned desperate people in the Mediterranean — and lied about it

Last Friday, a groundbreaking report exposed the lies of both the EU and the Greek government. It revealed a systematic campaign of violent and illegal expulsions of migrants trying to get to Europe. The perpetrator: the Greek Coast Guard and FRONTEX, the EU border control.

The report, from independent research agency Forensic Architecture, shows that since March 2020 the Establishment pushed back 27,464 asylum seekers trying to cross the Mediterranean, leaving them to die in the sea. It documents over 1000 cases of illegal and brutal expulsions, including 26 occasions when authorities threw people directly into the water. Two of these people were *handcuffed*.

The practice of pushbacks against desperate people is against every international commitment that Greece has made. The Greek government has consistently denied it, calling it ‘fake news’. This new report shows they’re lying — with the full knowledge of the EU.

Why is Europe so intent on keeping desperate people from crossing its borders in the Mediterranean, while welcoming (as it should) refugees from Ukraine? And, most importantly, how do we stop our governments from committing these crimes and hold them accountable? 

Our panel, including Yanis Varoufakis, Julijana Zita and Erik Edman, investigate.

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