The day they appeared he could hardly believe his eyes. Small boat after small boat bearing in from the Turkish side. 'I have so many memories that are coming back to me now,' says Paris Laoumis, 50, a hotelier on the Greek island of Lesbos. 'There were people from Syria, Afghanistan, many countries.' This was August 2015 and Europe was witnessing the greatest movement in population since the end of the Second World War. More than a million people would arrive in the EU over the next few months driven by violence in Syria, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq and elsewhere.
I witnessed the arrivals on Lesbos and met Paris Laoumis as he was busy helping exhausted asylum seekers near his hotel. 'I am proud of what we did back then,' he tells me. Along with international volunteers, he provided food and clothing to those arriving.
Today, the beach is quiet. There are no asylum seekers. But Paris is worried. He believes another crisis is possible. With the number of arrivals rising over the summer months, his country's migration minister has warned of the risk of an 'invasion,' with thousands arriving from countries such as Sudan, Egypt, Bangladesh, and Yemen.
During the summer of 2015, Germany experienced an unprecedented asylum influx after Angela Merkel's famous declaration of 'wir schaffen das' - we can do it. This proclamation of hope quickly turned into political contention, forcing Merkel to impose border controls due to rising public dissent.
The response to the migrant crisis across Europe has led to a dramatic shift in attitudes toward asylum seekers. Countries are increasingly adopting strict measures, demonstrating how swiftly public sentiment and political landscapes can change. Hungary, for instance, has fortified its borders and established policies that effectively hinder legal entry for refugees.
As we approach the ten-year mark since the peak of the crisis, the question remains: Can Europe maintain a balance between humanitarian obligation and national policy, or will the continent continue to fortify its borders in the face of growing desperation from conflict-ridden regions?
I witnessed the arrivals on Lesbos and met Paris Laoumis as he was busy helping exhausted asylum seekers near his hotel. 'I am proud of what we did back then,' he tells me. Along with international volunteers, he provided food and clothing to those arriving.
Today, the beach is quiet. There are no asylum seekers. But Paris is worried. He believes another crisis is possible. With the number of arrivals rising over the summer months, his country's migration minister has warned of the risk of an 'invasion,' with thousands arriving from countries such as Sudan, Egypt, Bangladesh, and Yemen.
During the summer of 2015, Germany experienced an unprecedented asylum influx after Angela Merkel's famous declaration of 'wir schaffen das' - we can do it. This proclamation of hope quickly turned into political contention, forcing Merkel to impose border controls due to rising public dissent.
The response to the migrant crisis across Europe has led to a dramatic shift in attitudes toward asylum seekers. Countries are increasingly adopting strict measures, demonstrating how swiftly public sentiment and political landscapes can change. Hungary, for instance, has fortified its borders and established policies that effectively hinder legal entry for refugees.
As we approach the ten-year mark since the peak of the crisis, the question remains: Can Europe maintain a balance between humanitarian obligation and national policy, or will the continent continue to fortify its borders in the face of growing desperation from conflict-ridden regions?
