Fleeing Syria Our World

seek refuge abroad. We have gone to Greece where thousands of Syrians

have made the dangerous journey to Europe only to find themselves

Syrians are taking huge risks trying to get to Europe. If you're

in the hands of people smugglers you have little choice. Refugees

are throwing themselves into the sea... In a desperate bid to get

picked up and then dumped in Greece. How much longer are you going to

keep these people out here in the cold and the rain? And, even if

they make it, they're likely to end Escape from Syria begins with

refugees crossing the border. Here, into Turkey. They are tired and

angry. There warned that accommodation in refugee camps is

limited. -- they are. A fight breaks out among the men. A woman

vents her frustration on us. you take photo? Two years you take

photos. What are you doing? Nothing. Nothing! The people are dying.

Nothing! The refugee camp on the border has a depressing look of

permanence about it. Over the last two years 2 million Syrians have

fled their country. And with no end to the conflict inside, you could

be forgiven for wanting to rebuild their lives elsewhere -- they could.

Today, the camp his fault. -- is full. And those turned away set off

Some will join the tens of thousands of Syrians in Turkey who

are trying to make it on their own I went to meet the Ramu family at

night after the workers among them got home. The family escaped from

41-year-old Mohammed, a tailor back home, has been told he's too old to

find work. Two of the teenagers have jobs at a shoe warehouse. The

work's OK, says 13-year-old Ahmed, but the payee is bad and there's no

food for the family tonight. -- Those with money don't stay long.

They leave the border area with their hopes pinned on the countries

They go over 1,000 kilometres north-west to Istanbul. The ancient

crossroads between East and West. And the gateway to Europe through

Greece. But the Greeks are unwilling to give visas or asylum

to Syrian refugees arriving at the official border crossings. It's

here that the Syrian refugees must link up with the gangs of people

smugglers operating in the city. They then organise a journey that

will be expensive, and will involve huge risk. They start in a district

of the city where they will find people they can do business with.

They go west to meet up with smugglers in the Turkish border

From where they cross the River The river is over one kilometre

currents. The smugglers push them in rubber boats from the Turkish

side. And then they are on their The Greek police gave us these

pictures to illustrate how they rescue refugees who get into

trouble. One family told us a very different story, though. How, to

their horror, when they got to the Greek side, the police separated

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 44 seconds

them and push them in a boat back Many don't make it. On a hill on

the Greek side there's a cemetery. 400 freshly dug individual graves

of those who have died in the attempt to cross the River Evros

over the last two years. Here at the end they find friends in Greece,

among local Greek Muslims who bury The Greek police also publish

pictures showing their search for bodies in the river. They denied

pushing the refugees back. But then, Operation Shield is designed to

defend the borders of Greece, Europe's front line against illegal

immigration. The Greek police are helped by other European forces.

Germans, Dutch, Latvians and Romanians patrolled the River area

today. Where the border extends beyond the river, there's now a

formidable fence. Recently finished, and designed to close a crossing

once used by 90% of illegal immigrants entering Europe. A year

ago this was the preferred route for Syrians trying to get into

Greece. Syrians are now having to choose another and more dangerous

Starting from Istanbul again, the refugees are more likely to pay to

be taken by road to Turkey's western Mediterranean coast --

today. From where the border with Greece runs along the Aegean Sea.

It's just 12 kilometres to the nearest Greek island, Lesbos. An

easy and pleasant ferry ride, if you have money, a visa, or European

passport. Which is why no Syrians joined me on the journey. Back in

Izmir town, the smugglers insists the Syrians begin their crossing

from the Turkish side at night. -- Deysem is head of the Kurdish

community in Izmir town. He was at the scene as the bodies are 66

crowned Kurdish Syrians were The drownings which took place in

Just a few weeks ago, Adib received a call from the coastguard at

Lesbos to come and collect the bodies and belongings of his

brother's family. His brother, sister-in-law and three children

drowned. The body of the youngest It was while he was searching for

his family that he meant survivors of boats that had also gone down. -

Refugee support organisations are receiving many reports of boats

being deliberately pushed back from reach into Turkish Waters, a charge

that the Greek coastguard deny. But these pictures show Refugees

behaving recklessly. They say the only way they can stop the

coastguard from pushing them back is to scuttle their votes and hope

they are rescued from the sea. -- scuttle the boat. Whatever is

happening, it is certain that hundreds of people have drowned.

Here, the frontiers of Greece are patrolled by the Pan European

border police. Frontex. I asked the remaining crew if they pushed the

boats back into Turkey. It is part of our policy not to disclose...

He clearly did not want to talk about it, preferring instead to

tell me how?I?� tell me how found a group of refugees who had

become stranded on an uninhabited One of the refugees who lit the

fire that morning takes up the Eventually, the Greek coastguard

collected 40 refugees from the island. 25 Afghans and who been

Syrians. They are picking up dozens every day and as summer continues,

with no end to the killing in Syria, there will be many more. The

Syrians are Christians who fled from ricin was some extremism. Some

have families back at home and do not want to be identified. They

want to go to the countries of northern Europe and a bitter that

Volunteer doctors check the new arrivals. There have been recent

cases of tuberculosis. Bizarrely, a consignment of footwear arrives.

But the Syrians and Afghans have been here that will hours and

neither food nor shelter has been offered by the authorities. Why,

when they knew they were coming, is everybody so on but had? I cannot

find any explanation. There is no reason why we are so are prepared,

so confused, why we are not doing anything for them. I think it is a

political choice to be like this. The authorities are trying to deter

future refugees from coming to Greece but in the meantime, Efi

Lasoudi, who co-ordinates local volunteers says people need to be

looked after. Sometimes it can be 80 people, sometimes 100. What can

we do? Some weeks ago, we had 86 people. Women, children, pregnant

women. And they were all sleeping there in the rain and we were

trying to feed them. They get their first meal in 24 hours but there is

still no news of shelter. Heavy rain is forecast and most of this

place in the one van provided is taken by families with children.

The new arrivals have been soaked at sea and now get they separate

drenching. -- now get an extra drenching. I ask the coastguard

what is happening. If how much longer will you keep these people

out in the cold and rain? Have you told then what distress these

people are in? It will get colder as the night progresses. If they

are coming. Someone is coming to help? Yes.They will take them away

for the night? Yes? Going somewhere. Somewhere to sleep.

But nobody comes to collect them and they settle down on the

waterfront for an uncomfortable night.

They are locked in, just metres from the bright lights of the city.

It is one of the most popular holiday islands of Greece. Refugees

have been held on the island what seems like these witnessed by

tourists have brought harsh criticism from the UN and EU. As a

result, there have been some changes. Two weeks after arriving,

the Afghans have to stay. But the Syrians have been taken on to an

overnight ferry for a crossing to the mainland. From there, they go

on to Athens. For the majority who make it this far, the road ends in

the Greek capital. There, things can get worse.

Golden Dawn, a party with an anti- immigration agenda, is the third

most popular in Greece today, with support among a people reduced by

austerity measures and with little sympathy for outside as he need

help. -- outsiders who need help. The party has been blamed for

recent attacks on immigrants. After two attempts, she and her family

got across the river to Athens but now they face another threat. Like

all Syrians, they do not want to stay. They gave all the money they

had left to another people smuggler for safe passports to get them to

The family is now stranded in a one-room apartment paid for by the

Syrian community here. The all the boys do not dare leave the

apartment for fear of arrest. -- the older boys. All those found

entering the country illegally are detained. This man had made it

across a river, barely escaping with his life, but was picked up at

a cafe in Athens and was taken to He was held for weeks in prison and

then transferred to a detention Thousands of Syrians have been

arrested and detained in Greece over the last few years. Only two

out of the hundreds who have applied have been given asylum. A

European Commission report recently said that the conditions endured by

Syrians in Greece are unacceptable. The Greek government says that they

A constant plea I heard from Syrians to the Greeks is, if you

will not help us, at least let us It is the misfortune for those