“You do have a choice, you can make this world full of peace and love..”

Following the fighting at Vial camp a couple of days ago, I think about this sentence .. which was said to me in earnest by a young Syrian man; Samer on Chios.

He has little sympathy for the people fighting in Vial, he cant understand why they would make this journey (presumably to find peace) – and continue the violence of their home countries on European soil. I understand his point, but also I can understand the behaviour of the young men involved in the fighting. Samer says they have a choice and they chose to fight.

I have always said I have never felt threatened when on camp, and I stand by this 100%. However, I have seen fighting, usually very brief, the pressure building and exploding, then dissipating almost as quickly as it came. It could be: the wrong word said at the wrong time; a thoughtless action; a distribution gone wrong or just pent up frustrations among different cultures.

Vial is a place of intense heat, dust and eternal waiting, waiting, waiting. People are hungry and thirsty (given only 1.5 litre of drinking water per day), temperatures can reach over 35 degrees, some sleep outside, some sleep in excruciatingly hot tents, some have injuries, some have illnesses of the body or the mind (or both).. but all are waiting. Waiting for: their interview; their numbers to come up; their papers; their cartier; their passport; their appeal. They don’t know when any of these will be granted to them, they don’t know if they will be rejected and deported, their lives are in the hands of people far removed from their lives. The days and nights in Vial must be very long, and people are there for months and months.

I think I would go completely crazy in this situation, maybe I would fight (although I’ve never had a fight so I would probably lose drastically), maybe I would shout in the distribution line that my son needs shoes, maybe I would feel that the world was against me because of my; religion/my lack of religion/my skin colour/my nationality/my inability to communicate/ … maybe, probably, definitely all these words apply, how can I know really.

Now there are many young men in the prison, many people in the hospital, many people traumatised by what they have seen. An African man I know on the camp told me, it was like a movie and everyone was so scared, he said he has never ever seen anything like it in his life. He is a huge bear of a man, maybe 6ft 3inches, with a calm, understanding demeanor which tells you straight away… I can trust this man. He was worried about the families in the tents and those sleeping outside, they are so vulnerable with little protection from the violence. Many found it hard to sleep on Saturday night, trauma added to existing trauma.

The police eventually stopped the violence, and arrested people, the ambulances came for the injured. People involved in the violence will likely be kept in prison for a very long time.

Monday morning, around 30 hours after the fighting, I got a message from Samer, he had bought 100 roses, taken to Vial and given them to the staff there: the Police, the UN, the medical and legal staff .. one rose each. I was shocked, why would a Syrian refugee, who had been sent to prison for 3 months for simply being on the island after 2 asylum rejections. A man who was unsure whether the next action from the authorities would be to deport him .. why would he spend the little money he had on such an extravagant gesture. It made no sense to me.

He had managed to get to Vial early in the morning with the 100 roses of various shades, all handpicked with care. He had this planned for a while, and had already negotiated prices with the florist. Whilst at Vial, he went to all the staff and gave them each 1 rose. I do wonder what their reaction was when presented which such a unique gift, what there thoughts and reflections were afterward. I know all were surprised or even shocked, some with happiness, others with undisguised irritation. One guard told him – “go away Malaka” (wanker), but that was just 1 guard.

I spoke to Samer whilst he was still at Vial, unable to get back to the city in the sweltering heat, as his money had been spent on the roses.

I asked him why he had decided to do this. He told me that he wanted to change the mentality of people towards refugees, he wanted the staff at Vial to be given a small bit of love and he was captivated by the idea of his 100 roses adorning the drab, soul less buildings of Vial.

He told me, if only 1 person was touched and moved by his gesture, then he was happy. In many ways this is the same philosophy that I use, I know the work I do is literally a drop in the ocean when face with the enormity of the suffering in Vial and beyond – but I hope the ripples will spread.

I asked Samer how much he had spent on the roses, and how he would manage for the coming month, how he would buy food and phone credit. He told me he wouldn’t talk with me about money, and the conversation was finished abruptly.

He made his choice, that choice was and is love and peace, even in his life of intense uncertainty. I hope that the ripples of peace and love will have a positive affect on the pressure cooker that is Vial and beyond.