A new documentary shows the dystopian nightmare of trying to help refugees while the authorities will do anything to stop you.
Against rising enmity, refugee rights activists face a daunting political—and personal—struggle. “I think she’s not feeling great about the state of things,” Feldman says of Sara. “At least the time we’ve sort of done these Q&As around the film, she was just like: ‘It’s really depressing.’” Sara is not asking people to go to the Mediterranean and save people, Feldman says. Instead, her message is for more kindness and empathy.
In the documentary, Sara explains that authorities accused her and others of being spies “because our team in Greece communicated with encrypted software like WhatsApp.” The money laundering allegations relate to fundraisers for projects in refugee camps, Sara says, while accusations of being migrant smugglers were made because “we were providing medical care, water bottles, and blankets on Lesbos’ shorelines.
While making the film, Feldman says, she “didn’t expect that mental health would become such a big part of it.” But unavoidably, the burden of tireless activism coupled with the threat of jail and even widespread hostility toward your cause is fatiguing.
If the appeal succeeds, their misdemeanor trial could start afresh. They also remain under investigation for what Amnestyas “unfounded felony charges carrying up to 20 years in prison.” They’re not alone. Hundreds of others across Europe face punishment for their attempts at showing help or solidarity with refugees, “including pensioners, mountain guides, priests, young activists, boat captains and more,” according to Amnesty.
“This is horrible,” Feldman says. “It’s not the world we want to live in. It’s not the world I want to raise my children in.”
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