Euro MPs call for Nobel Peace prize to go to Greek islanders
A group of 18 members of the European Parliament, including 14 Greek politicians, have called for this year's Nobel Peace prize to go to residents of Greece's Aegean islands for their efforts in handling an influx of migrants and refugees.
In a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which selects the recipients for the annual prize, the MEPs underlined the sacrifices that have been made by residents of islands such as Lesbos that have borne the brunt of the influx of desperate people.
The letter praised the islanders for "understanding the misery of the refugees and standing by them, without a second thought." "The daily images of residents plunging into the freezing waters to save innocent leaves must not leave us unmoved. Their honesty and their heroic self-sacrifice must not go unnoticed."
The signatories include the prominent Greek conservative MEPs Eliza Vozemberg, Giorgos Kyrtsos and Maria Spyraki and leftists Dimitris Papadimoulis, Constantina Kuneva and Stelios Kouloglou. Jean Lambert, the Green Party's MEP for London and German socialist Gabriele Zimmer also signed the letter.
