The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Protestors demand justice for Seán
HUNDREDS of people gathered outside the Greek embassy on Saturday at a rally to offer support to young Castlegregory man Sean Binder and his family in their continuing ordeal.
The event was one of a number of events staged in Berlin, Stockholm, London and Boston to provide support for Seán and his fellow humanitarian volunteers who are in captivity in a Greek prison.
A bus left West Kerry early on Saturday morning to bring people to the protest in Dublin and so many turned up that there wasn’t enough space on the bus and some had to travel by car. The West Kerry protestors met with a larger group in Dublin which incuded lecturers from Sean’s college days, MEP Lynn Boylan, and fellow students who expressed their dismay at his continuing incarcaration.
Sean was working as a volunteer with the NGO Emergency Response Centre on a humanitarian mission to assist refugees on the borders of Greece when he was accused of being involved in human trafficking and a list of other offences. Although he staunchly denies the accusations, Seán handed himself over to Greek authorities in August and was promptly jailed. Since then he has not been formally charged with any alleged criminal offences but the Greek legal system allows the authorities there to keep him in jail for up to 18 months without charges.
In a statement that was read out at the demonstration in Dublin on Saturday, Seán’s mother Fanny Binder said that after finishing his masters degree in London he chose to spend a year of his life volunteering on the island of Lesvos, offering his skills as a rescue diver and giving what help he could to support people in dire need.
“During a visit in May I saw him working double, sometimes triple shifts. He looked exhausted but happy,” Fanny said. “The fact he could make a difference, however small it was, inspired him to keep going. I was a little concerned but mostly very proud and happy that he was able to follow his passion and learn new skills.”
“On 21 August everything changed,” she added. “Seán’s dear friend and fellow volunteer, Sarah Mardini, was arrested at the airport on her way home to start a new semester at her college in Berlin. Seán was informed and called for questioning to Mytilene police station, on arrival he too was arrested and has been ever since.
“After his arrest my world was changed and it was impossible to stay in Ireland and continue a ‘normal life’. The only way I could get through this was being by his side and make sure he was safe.”
Fanny, said that spending the last eight weeks in Greece made her “unable to shut my eyes [to] what is happening at the edge of Europe”.
Adding that she was “so humbled by the support and help we receive from all of you”, she added: “Let’s make sure that nobody will be criminalised for helping others, that nobody goes to jail for caring about other humans and that Europe will continue to look, feel and care.”