A young sans-papiers collapsed when the people were trying to enter the aliens police
While an increase in the numbers of asylum recognition rate are proudly presented refugees have no access to asylum in Greece.
Most sans-papiers concentrate in Athens. Some of them are tying for months to apply for asylum spending many days and nights in front of the aliens police without food, water and shelter only to come back the next week again. Since one month the Group of Lawyers for the Rights of Migrants and Refugees in Athens has started together with NGOs working in the refugee field and activist groups a campaign observing, reporting and denouncing the situation.
Refugees trying to get access to the aliens police of Athens to apply for asylum
see the link to the campaign
Every Saturday early in the morning the police allows only 20 refugees to enter the aliens police and apply for asylum while hundreds of others are waiting. In other cities access to asylum is restricted too.
On March 25, no one was allowed to access the aliens police
In Patras where many sans-papiers are living in Transit either in order to leave for Italy or for the mere fact that they have no money, no shelter and thus no other opportunity to live and survive in Greece the police does not accept asylum applications if the applicant cannot provide for an address notwithstanding the well-known fact that most sans-papiers in Patras are homeless. They cannot afford going to Athens to apply there, because it can take months until they succeed to do so. They have no money to stay in Athens and they fear the daily sweep operations.
see also greek articles about Petrou Ralli police station by Dina Daskalopoulou