Author Archive for momo

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Press Release of the United African Women Organisation

Press release of the United African Women Organisation, Greece

We women, involved in United African Women Organization, Greece, express our deep concern, protest and anger for any type of clean – up actions that are in progress in the centre of Athens and other Greek regions.

Manny of us, years ago, have taken the road of exile, had in mind a distant country, Greece, where people honoured and respected the “stranger” as a holy person. Than, we became this “stranger” and during our evening classes, after work, we learned that there is an old god, to assist us in the difficult struggle for survival: the “Xenios Zeus.”

Today we hear that the old god he changed his mind and doesn’t want to protect us anymore.

We have always tried to build bridges between immigrant communities and the Greek society.
To seek what unites us, rather than what divides us and to highlight it.

To struggle with the Greeks, both men and women against poverty, absurdity as a single, dynamic community that claims their lawful rights.

In spite of those who cut the bridges, we want to continue to fight for the natural right of every person to safety, dignity and peaceful coexistence.

Each “sweep” that was preceded, allegedly as a clean-up, (like people are garbage and need to be swept). we women of Africa who live in Greece, want to turn it into a sweep against hate speech, pogroms, violence and fascist beliefs.

We do not want to be defeated by racism.
We do not want to loose all hope.
We do not want to start again from scratch a fight that should have been finished.

http://www.africanwomen.gr/
africanwοmen@yahoo.com

Police protects fascists, more racist attacks, more police pogroms, more clashes with fascists, by clandestina

Posted by clandestina on 2 October 2012

In the evening of Sunday, Sep 30th the third anti-fascist motorcycle patrol spotted nazis in the area of Amerikis Square in Athens and clashed with them. Soon thereafter, the anti-fascists were brutally attacked by the police. Many antifascists were injured and 23 arrested. Next day, approximately 300 people gathered in the courthouse of Athens in solidarity with the arrested. When the imprisoned anti-fascists exited the building to to be transferred back to the police HQ, the police attacked the gathering, chasing people inside the courthouse’s yard and then in the nearby streets. Approx. 20 more people were detained during the police operation. In total, 4 people were arrested and they will appear in the court on Tuesday morning.
Continue reading ‘Police protects fascists, more racist attacks, more police pogroms, more clashes with fascists, by clandestina’

Deportations from Greece – July, August and September 2012

In total the Greek police anounced that in the months of August and September 2.135 foreginers have been returned to their countires of origin of which 1.259 were deported by the Greek police (459 Pakistanis, 272 Bangledeshis, 187 Albanians). 876 persons returned with the IOM voluntary return programmes. All returns are funded by the European Return Fund.
In July the police had anounced that there had been 819 returns without any differenciation on „voluntary“ of „involuntary“.

see press releases of the greek police (in greek):
of October 1, 2012
of August 1, 2012

“Xenios Dias” police sweep now in Patras

In the early morning hours of Monday Okctober 1, 2012 the authorities of Patras together with police from other areas started one of the biggest police raids that the town has seen. As the media wrote, the arrested might get transferred into the detention centre of Korinthos, in Patras and other cities/ villages around.

busses wait to transfer the arrested into detention centres

The currently 320 provisory arrested are closed up until now in one building of the Patraiki Peiraiki Factory in Patras were the police register them. As reported among them 208 have no legal residence in Greece- The ones who have no valid papers will be transferred with busses into detention.

The police sweep is still not completed and might be continued also tomorrow.

the arrested persons were transferred and registered inside the factory of Patraiki Peiraiki


read (in greek):
patras times (in greek)
the best news (in greek)
press release by the greek police

Read the Press Release of the Solidarity group of Patras from 03.10.12 (in english)

Dublin II: Reform instead of Abolishment

The following article on “the next reform of Dublin II” was published on Septmeber 19, 2012

Asylum seekers in the EU would be better protected, and would not be transferred to EU countries where there is a risk of inhuman or degrading treatment, under changes to EU asylum legislation endorsed by the Civil Liberties Committee on Wednesday. Parliament is expected to adopt the new law by the end of the year.

The changes would update the “Dublin” regulation, which lays down criteria for determining which member state is responsible for examining an application for international protection. This is necessary to prevent asylum seekers from filing multiple applications or applying to a state of their choice after transiting through other EU countries. The regulation also precludes situations in which asylum seekers are sent from one state to another, with none accepting responsibility. Usually, the country deemed responsible is that through which the asylum seeker first entered the EU.
Continue reading ‘Dublin II: Reform instead of Abolishment’

more arrivals in the Aegean – more Syrian refugees

Following a police crackdown in Evros region since August 2012 the influx of undocumented immigrants into the country from the land border with Turkey has virtually stopped. Meanwhile the number of refugees and migrants entering the country via the Aegean has skyrocketed, with some 60 percent of total arrivals coming from strife-torn Syria.
In the Aegean dozens of refugees and migrants are arriving on the islands every day. Local authorities there are complaining of a lack of personnel, infrastructure and funding to deal with the people.

Meanwhile statistics released by the Greek police show that 60 percent of immigrants detained in the Aegean and in the northeastern port of Alexandroupoli, in Evros, since the beginning of September are from Syria. In the same period last year, only 1.5 percent of detained migrants were Syrian.

ekathimerini (in english)

Xenophobes Find Police Protection in Greece, by Apostolis Fotiadis / IPS News

Xenophobes Find Police Protection in Greece
By Apostolis Fotiadis / IPS News

ATHENS, Sep 19 2012 (IPS) – Panahi Gholamhousein (22), an Afghan refugee who spends his days in a room that is barely five square metres with his wife Zarmina (18) and their 19-month-old daughter Zahra, has hardly left his place in downtown Athens since he was beaten up and robbed nearly a month ago.
Continue reading ‘Xenophobes Find Police Protection in Greece, by Apostolis Fotiadis / IPS News’

Four new detention centres for Lesvos, Samos, Chios and Rhodos planned

Authorities are planning to set up four new reception centers for immigrants on islands of the Aegean (Chios, Lesvos, Samos and Rhodos) to cope with the rising influx of migrants and refugees into Greece by sea that has been prompted by more effective policing along the Turkish land border. The Greek police announced that in the period between August 1st and September 17, 2012, 44 arrivals of refugee boats were registered with a total of 831 refugees being arrested on the Aegean islands.

The decision to set up the centres was taken during a meeting on Monday between Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, Defense Minister Panos Panayiotopoulos, Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias and Merchant Marine Minister Costas Mousouroulis. The aim is as they say to prevent the incoming migrants from traveling to the mainland until they are deported. Government officials also reportedly decided to intensify inspections by coast guard vessels and members of the European Union border monitoring agency, Frontex, along the sea borders.

Minister of Citizen Protection Dendias also presented to Samaras a plan code-named “Ioni” aimed at dealing with an anticipated influx of refugees from Syria ad deterring them form entering Greece. According to sources, the plan outlines three scenarios, foreseeing the refugees’ arrival in Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. In either of the latter two cases, Greek authorities would help the neighboring countries. In the event that the refugees arrive in Greece, the plan is to temporarily detain them on Crete. Turkey is believed to be accommodating 83,000 Syrian refugees though authorities have indicated they cannot host more than 130,000. Reports suggest that around 250,000 Syrians have fled their homeland.

The old detention centres of Chios and Samos are already in the hands of the police and a planned amount of 95.000 was decided to be invested for their renovation following complaints of local police officers concerning the devastating state of the buildings. On Lesvos island the police officers also filed complaints about the detention conditions in the overcrowded police stations. As they said in the main police station of Mytilini there were 60 persons detained instead of the possible maximum of 28.

Meanwhile during one of the most recent arrivals on September 13, 2012, of sans-papiers on Agathonisi island half of the 58 passengers who had not managed to disembark when a Frontex patrol boat arrived together with a boat of the greek coast guard almost drowned when they were afraid to be pushed back into the Turkish sea and jumped into the sea.
On September 9, 2012 another 16 sans-papiers had arrived on Symi island.
At the same time the police reported on September 5, that arrivals in Evros have been reduced by 84%.

See:
enikos.gr (in greek)
ekathimerini (in english)
samos times (in greek)
embros newspaper of Mytilini (in greek)
embros newspaper of Mytilini (in greek)
rodiaki (in greek)
greek police statistics of reduced arrival in evros (see table in greek)

Migrants’ shop attacked by fascists in Athens

A group of 7 yet unrecognised fascists fired on Sunday 9th at an immigrants’ hairdresser shop. They broke the glass front of the store. Reportedly the perpetrators then stabbed a customer who had tried to stop them. The client, a taxi driver, had to be hospitalised. Also another two employees of the hairdresser were injured. Then the perpetrators put the saloon on fire.
The salon located Matamorfosi, Athens, belongs to Pakistanis, who according to reports had already before received repeated threats to close up their shop and leave.

Source: left.gr

UN rights chief worried about Greece due to violent xenophobic attacks against migrants

The UN’s top human rights official has, in an usual move, singled out Greece as a worrisome area.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told the Geneva-based council Monday that she is worried about

“violent xenophobic attacks against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in recent months, for example in Greece.”

Racist attacks against immigrants have increased in Greece since the economic crisis flared in 2009, according to pro-immigrant groups which accuse the police of turning a blind eye.

Supporters of neofacist Chrysi Avgi (Golden Dawn) as well as two of the party’s deputies, Giorgos Germenis and Panayiotis Iliopoulos, attacked immigrants’ stalls at a church fate in Rafina, northeast of Athens, late Friday.

Pillay’s assessment of the world is important because it sets the tone for the work of the UN’s 47-nation Human Rights Council whose month-long session opened Monday.

ekathimerini (in english)

Read a recent comment on the rise of the fascist party Chrissy Avgi (golden dawn) by S.E. Smith in “global comment”