Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category

Page 22 of 53

Manolada: working in the strawberry fields…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0CvTw8sQ6o&feature=player_embedded#!

Video about racist police raid in Kipseli, Athens

This is a video produced by the Greek Police for today’s “stop and search” campaign in the area of Kypseli. To get a grip of the institutionalised racism of the greek state, one needs to pay attention to the video: in 4mins, there is noone stopped and searched who is not black or Asian. Absolutely none!

enet (in greek)

864 returns of migrants in April 2013 / 9.553 since August 2012

Another 864 migrants were returned to their home countries in April 2013. Since August 2012 a total of 9.553 were returned either forced or “voluntarily”.

I April 410 were deported (Albanian 97, Pakistani 92, Algerian 51, Iraqi 23, Egyptian 20, Georgian 18, Chinese 12, Moroccan 9 and 8 from Bangladesh) and 454 returned “voluntarily” with the support of IOM.

May 2nd 2013 / press release by the greek police (in greek)

We live like dogs and sleep in shifts

“We live like dogs and sleep in shifts”

detained-immigrants-grece

“We could die without anyone even learning about it. It is our fifth day on hunger strike in the detention facilities of the Police Station of Moshato. We live like dogs”, says Armen Mourantian: “We sleep in shifts in a room full of dirt. Six people sharing three mattresses. Three full rooms. In the fourth one, which is the largest, they have cornered more than 15 people”.

5th day of hunger strike in the detention facilities for immigrants in Moshato

It was already past midnight when the young Armenian made a phone call to ‘E’ in order to make a plea for help. “This moment we are aloud to make phone calls. We were arrested by men of DIAS group [special police group on motorbikes] in the street. Our papers were expired. None of us has been charged with theft or any felonies. We are held for 7-8 months with a deportation decision”. Continue reading ‘We live like dogs and sleep in shifts’

Lesvos: 17 refugees on hunger strike

We didn’t come for eating!

On Wednesday April 24, 17 refugees (12 from Afghanistan and 5 from Syria) detained by the coast guard of Lesvos started a protest against the detention conditions

First no one wanted to register them (thus without papers they cannot leave the island) and when they are finally arrested (in order to be registered), they remain detained under inhuman conditions. Among the refugees small children, sick persons, young mothers and other vulnerable groups. The 12 Afghan refugees on hunger strike have been detained now for more than 12 days in the yard of the coast guarrd where they are constantly exposed to the sun (30 degrees celsius).

foto: SK

foto: SK

Continue reading ‘Lesvos: 17 refugees on hunger strike’

2012 Annual Report of the Racist Violence Recording Network

Introduction
The present report consists of two parts: First, the quantitative and qualitative findings of recording incidents of racist violence, through interviewing victims, by organizations participating in the Racist Violence Recording Network during 2012; and, second the Network’s positions on state responses and initiatives to combat racist crimes, including the adoption or amendment of relevant legislation or initiatives to do so.
Continue reading ‘2012 Annual Report of the Racist Violence Recording Network’

watch: into the fire

Moroccan detainee jumps from second floor of Corinth detention center/ new hunger strike of detainees

On Thursday April 18 a Moroccan detainee jumped from second floor of Corinth detention center. He was transferred to hospital after falling on the cement. Authorities claimed he had fallen on a special mattress but his inmates saw him fall on the mere floor. While authorities claimed he had only slight injuries, his ankle is destroyed. The young man had started earlier together with other migrant detainees a hunger strike. Reportedly more and more detainees try to commit suicide. Only that day there have been 6 suicide attempts the hospital of Corinth informed!

The young Moroccan after falling from the second floor.

The young Moroccan after falling from the second floor.


Just a few days earlier detained migrants had threatened to jump of the roof but were talked off doing it. At the same time large numbers of detainees inCorinth and Amigdaleza had started refusing food. These protests emerged once again due to the anouncement of the authorities to keep them for another 3 months in prison. Many of them are detained since the summer 2012. In October 2012 the detention period for undocumented migrants had been increased from 6 to 18 months.164670_10151455150453681_854595770_n

avgi (in greek)
antarsia (in greek)

video: syrian refugees in greece 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdkrgIJ-5Ok&feature=player_embedded#!

Manolada: Migrant workers shot because they demanded their salaries

Manolada strawberry farmers shoot immigrants who demanded 6 months salaries. More than 20 wounded in hospital.
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The immigrant workers had reportedly gathered to demand six-months’ worth of unpaid wages when one of three work supervisors whom they were negotiating with shot them. About 20-30 of the 200 strawberry pickers from Bangladesh got injured. Local media reported that four of them are in a serious health condition. The employer has been arrested and investigations are going on.

Only one day later some of the in Patras hospitalised migrants instead of left to go home were arrested for lacking valid residence permits and transferred to detention for deportation.

Several thousand migrant workers (many of them reportedly undocumented) are empoyed as strawberry pickers in the area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkCJnXMU9eM
This is not the first time that immigrants in Nea Manolada have protested against harsh working conditions.

In 2008, immigrant farm workers staged a two-day strike (delaying the shipments of strawberries by at least a few days) to protest against harsh working conditions. Their strike exposed slave wage exploitation, shocking living conditions and prejudice.

The government at the time responded to the strike by ordering labour inspectors to crack the whip on farmers exploiting migrant workers in Nea Manolada.

Despite the country’s soaring rate of unemployment, agriculture is heavily reliant on immigrant labour.

In 2009, two farmers in Manolada, alleged to have tied two Bangladeshi immigrants to a motorcycle and reportedly dragged them through a central square.


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the press project (in greek)
left.gr (in greek)
tvxs (in greek)
ekathimerini (in english)
enet (in english)
keeptalkinggreece (in english)
press project (in greek)

older article (2012) on the exploitative working conditions of the Manolada strawberry farms (in greek with videos)