Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category

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Minister of the Protection of the Citizen plans increased militarisation of borders in Igoumenitsa

Published on May 6, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , .

The Minister of the Protection of the Citizen, Mr. Papoutsis, on Thursday (5th of May) discussed in a meeting with the mayor of Igoumenitsa, Giorgos Katsinos and the parliamentarian of Thesprotia prefecture form PASOK party, Christos Katsouras, about improving the co-operation among the Greek police and the Greek coast guard, the strenghtening of controls in the area and possibilities to get rid of the migrants in Igoumenitsa. The increasing controls will be practiced according to the German example of internal border controls (30km zone along the borders) in order to avoid to undermine the Schengen Treaty. The Ministry is trying to find places in all over Greece in order to build up so called first reception centres (translation: detention and deportation centres). This means: more police, more coast guard officers, more controls, more arrests, more detention centres, more sans-papiers in detention, more deportations…! Is this the “human solution” the local government of Igoumenitsa and the people attending the protest against the migrants at the 3rd of May were asking for?

See (in Greek):
http://tvxs.gr/news/τοπικά-νέα/συνάντηση-παπουτσή-για-τους-μετανάστες-της-ηγουμενίτσας
http://news.kathimerini.gr/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_1_06/05/2011_441150

Third protest against migrants in Igoumenitsa more violent than before

Published on May 3, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , .

Some of the Greek protesters that had closed the gates of the international port of Igoumenitsa today (3rd of May) expressed their anger against the migrants who live around the port area in the mountains and the olive tree fields with fascist slogans such as: “burn them! kill them!”. A small group of 3-4 Neonazis threw some flares/fire towards the informal settlement of the sans-papiers on the mountain. The migrants tried to defend their provisory shelters by throwing stones. The police answered the confrontation with violence and tear gas hunting the sans-papiers up to the mountain. The protest was organised by a initiative of “outraged citizens” but the call for action was joined by the president of the mayor of town and the president of the chamber of commerce of Thesprotia prefecture and the local bar association in order to struggle for a “more human town” and “not against the migrants” as they tried to convince the media after the violent outburst during the protest!!!! The local economy is obviously fearing that the presence of sans-papiers might disturb the coming tourist season….

See more Infos (in Greek):
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1286549

FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT IS EVERYBODY’S RIGHT!

Published on May 3, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed

Fascists attacked Somali Community Centre at the 9th of April, 2011

Published on May 3, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , .

Press Release of the community concerning the fascist violence, state repression and the problems of Somali refugees:

Somali Community Denounces Fascist Attacks – PR (in English)

Migrant Street Vendors in Thessaloniki hunted by police – PR 20.04.2011

Published on May 3, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , .

Press Release of the Antiracist Group Thessaloniki concerning the police raids of the last weeks in the centre of Thessaloniki
Street vendors from a variety of countries face since years severe repressive measures in the urban centres of Greece, since they have no opportunity to get work permits for their trade. At the same time informal street vending is one of very few ways to economically survive in Greece. The street vendors from Bangladesh denounced the situation at the 11th of April in the municipal council of Thessaloniki.
Antiracist Group Thessaloniki – Public Release about Street Vendors (in Greek)

09.05.2011: Protest infront of the Ministry of the Protection of the Citizen, Athens

Published on May 1, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , .

The Afghan and the Irani hunger strikers call for a common protest infront of the Ministry of the Protection of the Citizen at the 9th of May 2011.
In their common declaration they denounce the under-functioning of the asylum committees and the ongoing policy of zero asylum recognitions. Although the government had announced that 17 committees would start their work in the proceeding of asylum claims in the beginning of 2011 there are until now only 3 working and even these have additional technical and practical problems such as lacking money for ink!
Call for common protest by Afghan and Iranian refugees (in Greek)

Igoumenitsa: penalties for sans-papiers seeking asylum

Published on May 1, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , .

In a press release the Greek NGO Aitima denounced at the 30th of April, that the authorities of Igoumenitsa had declared to their lawyer that each sans-papiers seeking asylum in the city would be arrested. These inhuman practice was applied for the first time at the 29th of the same month when a Sudanese sans-papiers put his asylum claim. He is now in the prison of Igoumenitsa.
The repression goes on….

Press Release of Aitima NGO:
PR: Aitima 30.04.11

hunger strike in Soufli detention centre since 28th of April!!!!!

Published on April 30, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , .

12 refugees detained in Soufli border guard station in the region of Evros started at the 28th of April 2011 a hunger strike in protest against the detention conditions and demanding freedom. Among them are: 5 Iranians, 3 Iraqis, 2 Syrians, one Turk and one Nigerian. Six of them are asylum seekers. The average detention time of the hunger strikers varies from 10 days to more than 5 months!!!!!
Due to the inhuman and degrading detention conditions in Soufli border guard station which has an official capacity of 25, but hosts in average around 130-160 sans-papiers or even more, the hunger strike becomes more and more difficult and dangerous for their lives. The struggling refugees drink only water, salt and sugar, which they have to buy in order to have access. Out of the originally 12 strikers, thus, now have remained 7.

See the latest article about the hunger strike (in Greek):
http://tvxs.gr/news/ελλάδα/σε-απεργία-πείνας-μετανάστες-κρατούμενοι-στο-σουφλί-έβρου

27.04.2011: New wave of police raids in the centre of Athens

Published on April 29, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , .

At the 27th of April 2011 a new wave of police raids started in the centre of Athens. The repression against the sans-papiers continues. The police of deterrence is expressing itself in the most violent ways…..
http://www.enet.gr/?i=news.el.article&id=270792

Igoumenitsa: Tensions on the rise – in advance of May 3rd 2011

Published on April 29, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , .

After a preparative meeting the municipality of Igoumenitsa, the local initiative “struggle” (consisting of inhabitants that live in the areas Ladohori and Grekohori where many of the homeless sans-papiers live too amonge the olive trees of the Greeks and on the mountain) and some other groups and organisations of the city announced that they will close the international ferry-port at the 3rd of May 2011 to protest against the many sans-papiers who daily try to leave Greece through the second largest port of exit. The desperate refugees live under degrading conditions in the mountains along the rims of the city. Recently rising conflicts among them and the reigning chaos along and inside the port have been used to spark the fire on migration issues in the city: specifically this lead to re-intensified protest mobilisations by the local population, fascist propaganda and growing measures of repression by the authorities.
http://www.thebest.gr/news/index/viewStory/64858
http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/9/40912