Tag Archive for 'igoumenitsa'

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“You always wish it’s your last day here in Komunisia.” – interview

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

Interview with the two refugees A. and Y., from Sudan
21st of May 2011, Komunisia
by Infomobile

A. and Y., refugees from Sudan talk about their living-conditions in Igoumenitsa, the second largest port from Greece towards Italy. We are sitting in the mountain, looking at the port-area of “Komunisia” how the refugees call it. A few hundred refugees from all war-zones of the world are living on this mountain. Some days ago, at the 3rd of May, the refugees’ settlements in the mountain have been attacked by fascists out of a demonstration.

Waiting room Komunisia: One minute feels like one year on this mountain

Afterwards the police drew an invisible ‘red line’ and prevented refugees from entering the city. More than 450 refugees have been arrested in May 2011 – double than the average monthly arrests of 2010. Police guards the garbage cans and so the refugees are starving from hunger. We are sitting on this mountain in Europe and we hope for their chance to go!

Continue reading ‘“You always wish it’s your last day here in Komunisia.” – interview’

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

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

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