Hunger Strike at Pagani Detention Centre

Unaccompanied Minors in the detention centre Pagani, august 20, 2009 On 18th of August 2009, 160 unaccompanied minors detained in Pagani detention centre went on hunger strike to demand their immediate freedom. All of them are detained in just one room, where they share one toilet, many need to sleep on the floor due to lack of beds. Some of the minors are only eight or nine years old. 50 of them have been detained for over 2 months, the others have been in Pagani for several weeks already. The detention of minors is illegal under greek law.

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Brief report from the field: Pagani emergency

The European elections, that took place during June 2009, brought the ultra right wing party “LAOS” to the fourth place for the first time in the recent Greek history. “LAOS” made a very open anti-migrant campaign based on the national security and immigration control. The support of this movement by the Greek media was and still is very obvious and, consequently, after the elections, the agenda that “LAOS” has set, has been adopted by several institutions and politicians across the political spectrum and mostly from the governmental parties, called “New Democracy” and “PASOK” (Greek Socialist Party).

One of the outcomes of the above mentioned conservative and xenophobic campaign was the very recent presidential decree 81/09, which assigns the examination of asylum claims exclusively to police directors. It further deprives asylum seekers of the right to have their asylum claim examined at second instance, in violation of European standards.

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Frontex in the Mediterranean

This article about the practices and strategies of Frontex concerning the European sea borders was published in the brochure Frontex – Widersprüche im erweiterten Grenzraum by the “Informationsstelle Militarisierung” in German. Here is a translated version without the references included in the original article.

Frontex in the Mediterranean – Of Grey areas and legalisations of a different kind

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Campsite

If you don’t want to sleep together with the mosquitoes then make sure that your tent has a mosquito net or bring one.

If you plan to bring your dog, the first thing you do you don’t bring the dog. But if you are already on the way, the first thing you do when you arrive is to speak with Fanis, the owner of the Kantina. Because his two dogs bark the whole night if another dog is around.

How to Lesvos As always: Check the page How to Lesvos for complete information. And you can always check the How To Lesvos Category for updates, also alvailable as RSS.

How To Lesvos: The Reader

how.to.lesvos.readerIf you wanna come, and you want to know what you should know bevor coming and during the camp, there is the perfect thing for you, right here: The “How to Lesvos Reader”.

How to Lesvos As always: Check the page How to Lesvos for complete information. And you can always check the How To Lesvos Category for updates, also alvailable as RSS.

Program

Yes! The program of the camp is online. Here is where you can find it.

Demonstration 13.08. Mytilini

The demonstration took place in the late afternoon. The route was from the center to the harbor, where the demonstration stopped to express loud and clear, and also written the disagreement with Frontex and the greek coast guard.

Normally Frontex and the greek coast guard have their landing here:

"Welcome Centre"

This was found in a newspaper from Lesvos called “EMPROS”. It shows a situation in the, so called “Welcome Centre”, the detention centre in Pagani.

Welcome Centre: Have you booked? I`m sorry we are full.

Request for freedom!!


Request for freedom from minor refugees after a hunger strike in Pagani prison, Lesvos. The Request is directed to the Authorities and to the European Union.

Deportation in Samos stopped

After the first successful prevention of the deportation of 23 refugees
in Evros on the 4th august 2009 in Samos, their was a second even
stronger action made by refugees themselves and not by organisations and
citizens.

On the 10th August there was the probably second time that
refugees were supposed to be transported to Athens and from there,
“only God knows”, where they would be brought. But the refugees in
Samos  got organized and made a hunger strike on the 5ht of august. They
refused loud to enter the police prison cars screaming out loud, that they
need help and screaming: no deportation – freedom. Some solidary
people went in front of the center but the transport was cancelled.

About w2eu

This is the blog of the antiracist network Welcome to Europe. It was formerly known as lesvos09.antira.info.

 

The name Welcome to Europe expresses the discontent and anger we feel when looking at the fatal realities of the European external border: the long documented deaths and suffering have continued for years, and no end is in sight. We stand for a grassroots movement that embraces migration and wants to create a Europe of hospitality.

 

We maintain our focus on the European external border in Greece, but will not limit ourselves to that geographical area. The right of freely roaming the globe has to be fought for everywhere. Join us!

 

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Voices from the Inside of Pagani (2009)

Watch the video