In Vathy of Samos, the mobilization of local initiatives was successful. After 3 hours of seizure of the catapult, the ship departed for Theofilos to Kavala without the deportation of 60 refugees (Afghans and Somalis). The mobilization was very exiting with the refugees being synchronized through the crates with the collateral shouting “freedom”.
(Indy.gr, 04-08-09)
the border is the problem…
Welcome To Europe presents the blog formerly known as lesvos09.antira.info
The greek government has this “six point plan” about how to deal with what they refer to as illegal migration. You can read more about it at the website of our friends from Thessaloniki.
The first point reads as follows:
A ship of sufficient tonnage to be used as a first reception and transport centre. This ship will sail near the islands of the Aegean where illegal migrants have been arrested, it will take them on board and carry them to the reception centres already in, or due to be put into, operation. The ship must be equipped with the necessary logistics infrastructure so as to ensure a complete health check of illegal migrants and to cross-check their identification data in order to ascertain their country of origin reliably and in a timely manner.
Apparently, this ship has already been chartered, but is still in the process of being refitted: they need to build cells and such. The plan however is clear, the greek government wants to centralise the internment of refugees. A couple of days ago, there was the attempted deportation of 62 refugees from Lesvos to a detention centre in mainland Greece. As you can read at occupiedlondon blog, this failed miserably due to intervention of antiracist activists.
As soon as embarkation started, the guards created a cordon around the migrants and started to lead them on foot toward the catapult of the boat. The sixty of us who were there jumped in front of them, blocking with banners and with our bodies their entrance to the boat. At the same time, we shouted slogans and handed out texts to the people that continued entering and exiting the boat. Following an initial surprise, the return of the migrants back to the bus that transferred them was decided. We held our positions exchanging slogans with the migrants who slowly started to realise what was going on and in turn started to shout and to wave.
You can find more pictures at Athens Indymedia.
Yet another longer article on the situation in Greece.
It has been around a year and a half now since the first attempt of the state to demolish the self-made Afghani refugee camp in Patras, which was prevented due to a vast and eminent solidarity movement. Nevertheless, the public authorities struck back and eventually succeeded to fulfil their initial plan on the dawn of Sunday 12th of July. This action can be only described as part of a major concrete plan of “zero tolerance” designed and declared by Markoyannakis, the Minister of Public Order of Greece.
The operation was initially planned to take place the night before, yet it was decided to postpone for a day in order for riot police reinforcements to arrive from Athens. At around 3.30 a.m. on Sunday numerous riot police forces swamped the whole area surrounding the refugee camp. By 5 a.m. they had already blocked every street leading to the camp inducing a climate of terror in the area. Only 150 immigrants were still there, by that point knowingly unable to defend themselves and their vestige shelter after weeks of continuous repression, arrests and terror deriving from the state. Some managed to flee the camp only moments before getting arrested and the rest were indulged to the hands of the authorities. The camp was unreachable for the protestors outside and the few who were already inside in solidarity got arrested and were released only after the operation was complete. The obvious reason for these arrests was to have no witnesses of the imminent villainous scenes of state-induced horror.
Some people have started a Wiki where hints about how to get to Lesvos can be gathered. So far, it is only in German, but of course, contributions in any language are most welcome.
antiracamp.gegenstromberlin.net
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.
Background information on the rise of anti migration discourse in Greece in the context of the forthcoming bordercamp in Lesvos.
A personal report from K.
Since the beginning of the campaign for the European elections, there was an evident effort to bring to the forefront the question of migration as a security threat. First, it begun with scattered reports in the free press about Greek trendy multicultural bars and restaurants closing down because of rising health ang hyigene hazards in areas with large migrant populations in the centre of Athens. It then turned into a more serious preoccupation with the “downgrading of historical centre of Athens” because of rising numbers of migrants – in particularly Muslim ones. This contributed to the rising popularity of the extreme right-wing group Chrisi Avgi in certain regions of Athens like Agios Padeleiomonas, where a committee of concerned citizens closed down even the local play ground because “there were too many mothers in scarfs there”. In several regions of West Athens the systematic violent racist attacks against Paksitani migrants by neo-Nazi groups have intensified. Police “scooping operations” have become an everyday occurence. In addition the municipal and national police all over Greece have engaged into a not so new project of systemactially terrorizing migrant petty traders, treating them violently, arresting and imprisoning them, and confiscating their goods.
Continue reading ‘The rise of anti-migration discourse in Greece’
An exploratory report, written four months before the Noborder Camp on the island of Lesvos
According to statistics, the Aegean Sea recently emerged as the “hot spot of illegal migration” across the external borders of the European Union. The Greek coast guard and the EU border control agency Frontex set up a military apparatus and other forms of violent deterrence to protect the borders. To address these developments, activist groups from Mytilini and Athens invite to participate in a Noborder Camp on the Greek island of Lesvos, from August 25 to 31, 2009.
Unfortunately only in Greek, but impressing images nevertheless. Link
Here is the preliminary programme for the noborder camp, as decided in the international preparatory meeting in Athens, Greece.
Tuesday, 25th of August: arrival, construction of the camp, first plenary meeting in the evening
Wednesday, 26th of August: Exchange, discussions and workshops related to the european border and migration regime, partially in Mitilini.
Thursday, 27th of August: Visiting day. The camp will go to visit various places and villages in Lesvos (Molyvos, Plomari, Agiassos, Kalloni).
Friday, 28th of August: Action Day detention centre Pagani
Saturday, 29th of August: Action Day border guards and Frontex
Sunday, 30th of August: Discussions on migrant labour and working conditions
Monday, 31st of August: End of the Camp
Generally, there will be plenty of time for spontaneous actions, or other activities not organised by the camp preparatory group. The programme is a framework and an invitation to get involved. As you might imagine, there will also be parties, concerts, film screenings etc. in and around the camp.
Detention centre Pagani next to Mitilini. Despite its capacity of about 200 people, in Summer 2008, nearly a thousand refugees were detained in the facility.
Voices from the Inside of Pagani (2009)
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