Tag Archive for 'Lesvos'

Calender traces…from Lesvos through Europe

Additionally to the Exhibition “Traces … from Lesvos through Europe” a Kalender for the year 2011:
Kalender 2011 traces...from Lesvos through Europe

Daily arrivals in Mytilini: Dantes Inferno has open doors!

Daily arrivals in Mytilini: Dantes Inferno has open doors! While everybody is waiting for the new asylum law announced to be passed around May 2010, the new season has begun! Almost every day refugees arrive on the island: 11 today (within them a pregnant woman/ 9th month!), 14 yesterday, 30 the day before, depending always on the weather conditions. The new screening center in Outza is under construction despite protests by neighbouring businesses. New arriving refugees are currently being brought to Pagani for one or two days, issued a white paper and released to go to Athens. Probably some are still transferred to Chios island. The doors of Pagani are widely open. No police presence, only food is being brought there. The facilities of the detention center have not changed at all. There is no stuff working there. The facilities of the detention center have not changed at all.
At the same time Frontex is preparing the official opening of their operational office in Piraeus. Officers are already working in the detention centers of Samos and Chios, with additional presence on other islands such as Kos and Rhodes. Within the next two months German officers are expected to arrive in Greece with two helicopters strengthening the Frontex force. Also the Greek coast guard of Mytilini expects enforcement and additional stuff for the coming summer.

Souvenir from Lesvos

Greetings from EuropeForgot to buy postcards from Lesvos last summer? Some of the images you see in the postcards might look familiar, others where taken a long time a go but on the same spots, at a alike stituation… . Please feel free to print and distribute them in your town, if you like so.
Continue reading ‘Souvenir from Lesvos’

20 acres of military estate to be turned into refugee settlement

… 20 acres of this estate are going to be turned into an “exemplary refugee camp”, as the Minister of National Defence, Mr. Evangelos Venizelos stated in a recent press conference in Athens. This ambitious plan is a cooperation between the Ministries of Citizen Protection and National Defence, and the Hellenic Army National Staff.

read the hole article here

… into a new odyssey

From behind the bars into the ship. The stories of a family, a young girl and a baby.

Family infront of Pagani

A family on their way to Europe

baby behind bars

Is it allowed to put a three-year-old in prison???

young girl behind bars

This young girl from afghanistan is 12 years old. She spent 20 days in the detention centre of Pagani and is now on her way into a unknown future.

40 people spent night in Pagani

Pagani is not been shut down. Last night 40 people slept there with open cell doors, possibly open yard doors and one (or few) cops guarding outside. These people are beeing transfered right now to Mersinidi, Chios.

There are a lot of speculations about future developments regarding detention. Today (4/11) local newspapers are writing that Pagani will be functioning as a transit registration center. The renovation will be finished at the end of December and on the mean time one cell will “host” migrants overnight in cases there are no ferry. Maximum number of detained migrants will be 150 (rmk: when they first opened Pagani the official maximum number was 70-80!).

On Monday at the Global Forum on Migration and Development Vougias (Deputy Citizens’ Protection
Minister) declared an agreement with the Defense Minister for using an 8 hectares military area to build a new camp. Local newspapers are refering to it as “model” camp “for adults and minors”, with “police guarding just outside”. The new camp will be located at ‘Kata Tepe’ (Black Hill, this is turkish) that is about 10 km north from Mytilene.

About the deputy’s statements and report from the GFMD (in english)
The report about the new camp (in greek)
(*) by the way: a student’s union denounced last weekend occupation of Paparisva building because they  haven’t been informed and  haven’t discourse with university authorities first. Of course they declare their absolute solidarity to migrants.

Demonstration against detention centre + addition

demo inner city Demonstration in Mytilini, against the detention centres was completed successfully. It was formed by about 250 persons (a number quite good for the local conditions), from different political waves, but also together with some migrants that had been freed from Pagani some days ago. There was a quite good spirit throughout the demo with slogans being yelled all the time, and posters being put around the walls of Mytilini. After wards, a number of comrades carried out the occupation of a university building to shelter 25 refugees that had been left in the city, and were not able to carry on their journey, because the next ferry leaves tomorrow evening. At the same time we have the chance to exchange our experiences and beliefs.

Right now there is a plenary taking place at the occupation.

Read more about what happend on the 30.10.09 in Mytilini.

Noborder Newspaper

exegermena#4 People from the squat in Mytilini published a newspaper about the noborder actions in August 2009. It is only in Greek but for those who speak Greek, enjoy: download the pdf.

22 refugee received travelling papers without detention

noborder.lesvos09--230809--01 About 100 NoBorder activist met this morning in front of the Prefecture of Lesvos to squat it. The matter of the squat is to point out the responsibility over the horrible circumstances in the detention center of Pagani to the Prefect and to increase pressure: we want the unconditional closure of Pagani detention centre.

Although they could not get inside the Prefecture, the Prefect responded to some demands of NoBorder. 22 Afghans, mainly families, that recently arrived and were hosted by noborder where brought directly to the open refugee camp, without being detained in the detention center of Pagani.

This is an important achievement for noborder: the standard procedure of unconditionally detaining all refugees intercepted in Pagani was finally broken. The families also received their traveling papers, although they needed to buy a ferry ticket to Athens themselves. At present there are about 180 refugees, mainly women with children in the new refugee camp.

Continue reading ’22 refugee received travelling papers without detention’

"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.

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