The story so far - Feeding refugees in Thessaloniki, Greece

Today, I'm taking a day off, this will the second day off I've had in the last five weeks. What was once a small, part-time effort to feed refugees here in Thessaloniki has mushroomed into a seven days a week effort (see our Facebook page) that hands out cooked meals and other much needed items to anywhere between 30 and 100 refugees a day passing through the city on their way north. Even now I'm amazed by how quickly and how successfully this has taken off.

Five weeks ago it became clear that the number of refugees in need of help was far beyond the means of me and my friends and so I sent out a call for help via Twitter. the idea was that like-minded people would get together and see if we could organise ourselves and expand the help we could provide. That has succeeded beyond my wildest dreams and instead of just a couple of people handing of cooked beans in a park I'm proud to be part of a group that is able to help and information to hundreds every week.

After the first meet up, a number of volunteers are came forwards and quickly we formed ourselves into a much more effective group. I'm not sure if it was luck or good timing but along with the first wave of people to join us were those who possessed an immense range of vital skills as well as a genuine appetite for hard work. Amir, has proven to be a huge asset as he himself is from Afghanistan and not only helps with translation and cultural advice, but also other insights into what it means to be a refugee. That combined with the fact that he is an able manager meant that he kept us going off the rails, especially, in the beginning when we had the tendency to run around like headless chickens.

The same goes for Maria, a German exchange student who as well as bringing much needed structure to our group, has also been its calm centre when things threatened to grow too chaotic. That combined with her gift for languages, social media skills and ability to forge links with other, similar groups has been invaluable.

Giannis is a 70 year old Greek pensioner who catches two buses just to get to the centre of the city to help us. His passion and knowledge of the local political landscape proved vital in establishing links with and getting help from Thessaloniki city council. Thanks to his and other people's intervention the city has provided toilet facilities to refugees and 50 portions of cooked food a day along with a van and driver to assist us.

Another source of assistance has been our collaboration with the Oikopolis social centre who on hearing of our work opened their kitchen facilities to us. This along with the network of connections that have at their disposal has transformed our efforts. In addition to material help they have been able to put us in contact with other groups doing similar work in the city.

After the initial wave of people joining us with have also been lucky enough to attract other volunteers who make all this possible and often are lugging things in 35C summer heat. Literally, without them none of this would be possible. They are an international bunch and on any given day there may be anywhere between four and eight different nationalities taking part.

The ever tireless Gorka, a Spanish exchange student, Marina , from the Ukraine, also on an Erasmus program, Nikoleta, a first year psychology student who is a also a dab hand at DIY and organising people, Safar, our second Farsi speaker who is always willing to do whatever is needed, also willing to make sure the job gets done., Jason and Marcus, our Irish friends who have really been great in providing help, the wonderful people from Anatolia College who have regularly brought much needed sanitary items and clothing,... This list goes on and I know I have left out people who should be mentioned, but don't worry, over the next few days I'll be filling in the missing names.

To say the last few weeks have been transformative is an understatement, the fact that we not only got this feeding program up and running but in the midst of a crisis here in Greece is a testament to the strength of people's willingness to help.

EU believes puts its faith in guns not aid

According to a secret document released on 25 May 2015 by Wikileaks the EU is in the process of implementing a plan for the use of military force in order to deal with the growing refugee influx from Libya to Europe via the Mediterranean. The plan devised by the EU Politico-Military Group aims to "disrupt human smuggling networks" and  "to contribute to systematic efforts to identify, capture and destroy vessels before they are used by traffickers".

Given the turbulent nature of Libya in the aftermath of the NATO - sponsored overthrow of the Gaddafi regime, how yet more European military intervention is going to affect the situation on the ground is unclear. This, in turn leads to the problems of identifying "traffickers" (as the document calls those taking migrants to Europe) in a fluid, often violent civil conflict in which different factions are vying for advantage. It is all too easy in these cases to be misled by groups hoping to use European military force to even the odds by way of air strikes. As the West's debacle in Iraq and Afghanistan, shows ignorance of local history, customs and political realities is often fatal for civilians. 

Yet even if EU manages to avoid the mistakes of the past it is hard to imagine how such actions will do anything more than temporarily limit numbers from Libya. The operations are being marketed as a way of saving refugees from the dangers of a taking a route which has cost the lives of thousands, but refugees are perfectly aware of the risks they take when crossing the Mediterranean. With the expansion in ownership of smart phones worldwide, modern refugees can often contact home via services such as Viber and Facebook, so ensuring valuable, potentially life saving information can be shared. Faced with the choice of drowning on a leaky vessel and going back to the war torn homes they fled, they are opting for the former, given the fact the EU immigration rules have given very little chance of choosing a safer alternative.

Even if, by some miracle European war planes/ships do manage to target just smuggler ships what exactly happens to those intercepted in international waters? Will they be forced back to Libya, fired upon if the crew refuses to heed warnings, foisted off on some third nation's territory following Australia's example?

Should this measure work then the next step would be the switch to smaller, less easily detected vessels even less suitable for making a long sea crossing and hence we have the possibility that a successful interdiction policy will lead to even more drownings of men, women and children in the Mediterranean, now the most dangerous stretch of water for refugees in the world. Alternatively, the flow of those willing to risk all for a better life will be channelled elsewhere to places such as Spain and Greece whose close proximity by sea to other non-EU nations make them impossible to seal off unless the most draconian of war time precautions are employed.

Already, Greece has become a transit spot and many unable to fly or use other forms of transport are walking across the Balkans in order to reach places such as Germany and Holland. In cities in the north the parks are now temporary home to groups, often composed of families with young children taking a short break before continuing their arduous trek north (see previous post). In an era when air travel has become more affordable than ever before we are faced with the sight of groups of people attempting to cross a continent on foot.

On a deeper, more moral level the idea of using military action in a humanitarian crisis is a symptom of a malaise in Europe, instead of providing aid and relief to those fleeing war, poverty and other disasters in places such as Syria and Yemen The EU, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012, is authorising the use of force against some of the poorest and most desperate people on the planet. 

The deliberate conflation of the terms "smuggling" and "trafficking" by European politicians and mainstream media outlets is part of the current media strategy aimed at legitimising military action to deal with, what in essence is a refugee crisis. The idea is that people who smuggle others (angels by no means|) over a border are the same as those who are little more than modern day slavers.This, itself the product of the hardening of attitudes to newly arrived migrants, minorities and other groups of the poor who have suffered the brunt of austerity measures implemented since the 2008 financial crisis. Often the poorest are pitted against each other in a bitter fight for basic resources such as employment, health care and housing

Attitudes to immigration, once the preserve of far right fringe groups such as the ultra-right British National Party are now to be considered respectable enough to be part of mainstream political discourse and even worse are becoming the basis for initiatives that remind us of the darker days of Europe's recent past. 

Farmakonisi: The dead deserve respect, the living deserve the truth.

Farmokonisi: The dead deserve respect, the living the truth., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

"Amnesty International expresses its profound concerns over the loss of life of migrants and refugees including several small children near the island of Farmakonisi on 20 January 2014. In the early hours of Monday, 20 January 2014, a fishing boat carrying 28 migrants and refugees including many small children capsized and sank near the island of Farmakonisi. The group consisted of 25 Afghans including ten children aged between one and nine years old and three Syrians. "

Amnesty International

www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR25/002/2014/en/60426d...

Fear is Great Britain

Fear is Great Britain, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Protest against Greek government's moves to deny children of immigrants born in Greece citizenship

Protest against Greek government's moves to deny children of immigrants born in Greece citizenship, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Taken yesterday in Thessaloniki, Greece.

As crisis deepens Greece's rulers take racism into the mainstream

With August coming to an end and the temperatures dropping from the low 40s C to low 30s C The northern port city of Thessaloniki shakes off of its summer lethargy as people come back from their annual holidays and the town readies itself for the return of its large student population. However, amidst the renewed hustle and bustle some things haven't changed. Many of the businesses in the centre remain shuttered, their store fronts decorated with graffiti and For Rent signs, the cafes while now busier are far fewer in number and the restaurants mostly remain empty except on the weekend. The only new business is a chain of fast food outlets that does a roaring trade in in 70 cent hot dogs and cheap iced coffees.

On the other hand whether it be in the supermarket lines or in the streets the talk is about how everyone will pay the latest round of bills. The guy pumping petrol complains about the cost of road tax whilst the woman behind me in line frets about how she'll make it through the winter if the government decides to raise the cost of heating oil by 40% as promised. 

And these are the lucky ones. The ones who still have a job and some source of income. For those who were already at the bottom of the pile before the crisis took hold the situation is now dire. No  large supermarket is complete without a gaggle of beggars waiting outside its entrance. The sight of old people and young kids rummaging through waste bins for food or stuff to recycle no longer turns heads, or even draws a comment.

For Greece's most vulnerable the country is rapidly becoming an endless nightmare, not only because of lack of jobs or money but because they are being scapegoated by politicians in power along with their allies in the national media. For immigrants the situation is worst of all. While the foreign media have focused on the open racist rhetoric of the Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party (which won 7% of the vote in the last national elections) the campaign against non-Greeks is not limited to the party's shaven headed black t-shirted thugs.

With the start of the Xenios Zeus police operation Athens has been using mass round ups of anyone with a dark skin in central Athens to prove that it is tough on undocumented migrants despite condemnation by Amnesty International. With the Samaras government unable to halt economic contraction and faced with a humiliating fait accompli from Berlin, Greece's failing political system is looking for a way out. In this they have found willing allies in the country's ailing mainstream media, owned to large extent by oligarchs determined to make sure that the country remains in the Eurozone, whatever the social cost.

A typical example of the manner in which immigrants are portrayed in Greek news can be seen in the recent case of a 15 year old girl who was beaten and left unconscious after an attack on the Greek island of Paros. With the police under pressure to produce results they arrested a Pakistani hotel employee, who according to official reports confessed to the crime. The fact that he was not allowed access to a lawyer during his time in custody on Paros seems to be considered a minor detail. Later police said that his DNA had been linked to the crime scene. At this point both TV and newspapers decided that trials and verdicts were irrelevant in such a case and talked of "a beast in human form" and "monsters among us".

Such language and tactics draw unfavourable comparisons with the propaganda attempts of the Nazi's in the mid 1930s and are being increasingly used by "respectable" mainstream reporters and politicians who routinely attribute rising crime rates and economic decline to the presence of immigrants.

In a climate where the nightly news bulletins are full of stories blaming the country's growing lawlessness on ruthless foreigners, it is hardly surprising that attacks on immigrants are on the rise, increasing not just in number but also ferocity. 

To make the situation even more intolerable, immigrants have every reason to believe that the police is not a neutral player in this increasingly violent game. During the recent elections some studies suggested the in Athens alone nearly 50% of police offers cast a vote for Golden Dawn, while Indymedia Athens and alternative news sources are full of police either turning a blind eye to racist violence or even abusing foreigners themselves.

The reality is the racism in Greece has, along with poverty become part of the respectable mainstream, simply another tool to be used by an deeply unpopular political elite eager to win back support from an electorate worn down by four years of economic collapse and terrified that everything that worked so hard to achieve over the previous decades will be taken away from them.

UK citizenship test - the crib notes

In keeping with the demands of the latest government directives all those applying for UK citizenship will have to pass a test designed to see if they are aware of  seminal events in British culture and history. In the spirit of international co-operation I have created a list of crib notes which will help applicants with their examination.

1 -Which countries make up 'Great Britain'? England, Hampshire, Tuscany and The Cotswolds.

2 - Which tribal leader fought against the Roman conquest of Britain? Margaret Thatcher.

3 - Which king defeated the Vikings at the end of the 9th Century? Tony Blair - The Hammer of the Scot.

4 - When did the English first impose English laws on Wales and the Welsh? 1957 (When Welsh forced to fight under an English flag in 1st Eurovision Song Contest.

5 - Which famous document eventually led to the formation of Parliament in England? The Leveson Inquiry
Report.

6 - Under the feudal system, what were people who worked the land called? Stake holders.

7 - What proportion of the population of the UK were killed by the Black Death? Approximately the same as those not in BUPA.

8 - Which kinds of skilled workers did not come to England in large numbers from Europe in the Middle Ages? Polish plumbers. Hence the delay in UK obtaining European levels of personal hygiene till the late 17th century.

9 - Which monarch established the Church of England? Princess Di.

10 - Which monarch was defeated by Oliver Cromwell in English Civil War? Trick question as no English monarch has ever lost.Charles just lost his head for a moment.

 Good luck and the Best of British to you.

San Papiers concert - Thessaloniki, Greece

San Papiers concert - Thessaloniki, Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

An attempt to counteract the rising tide of racism being whipped up by Greek governing parties and their allies in the mainstream media ahead of national elections.

Citizens’ Protection Minister Christos Papoutsis announced that authorities plan to build a fence along Greece’s 206-kilometer land border with Turkey

Citizens’ Protection Minister Christos Papoutsis announced that authorities plan to build a fence along Greece’s 206-kilometer land border with Turkey, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

"Citizens’ Protection Minister Christos Papoutsis announced that authorities plan to build a fence along Greece’s 206-kilometer land border with Turkey, similar to the US-Mexico frontier, in an effort to curb a seemingly endless influx of illegal immigrants.

In comments made to the Athens News Agency on Saturday, Papoutsis said the government was determined to harden its stance. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the contribution of other European Union countries in the fight to curb illegal immigration despite the mobilization of dozens of guards from the EU’s border monitoring agency Frontex along the Greek-Turkish border in November."

Kathimerini newspaper

Greece has repeatedly been criticed by Amnesty International, the United Nations. the EU and many other European states over its failure to abide by treaty obligations concerning refugees and maltreatment of immigrants by police and border officials.

Protesters demand better treatment of immigrants in Greece

Protesters demand better treatment of immigrants in Greece, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Adventures in poster activism

FRONTEX - Keeping fortress Europe safe, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

"With the “road map of Stockholm” the EU and national governments go on to escalate their border regimes to a real war as Frontex’ role in militarising the borders will be strengthened once again. Many thousand people have died and drowned trying to cross the borders of Europe over the last years, hundreds of thousands have been detained and deported. Refoulement is a daily practice at all hot spots of the EU external border."

clandestinenglish.wordpress.com

"The home secretary, Alan Johnson, is facing growing anger from scientists and government advisers over his decision to force the resignation of his senior drug adviser, David Nutt.

Two other senior scientific advisers to the Home Office told Nutt they were "horrified" at his treatment. The former chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) told the Guardian that Dr Michael Rodd, a specialist in computing who sits on the Home Office Science Advisory Committee, and Professor Sheila Bird, a Cambridge University statistics expert who sits on the same committee, had written to him privately saying "they were unhappy with the way the Home Office had dealt with my case". Neither could be reached for comment."

The Guardian

All inspired by various stories that I came across during the week.

Noborder vs. Coast Guard

"On the 29th of August, it was noborders action day against the practices of the coast guard and their support by the European Border Agency Frontex. At present, Frontex is here in Lesvos with one ship. We have already managed to drive them away once, today, they retreated to the open sea and set anchor there. It was obvious that they couldn't deal with a decent challenge, they seem to prefer to hunt migrants at night.

Check http://lesvos09.antira.info/2009/08/l... for a detailed report and background info."

Close Pagani now - No child belongs behind bars

Close Pagaini now - No child belongs behind bars, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

"In an old warehouse in the outskirts of the city of Mytilini (Greece), in Pagani, the Special Center for the Detention of Foreigners has been established. It was built to accommodate 250 people.

Today there are 900 people held there. 300 of them are children aged 7, 9, 11, 12, 13 years old who are not accompanied by their parents.I have visited other detention centers.

Everyday I face the harsh reality of human shadows walking around the historic center of Athens. I thought I had seen it all. But what I witnessed today in Pagani is overwhelming.


Hundreds of children stand by the windows, begging you to take their photo in the hope that people, kind people, will learn of their sufferings, will feel compassion and perhaps even help them…Begging for help and handing us pieces of paper with the word FREEDOM written on them.

Many of these children have been held there for 2-3 months. They can’t go out in the courtyard, not because they are forbidden to but because there’s simply not enough room.

Several children aged 7, 9, 12, 14 started a hunger strike yesterday. One of them fainted and was taken to hospital today."

Afrodite Al Salech

afroditealsalech2.blogspot.com/



"Σε μια παλιά αποθήκη έξω από τη πόλη της Μυτιλήνης, στη Παγανή, λειτουργεί το ΕΧΠΑ (Ειδικός Χώρος Κράτησης Αλλοδαπών) Μυτιλήνης, δηλαδή το κέντρο υποδοχής (δηλαδή 3μηνης ή 6μηνης κράτησης) μη νόμιμα εισερχόμενων αλλοδαπών- και καθώς οι πλειονότητα των ανθρώπων που κρατούνται εκεί είναι απο το Αφγανιστάν: πρόκειται για κέντρο παράνομης κράτησης οιονεί προσφύγων.

Η χωρητικότητα του είναι 250 ατόμων- μολονότι στην πραγματικότητα δεν υπάρχουν υποδομές εντός του κτηρίου αυτού για μια αξιοπρεπή (έτσω σε επίπεδα φυλακών) κράτηση έστω και για ένα άτομο. Πάραταύτα, σήμερα στη Παγανή κρατούνται 900 άτομα, εκ των οποίων τα 300 είναι ασυνόδευτα ανήλικα παιδιά 7, 9, 11, 12, 13 χρόνων.

Έχω επισκεφτεί κι άλλα κέντρα κράτησης. Καθημερινά αντιμετωπίζω την κατάσταση των ανθρώπων σκιές στο ιστορικό κέντρο της Αθήνας. Πίστευα ότι τα είχα δει όλα. Αυτό όμως που αντίκρισα σήμερα στη Παγανή Μυτιλήνης με ξεπερνά.

Εκατοντάδες παιδιά να κρεμιούνται από τα παράθυρα του ΕΧΠΑ και να σε εκλιπαρούν να τους τραβήξεις φωτογραφία με την ελπίδα ότι ο κόσμος, ο καλός ο κόσμος, θα δει το δράμα τους, και ίσως να τους συμπονέσει και ποιος ξέρει; μπορεί και να τους βοηθήσει. ….Να εκλιπαρούν βοήθεια και να μας δίνουν χαρτάκια με τη λέξη «Freedom».

Πολλά από τα παιδιά αυτά βρίσκονται έγκλειστα εκεί μέσα για δύο και τρείς μήνες. Δίχως δυνατότητα προαυλισμού όχι γιατί η αστυνομία δεν τους επιτρέπει αλλά γιατί δεν χωράνε στον προαύλιο χώρο.

Αρκετά παιδιά, 7, 9, 12, 14 ετών, ξεκίνησαν εχθές απεργία πείνας.Ένα από αυτά μεταφέρθηκε σήμερα στο νοσοκομείο, λιπόθυμο."

Afrodite Al Salech

afroditealsalech.blogspot.com/

Photographs by Afrodite Al Salech

Petrou Ralli police station - Athens Guantánamo Bay

On Sunday 9th August, 30 foreigners, the majority of them asylum seekers were forced to board a ferry and taken in secret from the island of Chios to an unknown destination. This happened as part of a series of “curious” transfers that have taken place lately, as August offers the perfect conditions for such moves(1).

The NGO LATHRA (http://www.lathra.gr) has informed us that 16 of those who sailed from Chios are being held in the Petrou Ralli police station (2), Athens. Other have been sent to Lamia, while some have gone missing.

Those recently brought to Petrou Ralli have been kept on the rooftop of the building which is open to the elements. They have been kept out in the open without any form of protection from the August sun or the sudden downpours. They have only a minimal amount of food, no beds and no proper toilet facilities.

We have been informed that the tensions which have understandably built up given the conditions were “neutralised” in the usual manner when two police officers armed with batons beat people protesting. The reason for the complaints was the request that the people on the rooftop be allowed to use the building’s toilets instead of having to relieve themselves in front of everyone else.

On thing is definite that those being held on the roof will not remain there for long. The question however, remains where they will be taken next and to which country?

August, especially on the eve of the day of the Madonna(3) offers the ideal cover for every kind of barbarity and the swift “solution” to many problems. I call upon everyone who hasn’t decided to go on holiday to spread the news of these events.

If you wish to join us we will be outside Petrou Ralli police station tomorrow.

Thank you.

1 - Traditionally, August is the time when most Greek employees take their summer vacations. This means that many state organisations remain closed.

2 - The police station houses the Athens Aliens Bureau.

3 - A public holiday.

Article by Afrodite Al Salech

Το Γκουαντάναμο της Πέτρου Ράλλη και το δικαίωμα στο κατουρείν.

Την Κυριακή 9 Αυγούστου, 30 αλλοδαποί , στην πλειονότητά τους αιτούντες και εν δυνάμει αιτούντες άσυλο, επιβιβάστηκαν παρά τη θέλησή τους και εν κρυπτώ από την τοπική κοινωνία της Χίου, σε καράβι στο λιμάνι της Χίου, προς άγνωστο προορισμό, στο πλαίσιο των «περίεργων» μεταγωγών που λαμβάνουν χώρα το τελευταίο διάστημα- ο Αύγουστος προσφέρει τις ιδανικές συνθήκες.

Από την ΜΚΟ ΛΑΘΡΑ (http://www.lathra.gr/) πληροφορούμαστε ότι 16 από τους εν πλω αλλοδαπούς διακομίστηκαν στα κρατητήρια της Πέτρου Ράλλη, στην Υποδιεύθυνση Αλλοδαπών. Κάποιοι συνέχισαν με προορισμό την Λαμία και κάποιοι άλλοι αγνοούνται.

Οι νεοφερμένοι της Πέτρου Ράλλη όλες αυτές τις ημέρες κρατούνται στην ταράτσα του κτηρίου καθώς δεν υπάρχει καμία δυνατότητα στέγασης αυτών. Μοιράζονται δε την ταράτσα μαζί με άλλους 13. Αυτονοήτως αλλά και σύμφωνα με τις πηγές μας, η ταράτσα δεν αποτελεί κατάλυμα. Οι άνθρωποι αυτοί στέκουν τις τελευταίες έξη ημέρες εκεί στην ταράτσα, απροστάτευτοι, αντιμετωπίζοντας τον αυγουστιατικό ήλιο αλλά και τις άξαφνες βροχές. Το φαγητό είναι λιγοστό, κρεβάτια δεν υπάρχουν, αλλά ούτε και αποχωρητήρια.

Πληροφορούμαστε ότι εχθές το βράδυ, η απολύτως κατανοητή ένταση που υπάρχει σε αυτούς τους ανθρώπους της ταράτσας «εκτονώθηκε» με το συνήθη τρόπο: δυο άντρες της αστυνομίας χτύπησαν με γκλόμπ τους διαμαρτυρόμενους. Ο λόγος της διαμαρτυρίας; Ζητούσαν οι άνθρωποι να τους δίνεται η άδεια να κάνουν την ανάγκη τους στην τουαλέτα του κτηρίου, κι όχι εκεί μπροστά σε όλους εν τω μέσω της ταράτσα.

Είναι σίγουρο ότι η ομάδα αυτή των αλλοδαπών της ταράτσας, δεν θα παραμείνει για πολύ καιρό εκεί. Το ζήτημα όμως είναι, που θα τους πάνε από εκεί; Και σε ποια χώρα. …

Ο Αύγουστος, και δη παραμονές της Παναγιάς, προσφέρει τις ιδανικές συνθήκες για κάθε είδους βαρβαρότητα και επίλυση προβλημάτων με συνοπτικές διαδικασίες, και δεν αναφέρομαι μόνο στο συμβάν της Πέτρου Ράλλη.

Κάνω έκκληση σε όσους δεν έχουν ενδώσει ψυχή τε και σώματι στα αυγουστιατικά μπάνια του λαού, να μεταφέρουν με κάθε τρόπο τα γεγονότα αυτά.

Κι όποιος έχει διάθεση ας κάνει μια βόλτα από την Πέτρου Ράλλη- αύριο θα βρισκόμαστε κι εμείς εκεί.

Σας ευχαριστώ πολύ

Αφημένες Κάποιες Σκέψεις

We're not a racist but......

Yesterday the UK government announced that it was introducing new rules concerning who is entitled to citizenship. Previously, in order to get a British passport you needed to prove that you had been living in the country for at at least three years, knew English and did not have a criminal record.

Now the new regulations (taken from the Guardian), which come into force in 2011 state that;


Minimum requirements: English language, knowledge of British life, can support themselves without benefits, no prison record.

• Extra points for: earning potential, special artistic or scientific talent, qualifications, shortage skills, better English, living in area of population decline, eg Scotland.

• Points deducted for: failure to integrate, active disregard for UK values.

• Voluntary work, including canvassing for political parties, could accelerate citizenship application.

• New pre-entry language test for foreign partners coming to marry.

• New two-stage knowledge of the UK citizenship test.

Of course, none of this applies to half a billion (mainly white) citizens of the Europe Union, who can happily stay in Britain without the faintest idea which party runs the country, 1066 and who is who in Eastenders. Like the Brits abroad in Costa Del Sol or Provence they are not penalised for "a failure to integrate" or showing an "active disregard for UK values". Nor are they required to bother with learning any more of the language than is needed to order another round.

No, these requirements are for rest of the mainly non-white world whose values or common sense cannot be trusted. These rules are for "blacks" and "coloureds" as they were termed under South African Apartheid. "Europeans" (i.e whites) need not bother with such matters as their skin colour is proof enough of the fact that they are "civilised" and so can be trusted to behave properly in polite company.

I wonder if anyone has noticed the irony at the heart of this particular clause?

"Voluntary work, including canvassing for political parties, could accelerate citizenship application."

So you will be allowed to take part in getting a party elected but you won't be allowed to vote since voting rights are dependent on citizenship. Isn't this like inviting somebody to dinner but then refusing to serve them? On the other hand, as the Observer points out other forms of political participation such as taking part in anti-war demonstration means a possible loss of points.

Of course people seeking citizenship don't go on demos, their presence in their new country is so precarious they rarely take part in such actions, knowing that they risk far more than others there. No, this little clause is a sop to the Daily Mail reading lumpen middle class, outraged that soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan faced protests from British muslims.

The whole system stinks as it is a blatantly racist attempt by the Labour government to "get tough" on immigration. In the short term it achieves little other than headlines but the real damage comes from the way it legitimises other forms of racism, subtly endorsing prejudice, reinforcing ideas that far right groups like the BNP thrive on.

Manos or Hassim. Number 481352 - Born in Greece

Manos was born in Greece in 1977, his parents immigrants from Iraq. He studied in the 17th primary school, Peiria and the 2nd junior high school, Renti. Everything went smoothly until 1992 when his father died. Manos was just 15 years old when his mother, unable to deal with the loss of her husband alone in Greece made the fateful decision to take her children to visit her home country, Iraq. It took just a few days for her to realise that this was a mistake, however, there was no going back.

The regime of Saddam Hussein welcomed them then slammed the door shut. Despite the fact that Manos was a stranger in his country of origin and didn’t even know the language he found himself doing his military service in the Devil’s Triangle, on the border between Iraq, Iran and Kuwait. He lasted just six months before deserting. However, luck was not on his side and he was arrested by the Iraqi authorities and subsequently spent 3 years 8 months in jail.

We asked him what it was like there. He falters, words are not enough,

“A fellow prisoner couldn’t take it anymore and killed himself in the the only why he could by banging his head against the wall until he passed away. Right there, in front of our eyes”. he explains.

And his own experiences? He shows us the scars on his face and body a from cigarettes burns. “They would put us in a crate 1.5 by 1.5m and keep us there for 2 months”. And for the rest of the time? “15 of us lived in a cell, 5m by 3 with cameras everywhere. They would make us beat fellow prisoners, If we refused they would kill us.”

When he was released in 2000 he couldn’t remember his name for many hours. “In prison, you see they call us by a number, mine was 481352.”

“When did you return to Greece, we ask?” “A few months later I applied for a visa from the embassy in Greece but they never gave me one”.

So he decided to come to Greece, his own country, illegally. During his first attempt he only reached as far as northern Turkey before being arrested by the Turkish authorities. After spending 17 days in jail in Kurdistan he managed to escape.

During his second attempt the same thing happened again, however, his third attempt was more successful when he managed to cross into Greece via the Evros river. Unable to pay smugglers he used a dinghy to cross the river, however he was picked up by border guards in Mandri, near Soufli. He explained his story at the local police station but the police accused him of smuggling and sent him back to Turkey illegally.



There he claimed that he was from Palestine and after spending five days in jail managed to re-enter Greece, this time getting all the way to Athens via Alexandroupoli in 2005.

We asked him about the gangs that smuggle people into the country. “I didn’t have any money so I came on my own. However, when I was in Turkey I made sure I found out everything so as to follow the same routes and tactics they used. Google maps helped me a lot.

A good spot in Turkey is in Istanbul, in Kourtoulous (Tatavla) 2km from Taxim square. From there people smugglers drive 20-30 immigrants to Evros. They take them across the river in dinghies and with the help of Greeks send them to Athens. There they are kept hostage in some home until they pay the smugglers. If the border patrols catch them they are secretly sent back to Turkey with the help Turkish authorities and Greek hunters. Otherwise they are imprisoned for three months and sent to Athens where they are served a deportation order.

A second route is from Turkey to Greece is via Bulgaria and then through Pomak villages. The third route is by boat from the Turkish coast to Greek islands such as Mytilini, Samos and Chios. These journeys cost between 2000 and 5000 euros.”


“How exactly did you you enter Greece the last time?”

“I found somebody to take me as far as the border, on the Turkish side of the Evros river. I gave him 200 euros. I had got myself a dinghy and clean clothes which I put inside a waterproof bag. This bag, along with another inflatable one served as a life belt. I crossed the river then changed into my clothes. I knew about the police road blocks in Mandra and so I avoided them. Another serious danger are the minefields but they’re further north in Didimoteixo. If you know that you’re not in danger.”



“Once I was in Athens I looked for a lawyer in order to become legal”. The lawyers, as he explains to us, are not so different to the smugglers, they ask for money for everything. From 2000 euros for a residence permit to 10,000 for full Greek citizenship. I started to work on the black market and 2 years later I met my girlfriend, Christina who persuaded me to apply for political asylum.”

“I went to the aliens bureau in Petrou Rally street. when I got there at the crack of dawn one Saturday a fewe months ago the only thing I could see were thousands of heads. It was raining and the police kept on hitting us with clubs and shouting at us to sit down. One cop started to threaten me but changed his attitude when he saw that I could speak Greek. I told him that I was Greek and so he took me to an office where I explained my story and got an appointment to claim a pink asylum seekers card immediately.”

“What will you do now?”

“I don’t know, he answers. The card runs out in one month and I hope that they will re-new it. However, I’m not sure at all about that”.

Manos is one of the hundreds of thousands of who were born in Greece who studied in Greek schools, who think, dream and fall in love in Greek. But Greece, their de facto homeland does not recognise their right to be Greek.

If Manos had Greek citizenship he probably wouldn’t have gone to Iraq and would have avoided what happened to him there. He would have been dealt as a ward of the state and a special case and not be just an asylum seeker with a pink card. A card that will probably run out. And so having no other choice he will remain an outlaw in his own country. A Greek illegal immigrant in Greece.

The text and all images belong to Afrodite Al Salech. (translation by Teacher Dude). The original article can be found on the Αφημένες κάποιες Σκέψεις blog.

Greek government's forced deportation provokes anger

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Pictures from blogoperatispentaras.blogspot.com

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Amidst protests by local human rights activists refugees on the Greek island of Chios were taken to detention centres on the Greek mainland in handcuffs. Around 60 recently arrived immigrants were taken by ferry from the island in the northern Aegeon to the the Greek - Turkish border region of Evros. Amongst those relocated were an 15 year old Somalian boy forced to leave behind his mother on the island.

According to Greek national daily, Eleutherotypia, attempts by a 17 year old Palestinian detainee to claim asylum during the transfer were ignored despite the presence of a lawyer whose repeated pleas that the teenager be given his rights under UN treaties signed by Greece were dismissed.

Unconfirmed reports on the Indy.gr news site claim that previous deportations on the 16th July ended up with the refugees being dumped near the Greek - Turkish border. It should be noted that the area is heavily mined and that every year tens of those attempting to cross into Greece from Turkey fall victims to the regions numerous minefields.

Greece has been repeatedly accused of violating international agreements concerning the handling of unaccompanied minors by organisations such as Amnesty International. In addition courts in Germany has refused to deport refugees back to Greece citing the country’s unwillingness to abide by EU and other international treaties concerning the treatment of undocumented immigrants under 16.

The recent upsurge in enforced deportations has followed in the wake of the ruling New Democracy’s poor showing in the the recent European parliamentary elections. In clamping down on illegal immigration in Athens and the Aegean islands prime minister, Kostas Karamanlis is seeking to stem the flow of votes to the far right LAOS party which sent two representatives to Brussels by adopting a get tough policy on protesters and undocumented immigrants.

However, the official policy of “cleaning up” immigrant neighbourhoods has also given rise to growing militant activity on the party of the country’s ultra - nationalist groups with several well - documented cases of the police turning a blind eye to racist groups attacking buildings and areas frequented by foreigners such as Agios Pantelimenos section in central Athens which has witnessed several incidents involving member of the neo nazi Chysi Aygi organisation.

NowPublic

Tags: Greece | UN | World | DEPORTATION | amnesty international | New Democracy | xios | immigation | fortress europe

Greek police raze refugee camp to the ground.

Early on Sunday morning hundreds of members of the Greek police force raided an unofficial refugee camp in the Greek port of Patras as part of an nationwide 'clean sweep" operation. The camp which has been in existence for nearly a decade was home to hundreds of immigrants, mainly from Afghanistan hoping to sneak aboard trucks headed for Italy.

Using bulldozers the local authorities razed to the ground the shacks and huts that until recently housed an estimated 150 people. Several fires were reported as a result of the raid and according to official police sources 44 minors were detained along with 30 adults who will be held in a reception centre until they are deported. The raid has been criticised as "inhuman" and called a "pogrom" by the left wing SYRIZA party and the Greek Communist party.

The ruling New Democracy party has also announced that it will set up internment camps throughout the country to house those who do not have a legal right to stay in the country. It should be noted that at present Greece grants asylum to 0.1% of those who apply for it and has been repeatedly criticised by Amnesty International, other European governments and the UNHCR for its treatment of refugees and immigrants.

On the other hand the latest poll carried out by Public Issue found that 93% of those questioned thought that Greece could not take in any more immigrants and that 62% said that immigration is probably harming Greece.

Stung by his party's poor showing in the recent European elections prime minister Kostas Karamanlis has decided to get tough on the issue of immigration in order to avoid losing more support to the far right LAOS party. With the possibility of general elections in either September or March 2010 at the latest Karamanlis is hoping that a tough stance on crime and immigrants will help bring back voters who have deserted the party in droves after two years of corruption and influence peddling scandals involving several government ministers

NowPublic

Tags: police | Greece | World | immigration | refugees | Patras | New Democracy | fortress europe | karamnalis

"I say boats should be sunk, they can throw them a life raft and they can go back to Libya" - Nick Griffin on immigration

"I say boats should be sunk, they can throw them a life raft and they can go back to Libya" - Nick Griffin on immigration, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Thanks to the actions of Capt Nick and his valiant crew of white supremacists another cargo vessels containing hundreds of undesirables finds its rightful place at the bottom of the Med. It is thanks to people like Nick Griffin that Fortress Europe is safe from the unwashed hoardes who threaten to swamp our sacred homeland. Thanks Nick, the next torpedo is on us.

"Boats carrying illegal migrants to Europe should be sunk Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National party, said yesterday.

In a provocative intervention, Griffin, elected to the European parliament last month, called on the EU to introduce "very tough" measures to prevent illegal migrants entering Europe from Africa.

"I didn't say anyone should be murdered at sea – I say boats should be sunk, they can throw them a life raft and they can go back to Libya," Griffin said."

www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jul/09/nick-griffin-bnp

"I say boats should be sunk, they can throw them a life raft and they can go back to Libya" - Nick Griffin on immigration

"I say boats should be sunk, they can throw them a life raft and they can go back to Libya" - Nick Griffin on immigration, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Sometimes words escape you. Sometimes you read or hear something so outrageous that your mind at first fails to fully comprehend the significance of it. I read in today's Guardian that the head of British far right BNP party, Nick Griffins said that the EU should sink ships carrying immigrants to Europe.

So firing upon innocent people and leaving them to die in open seas is OK. What the hell? They're not "civilised", so they wouldn't be able to fit in with "advanced" societies that produce such morally upstanding individuals as Griffin. And to think this piece of trash was elected the European parliament last month.

"Boats carrying illegal migrants to Europe should be sunk Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National party, said yesterday.

In a provocative intervention, Griffin, elected to the European parliament last month, called on the EU to introduce "very tough" measures to prevent illegal migrants entering Europe from Africa.

"I didn't say anyone should be murdered at sea – I say boats should be sunk, they can throw them a life raft and they can go back to Libya," Griffin said."

The Guardian