kein mensch ist illegal hamburg

"Ihr sollt wissen, daß kein Mensch illegal ist.
Das ist ein Widerspruch in sich. Menschen können schön sein oder noch schöner. Sie können gerecht sein oder ungerecht. Aber illegal? Wie kann ein Mensch illegal sein?"

Elie Wiesel

Freitag, 22. April 2016

REFUGEE ACCOMODATION CENTER CITY PLAZA ATHENS


Since the morning of 22/4/2016, the abandoned Hotel “City Plaza” in the centre of Athens has been turned into an Accommodation Centre for Refugees. Currently refugee families from different nationalities, together with hundreds of people of solidarity are working collectively for the cleaning, repairing and organization of space, so that it can open soon as a project of self-organization and solidarity, as a center of struggle against racism and exclusion, for the right to free movement, decent living conditions and equal rights.
The Solidarity
Itiniative for Economic and Political Refugees invites everyone to practical and material support of the Accommodation Centre “City Plaza”.
For practical reasons for the next few days and as long as there are works in progress in the building, it will not be possible to accommodate more refugees.

From the summer 2015 and on, Europe and Greece have been found unable to respond to the issues emerging from the largest refugees’ wave in their territory, since the World War II, in the source of which there can be found the declaration and act of war, on a military as well as an economic level, from the countries of the North to the countries of the South, which has lead their populations to poverty, fear and oppression.
This fact has created two very distinctive and opposed tendencies: the first is expressed by the activation of racist reflexes, which can be found in the core of the European continent: fences and walls have been built; FRONTEX and NATO have been invited in order to “protect” the borders; deportations and brutal oppression of refugees.  It is clearly expressed through the racist agreement between the E.U. and Turkey, which violates the Geneva Convention and every humanist value, as it copes with the refugee issue as if refugees were a merchandise that can be part of a transaction; it also leads to an unthinkable number of deportations towards countries in which their life and freedom is compromised.
The second tendency is the one expressed by the huge wave of solidarity in Greece, as well as in Europe. Millions of people were found side by side with the refugees in their battle to cross the borders and overcome all kinds of difficulties through their journey. People in solidarity in Athens, in August 2015, took immediate action in Pedion Areos, thousands of people from all over the world have come to Lesvos and other Aegean islands, in order to contribute to the efforts of the people there. Europe has known the largest wave of solidarity and mutual aid in the last decades. This mobilization is bearing the hope for a resurgence of the society, in order to erase the danger to see Europe becoming a “Dark Continent” again.
The Solidarity Initiative for Economic and Political Refugees has taken action, for quite some time now, within this movement of solidarity, in the centre of Athens. It has brought out the fight of the refugees; stopped the efforts to create “apartheid” areas, without the presence of refugees; pointed out the responsibilities of the Greek government, which not only did they fail to secure the accommodation, protection and free passing of the refugees, but also signed the racist agreement and took the responsibility to implement it.
From now on, our needs go to a different level. Europe’s political agenda of closed borders basically determines the conditions under which a number of political and economic refugees, who initially had the intention to move on towards northern countries, are now stuck in Greece. Without foregoing for a moment our basic demand for open borders and our fight against closed ones, we feel the need to gather our forces toward the creation of decent living conditions of refugees in Greece, in our neighborhoods, with full rights in all social services.
In this framework, all along with our constant demand for immediate accommodation of the refugees, not in camps, military or not, but in appropriate buildings with full infrastructure, where they will be able to move freely in and out, we decided to occupy this building: on the one hand, we wanted to contribute, within our grasp, with a solution to the problem; on the other hand, we felt the need to have a place where information and coordination for refugees’ issues would take place.
Our decision does not release the Greek or any other government from their responsibilities to immediately provide all refugees with accommodation and protection. However, it points out that solidarity can be the driving force which will stand up against any racist plans of the European countries and it will see to the protection of all refugees, in the direction of full integration, next to the local workers and oppressed people. There have been several attempts, right after the racist agreement between E.U.-Turkey, from the media and the government, to demonize and attack solidarity, which was considered to be responsible for the fact that the refugees stand up for their rights.
It is rather clear that if the status of exception, which has been planned for the refugees, proves to be successful, it will be used as a model to other parts of the society, which, during the last years, have experienced the brutal agenda of poverty, oppression and exclusion.
We declare that we will stand to the side of the refugees, people in solidarity and workers who, during all these years, have fought for the rights to education and health, accommodation and food for refugees, against the criminal politics of closed borders, which, up to now, has killed thousands of people, against ghettos far from the city centre, where refugees will be “invisible”.
The Solidarity Initiative for Economic and Political Refugees invites the workers in solidarity to participate in this effort, in the Refugee Accommodation Center City Plaza and every other independent solidarity structure.
Let’s create a world of mutual aid and co-existence.
Against racism, solidarity. We will all live together.
- Down with the shameful agreement between E.U.-Turkey. Open borders, safe passages for refugees.  
- Full legalization of all refugees. No deportation to Turkey or elsewhere.
- Accommodation for all refugees in appropriate buildings, within the city core. Requisition of hotels and empty houses for refugees’ accommodation.
 - Free access to health and education services for all refugees. Participation of the refugees’ children to programs of school insertion.
- Closing of all detention centers, no exclusion of refugees from the cities.
- No criminalization of the solidarity movement.
Solidarity Initiative

for Economic and Political Refugees

Samstag, 16. April 2016

Pope visit in Lesvos yesterday and what he has not seen

Todays visit from the Pope and the Patriarch spread a message of peace and brotherhood throught Lesvos.
Platanos Refugee Solidarity, Lesvos 

In order for this message to be well delivered, traffic was forbidden in many parts of the island and where permitted, police officers outnumbered civilians by far. Greek police evacuated the area around the port where the religious leaders and the Prime Minister gave a speech. They allowed entry only to local actors and to residents who seemed "quiet", whilst blocking entry to people who either had participated in previous demonstrations, or they were considered suspicious for participation in today's protest. Specifically, a solidarity member of Platanos with a journalist card was blocked to pass, while other journalists were entrying normally.
Four volunteers (of which two members of platanos) who managed to enter the harbor got arrested because they had brought in their bags two small banners proclaiming "Condemn the deal". Later on, the police arrested 5 more activists who attempted to lift a banner, while outside the port the coastguard seized another banner from the protestors.
The whole 9 volunteers were detained for over 3 hours before letting them free without charges.

The hypocrisy of todays visit culminated in the detention centre of Moria, a place that was designed for 1500 people but now 3000 people are detained there in horrible conditions. Most of them are sleeping outside on the ground without even a blanket, without any care for the sick, the children or pregnant women. In order to prevent the Pope and the media from seeing this reality, authorities had hurriedly transported 1000 people to the reception centre of Karatepe and locked all the other detained refugees in the back. The visit took place at the front part of the centre, where authorities brought less only those refugees who had been chosen beforehand as they do not suffer the same terrible conditions as those stuck in Μoria .

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/refugee-crisis-lesbos-detention-centre-whitewashed-amid-last-minute-preparations-for-popes-visit-a6985781.html

In this way, the Pope met refugees who were carefully selected from vulnerable families of Kara tepe, people who had been registered before the agreement between EU-Turkey, who were living in an open centre and not in a prison, and who are not in the point of being immediately deported.
This staged spectacle included banners held by refugees saying "Pope is Hope" etc.
The whole day the Media reported about Pope's and Patriarch's "historic" visit to Lesvos, emphasizing the pro-refugee stance of Greece compared to the bullyish Europe who is building fences and closing borders.
Obviously they did not say a word about the closed border in Evros which has resulted in hundreds of dead people in the Aegean, not a single word about the terrible living conditions in Idomeni, not a word about the horrible detention centres and the illegal, according to international law, deportations carried out by the Greek state.

Mittwoch, 13. April 2016

IDOMENI: INDEPENDENT VOLUNTEERS ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR EU VIOLENCE

We, the independent volunteers of the Shorba Crew and other groups in Idomeni have not been starting protests in the camps and strongly resent accusations by the media that we are 'fake volunteers'. Since January, The Shorba Crew have cooked over 500,000 meals and served them in and around Idomeni camp. Media and police has accused volunteers of starting the protests in camp which have been responded to with the sickening and indiscriminate violence of the FYROM border forces. As a result volunteers have been subject to intensified police harassment.
Yesterday (12/04/16) three volunteers were illegally detained while driving to the Idomeni camp. The reason given was to provide identification - something that we all do regularly on site.
At Evzoni Police Station, with no reason of suspicion given, the car was searched. A small knife was found in the vehicle - they were on their way to serve at a tea tent which uses fresh cut ginger.
A female member of the group was illegally forced to strip for a complete search, again without pretext. Phones were taken. The owner of the car was beaten then handcuffed and taken to another room by four other police and loudly threatened with more violence while his friends had to listen outside. He has since been taken to Kilkis and remains in police custody until at least tomorrow morning. No reason has been given for this violent detainment and violation.
Over the course of the day other vehicles were stopped, searched and volunteers were taken to the station and/or interrogated on the spot with varying degrees of intimidation.
WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO
We are independent volunteers who are unpaid for our work in and around Idomeni Camp.
We live in and around villages in Idomeni and Polycastro where we enjoy a healthy relationship with local people, groups, and businesses.
We are from Greece and all over the world, the situation in the camps is a world problem not the Greek people's to shoulder alone.
We have been cooking and serving food in the camps alongside other groups since January and have seen them expand to the current situation. Two months ago The Shorba Crew were the only source of hot food in the camps and at one point were cooking and serving upwards of 10,000 meals a day.
We are diverse in our approach and also provide humanitarian support with clothes, camping and cooking equipment, music, childcare/educational areas and charging stations.
We all work together to bring some humanity to an inhumane situation.
WHY WE ARE NOT ORGANISING PROTESTS OR SAYING THE BORDER WILL OPEN
We have been in the camps for months now and have formed a close relationship with the community residing there. Many individuals have become our friends and valued members of our crew.
We have worked to provide accurate information in relevant languages about the overwhelmingly confusing and overloaded bureaucratic processes by which people can access the Greek asylum system, seek relocation or apply for family reunification. This is the only way people can hope to leave.
We have seen the situation in the camps develop into the current humanitarian nightmare as the EU has created a bottleneck by closing the Greece/FYROM border and the entire Balkan Route. This has denied people any freedom of movement to seek protection and security.
We firmly believe the borders will not be re-opened in the current political climate.
We have long seen the brutality the forces guarding the FYROM border are capable of.
We are aware they have a firm mandate, logistical support and crowd control equipment supplied from member states of the EU to maintain their southern borders. They will enact this with whatever force they decide necessary - with very little international oversight, control or enforcement of laws regarding violence inflicted on non-agressors.
We have never advocated or encouraged any mass crossing of the border as we are aware of the hopelessness of this kind of action and the violence it invites from border control forces.
We are completely against the building of false hope and the disappointment and injury it has resulted in.
We have not organised any protests and have strongly attempted to discourage them. When we became aware of the river crossing flyer being circulated in Idomeni, we immediately informed Doctors Without Borders and UNHCR then attempted to communicate as much as possible it was untrue and dangerous.
We have been portrayed as being present at all the protests. This is easy to do because we are in camps every day and when we become aware of protests, we act to minimise harm.
We strongly resent accusations we are fake volunteers here to cause trouble.
Further we regard it as incredibly racist and patronising to imply that people need 'western activists' or 'fake volunteer groups' to organise protests for them. Some people have been stuck here since January, struggling to maintain their dignity in abysmal living conditions without prospects of any improvement. We perceive these acts of protest to be ones of frustration and desperation as the reality sets in that Fortress Europe has locked its doors.
MEDIA PERSECUTION FUELS POLICE REPRESSION
Due to constant persecution by the media our work has become much harder to perform. Baseless allegations of which we have heard nothing official have continually appeared on national television networks. As this has become an increasingly politicised issue our group and others have experienced more targeting and harassment from both media and the police.
We were raided at gunpoint by Greek police in late January and have experienced media harassment in our homes, vehicles and while serving food in the camps.
We have so far refused to respond to most media questions as they are invasive, biased and seem unlikely to give us a fair hearing.
We continue to release regular online statements, videos and pictures concerning our activities and position regarding these issues. These have either been too hard for members of the media to locate or they have chosen to deliberately ignore them.
As many groups have experienced in Greece there is an increased atmosphere of suspicion towards volunteers being promoted by the media and political motivation being created to criminalize refugee support. We have already experienced this repression over the last months, and yesterday, as a result of media allegations it has increased.
We condemn the EU policies creating the inhuman situation at their borders.
We condemn the violence against those who are seeking safety.
We condemn the media organisations responsible for these biased and poorly researched articles and their shallow and sensationalist representation of the situation.
We condemn the use of state (police) violence to repress volunteers who are attempting to show the people in the camps that they have not been forgotten.
And we thank the people who continue to support the work of all volunteers, both inside and outside the camps and the walls of Europe.
-Independent Volunteers of Idomeni, Aid Delivery Mission, The Shorba Crew.

http://www.statewatch.org/news/2016/apr/eu-med-crisis-news-ind-vol.htm

Dienstag, 12. April 2016

Idomeni the day after...

This is just a small number of shells that brought tears to so many eyes in‪#‎Idomeni‬ last week. What Macedonian police did to the refugees was unacceptable. AYS strongly condemns using teargas, rubber bullets and shock grenades against the victims of war and other unarmed people. We also condemn closing of international borders for those who seek safety. But at the same time, we must accept the reality: Macedonian border will not open any time soon. Those who try to breach it will never be able to fight military ammo. Both kids and grownups choked on teargas for so many times already. Let's try to prevent more tears together: by fighting rumors with facts. The sad fact is - the border remains closed.
.
Photos by: Giannis Papanikos, Fotomovimiento
https://www.facebook.com/areyousyrious/

Montag, 11. April 2016

Sonntag, 10. April 2016

Voyces from inside Moria Detention 10.4.2016


Some people, currently prisoners in Moria, sent these photos from a protest they did in the detention centre today requesting papers.
They told us: The food is not enough for everyone. There are children in this prison as well. A young man from Syria - who used to be an english literature student in university - said there is no information as to what their rights are. Many people have already been there 20 days.
They asked us to help show what is happening there.
There will be another protest tomorrow, 5pm.
10/4/16

https://www.facebook.com/groups/informationpointforlesvosvolunteers/permalink/513881025486016/
Christina Thom

Freitag, 8. April 2016

Reporting of the second deportation process in Mytilene, Friday 8-4-16

three activists protesting in front of the  boat while  the deportation  starts for Turkey.


text from Platanos here and more fotos:
https://www.facebook.com/solidarityplatanos/posts/1164461890260876


Today at the break of dawn began the second process of deportation, from
the harbour of Mitilini, while 174 individuals (100 from Kos, 29 from
Samos and 45 from Mitilini) were led to Dikeli, accompanied by an equal
number of body guards, that each one was in charge of the “safety” of
the transported.
Since the night before, the harbour of Mitilini was closed off by forces
of Riot police. As the hours passed the presence of police in the area
became progressively more intense.
People in solidarity that recognized the upcoming deportation, began to
gather at the point, in order to stand by the side of these persons
whose only mistake to receive this kind of treatment, was to be born in…
the wrong point of the map.
Around 7am, the buses that had left earlier from the harbour to the
detention centre of Moria, returned in order to begin loading the 45
migrants onto the ship “Lesvos ” of the Turyol company, which was
completed under the sounds of solidarity from the gathered people, but
not without confrontation with certain patriotic residents who hurried
to vomit their racist poison.
People in solidarity also dove in the harbour, swimming up to the boat
in a symbolic movement of protest toward the deportation, without
causing any certain essential hindrance of the process, while the
coastguard did not lose occasion to show their dominating demeanor,
demanding verifications for nonsense reasons even from journalists.
Around 10am, and after the amount of the gathered people had withdrawn
from the region, the second phase of the deportation of 129 migrants
from Samos and Kos, took place with the transport by Terra Jet that is
shipped from the ministry of shipping, in the boat “Nazli Zalem” of the
Zalem tour company,
Ιt should be noted that the two boats were also boarded by squads of
Riot police to insure that no possible incidents could be created from
the detainees.

Voyces from inside Moria 1


In Moria are detained since the new EU-Turkey agreement all refugees arriving in Lesvos after the 20.3.2016 around 3.000 people among them babes women vulnerable cases . Since most NGOs qorking in and around Moria had to leave , the people detained are forced to send their help cries in written form. read and react.




https://www.facebook.com/groups/informationpointforlesvosvolunteers/permalink/513164772224308/

Mittwoch, 6. April 2016

Skype appointments for refugees in Greece not accessible


seen in idomeni




In Greece to get an appointment to apply for asylum you have to call on Skype a hotline that is available twice a week ,two hours. the access is impossible.
For months now, thousands of asylum seekers, stranded in Greece have NO ACCESS to Skype asylum procedure. so, their registration papers expire, and don't get renewed.
people become illegalised because the system doesn t work.
they face the fear of arrest, detention or deportation, and noone does NOTHING to change this. 
Refugees do not break the law. State does.

Montag, 4. April 2016

Deportations from Lesvos today to Turkey and protest

In the deportation ferry today: Frontex and people being deported

               https://mobile.twitter.com/dromografos
acording to the ministery of protection of the citizen(sunds like a bad joke) the nationalities of the people deported today are:
Lesvos: 135 men 1 woman
124 Pakistan 3 Bangladesh 1 Iraq 2 India 4 SriLanka 2 Syria
Chios: 56 men 10 women 
42 Afghanistan 10 Iran 6 Pakistan 1 India 1 Somalia 1 Cote d´Ivoire 5 Kongo.
nasim lomani
136 people deported from Lesvos this morning and 66 from Chios. It is not confirmed that they had the possibility to make an asylum request before being deported. Many activists volunteers and local people together with media from all over the world watch this sham full activities of EU-Turkey and protest against it.

nasim lomani
dimitris pothas


also read:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154082188362497&set=pcb.10154082188857497&type=3&theater

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/04/first-moves-to-deport-refugees-from-greece-to-turkey-underway?CMP=share_btn_tw


Sea watch protesting against deportations to Turkey in Mitilini port
Sea-Watch
Seite gefällt dir · 2 Minuten 

here a report from the sea watch crew:

(DE/EN)
Fähren für eine #safepassage, nicht für Abschiebungen!

Unsere Crew hat heute gemeinsam mit anderen zivilen Rettungseinheiten im Hafen von Mytilini gegen die Abschiebungen in die Türkei protestiert, die seit heute von dort stattfinden. "Es war eine bizarre Situation, während die einen abgeschoben werden kommen die anderen auf Schlauchbooten an" erzählt Crewmitglied Giorgia Linardi. Noch während des Protests im Hafen wurde die Crew zu einem Rettungseinsatz auf See hinzugerufen.

--

Ferries for a #savepassage, not for deportation!

Our crew took part in a protest among other SAR groups in Mytilini harbour today, to protest against the deportations to turkey, which are taking place from there since today. "It was a bizarre situation, while some people where deported, others where arriving on rubberboats," crewmember Giorgia Linardi tells. Still during the protest in the harbour, our crew was called to a rescue case on sea.