AYS Daily Digest 19/04/2019: Athens Evictions: People Demand Their Right to a Home
Despite police attempts to clear the demonstrators at Syntagma, they continue to resist and demand their right to a home
721 refugees are trapped in Qaser Bin Gashir while fighting continues in Tripoli// Hundreds sleeping outside without shelter in Bosnia //Locals in Montenegro are working hard to provide assistance// Romania to Release Operational EU Sea Rescue Code by end of May// Demonstrations in Denmark
Feature: Protestors fiercely hold their ground against police at Syntagma. Solidarity is needed!
The group approximately 60 people (which continues to grow) have been protesting for two days at Syntagma. The protests began after their squat, Clandestina was evicted by police on Wednesday.
Cladenstina was a self-organized housing project that was full of families and young children. All residents have been made homeless by the eviction. This is the fourth squat to be evicted in Athens in April.
Khora reports that many squats in Athens are fearing the same fate. “This eviction is part of a wider context of ongoing homelessness, evictions from UNHCR accommodation and government-run camps”
Although the clearing at Syntagma has been momentarily avoided, not all police have left the area. A senior officer is reported to be remaining on site.
Solidarity is required now at Syntagma: show your support with presence. Needed items include sleeping bags, blankets, power banks and material for banner making.
Syntagma — protest statement:
At 5:00 AM, Wednesday 17 April, Greek riot police violently stormed the Clandestina Squat. All residents, including children and women, were forcefully arrested and taken to prison. We were later released and told to spend the night in the streets. With no place to go, we resorted to staying in tents in Syntagma.
At 5 am on Saturday morning police and IOM tried to split our group.
They offered accommodation in Nea Makri for 10 people, while the others were asked to go to Grevena, 7 hours from Athens. We stood together and refused their offer.
We simply want safe shelter within Athens and for families and friends to remain together.
We will not leave until this basic demand is met.
We stand in solidarity with all homeless refugees and Greek people.
Please show your solidarity with us in any way you can.
Arash Hampay reports that no doctors or organisations have been present on the scene to assist despite medical care being required as can be observed in the photo below.
Where is IOM, where is MSF, where is UNHCR?
“Within just one-week Greek police forces in April 2019 have evicted four refugee squats in Athens all located in Exarchia area leaving around 200–300 refugees homeless. While authorities are politically framing the operation as ‘a step forward in an anti-drug campaign’ in the area, their efforts have hit the ones in need of protection instead and criminalize the refuee squats. Refugee families, many with kids, are left ever since on the streets. They are now not only again unprotected and with empty hands but also (re–)traumatized. Around 60 refugees are protesting since two days at Syndaghma Square.In one week alone Greek Police have evicted four squats.” — InfoMobile
LIBYA
721 refugees are trapped in Qaser Bin Gashir in the vicinity of Tripoli where the war is ongoing. They have no access to food, water or medication. Over 110 children are among them. Reports that a boy attempted suicide yesterday.
TURKEY
Arrests in Turkey since the beginning of 2019:
5729 refugees “captured” on the sea while trying to cross. During this same period, 6 people drowned and 15 smugglers (“organizers”) were arrested.
3919 refugees were “captured” on land while preparing to cross; 82 smugglers were arrested with them
GREECE
A 79-year-old man from Lesbos who shot a 15-year-old outside of Moria camp on Lesvos last summer has been sentenced to 13 years in prison.
MACEDONIA
A woman from the United Arab Emirates has sought asylum in Macedonia after receiving threats from family members and suffering from domestic violence. Her claim was rejected by authorities and she now remains inside an immigration detention center — fearing she will be deported. She has asked to seek asylum elsewhere. The European Court of Human Rights has prohibited her deportation while they process her case.
BOSNIA
Due to lack of space inside of existing camps, hundreds of people are sleeping outside all over Bosnia. This is a picture from Bihac, where at least 300 people are around camp BIRA. Nobody, but a small group of locals, is helping them.
MONTENEGRO
Bona Fide Pljevlja has hosted over 2000 people in their shelter over their last year in Plejvlja, Montenegro. Approximately 60 people are sleeping there each night, coming from Podgorica. At the center they are provided with food, medical care, clothing, showers, and washing facilities.
Every day in Pljevlja refugees and migrants arrive on buses from the capital Podgorica three times a day. Many of them need warm clothes, food or medical care before embarking on the next step of their journey. We go to these buses every day to find out what people need; whether it is a warm jacket, food or a safe place to sleep we do our best to help them.
ROMANIA
Romanian EU presidency has announced that the operational EU code of NGO rescues at sea will be published by the end of May. This has come as a result of the number of standoffs between NGO SAR vessels and EU member states who refuse to provide a safe port of disembarkation. In numerous occasions survivors have been stuck out at sea for weeks in dangerous conditions, waiting for a country to accept them. To go back to Libya is becoming increasingly more dangerous due to the escalating war and instability throughout the country.
GERMANY
The rate of first asylum applications has dropped since 2017 from 198,317 to 161,931. Around 35% were awarded protection status. It should also be noted that a high number of asylum procedures were dismissed without examination on the grounds of being ‘inadmissible.’
FRANCE
Recent statistics on the Operation of the Telephone Registration Platform in France show how the asylum procedure is still facing difficulties. Statistics reveal that 90% of calls made to the OFII telephone service until the end of 2018 were unsuccessful.
In an order issued in February 2019, the Administrative Court of Paris has stated that there is a risk in ‘virtual queues’ being created due to the insufficient capacity of the authorities to promptly register their claims.
DENMARK
Many people joined the peaceful civil disobedience at Ellebæk detention center reports Extinction Rebellion Denmark. It has also been reported that the Danish Police were seen using unusually strong force to counter the activists.
No humans should be treated this way — the demands of the action speak for themselves:
- stop incentive imprisonment!
- close the incentive exit center’s kærshovedgård and sjælsmark!
- Drop all plans of an exit center at Lindholm
- that the probation service is removed from all institutions for non-criminals!
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