#DoYouRemember? — When Eleonas refugee camp was a construction site
Photos: Panayotis Tzamaros / FOS PHOTOS
Back in 2015, refugees were still abundant on the streets of Athens and other major cities across Greece. Camps were mainly located on the islands, as authorities and NGOs had yet to deal with the permanent housing of refugees.
One of the first camps was under construction in the outskirts of Athens. Eleonas camp was built to house 700 people in containers, and construction started on August 4th 2015.
The site was provided by the Municipality of Athens under four conditions. The facility would be:
- Temporary
- Open
- Secured by police
- Compliant with all agreed health and safety regulations
The residents were moved on August 16th from a park in central Athens, called Pedion tou Areos. They lived there, outdoors and with few tents, for weeks. Those unwilling to move were transferred to Victoria square.
In November of 2015, the camp was expanded to accommodate a total of 1,000 people, and the lease was renewed for another year.
Back in July, we spoke to two residents who revealed to us the limbo state residents face.
Now, it looks like this.
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