2015-05-28 Kreikan pakolaisliikenne (yhdistetty)

[Lady Deadpool]

Ekathimerini uutisoi Amnestyn halusta sulkea Elliniko.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/217907/article/ekathimerini/news/amnesty-international-calls-for-shutdown-of-elliniko-migrant-camp (25.4.2017)

Amnesty International calls for shutdown of Elliniko migrant camp

Amnesty International has made an urgent appeal for the shutdown of the Elliniko migrant and refugee camp on Athens's southern coast and is calling for the transfer of its 1,200 occupants to alternative shelters.

The rights organization is decrying appalling living conditions at the facility and says that women and underage girls live in constant fear of sexual and verbal abuse.

According to Amnesty, women at the camp feel that they might come under attack at any moment in their tents, toilets and showers. Many avoid leaving their tents altogether for fear of harassment.

The camp at the site of Athens's former airport is inhabited mainly by Afghans who have been living in squalor in tents for over a year, with an insufficient number of toilets and showers, and limited privacy.

The situation has reportedly led to increased rates of depression and anxiety, as well as suicide attempts.

Meanwhile, European Union auditors said in a report released on Tuesday that the centers set up in Greece and Italy to fast-track the registration of migrants are in urgent need of more expert help – particularly with regard to children – as they are overcrowded.

"There are still more migrants arriving at the hotspots than leaving, and they are seriously overcrowded," the report said, adding that children are being held in "restrictive conditions" for more than three months.

The auditors called for the improvement of facilities on the Greek islands and said two more hotspots are needed to process migrants in Italy.

Hotspots in Greece and Italy, the report said, are designed to process some 8,000 people but routinely deal with 15,000-16,000 migrants.

[ejmantyla]

Vihdoinkin joku Kreikassakin on ymmärtänyt pakolaisten maan taloudelle tarjoaman dynamiikan ja piristysruiskeen:

Kreikassa toivotaan pakolaisista lisäpotkua taloudelle

Kreikassa hallitus ja asiantuntijat toivovat, että maahan virranneet pakolaiset ja siirtolaiset kääntyisivät maan eduksi ja antaisivat potkua pohjamudissa rypevälle taloudelle.

Toive perustuu jo aiemmin koettuun, kun 1990-luvulla ja 2000-luvun alussa maahan saapuneet noin puoli miljoonaa siirtolaista vauhdittivat osaltaan taloutta.

Nyt puolestaan noin 60 000 pakolaista, mukaan lukien monet nuoret Syyriasta, Afga­nis­ta­nista ja Pakistanista ovat jääneet jumiin Kreikan pako­lais­lei­reille sen jälkeen kun tiet muualle Eurooppaan ovat sulkeutuneet monilta osin.

Vaikka työvoimaa olisi tarjolla paljon, Kreikka ei ole vielä onnistunut saamaan saman­kal­taista taloudellista lisäpotkua tulokkaista kuten aiemmin.

Monet niistä 500 000–600 000 siir­to­lai­sesta, jotka saapuivat maahan 20 vuotta sitten pääosin Albaniasta ja Bulgariasta, löysivät nopeasti paikkansa Kreikan yhteis­kun­nasta. Työtä löytyi usein maataloudesta ja raken­nu­sa­lalta.
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Zografakis kuitenkin uskoo, että nykyinen, osaltaan käsiin räjähtänyt siir­to­lais­ti­lanne voi kaikesta huolimatta vielä kääntyä maan hyödyksi.

Toivoa tukee muun muassa se, että keväällä 2016 EU-komissio ennusti, että pakolaiset voivat lisätä EU:n brut­to­kan­san­tuo­tetta 0,2–0,3 prosent­tiyk­si­köllä vuosien 2016 ja 2017 aikana.

Lisäksi Kreikan asian­tun­ti­joilla riittää uskoa siihen, että lähtöhaluista huolimatta turismi- ja maatalousalan työt houkuttelevat siirtolaisia kuten aiemmin.
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Viranomaisten tilastojen mukaan 1990-luvulla siirtolaiset edesauttoivat talouden kasvun lisäksi myös Kreikan väestökasvua huomattavasti.

Koko juttu:
Suomenmaan: Kreikassa toivotaan pakolaisista lisäpotkua taloudelle

Nyt on oikeata asennetta. Ei muuta kuin pakolaisille työpaikat, sitten he alkavat maksaa veroja ja kuluttaa palkkarahojaan, jolloin Kreikan talous lähtee rakettimaiseen nousuu ja maa voi vaikkapa maksaa pois velkansa esimerkiksi Suomelle.

Näin se totuus muuttuu,"pakolaiset" vauhdittivat taloutta. Kreikan "talous" oli pelkkää velaksi elämistä,tästä ainakin näytöt ovat riittävät.

[Nikolas]

Jos vähän maailmankarttaa kurkistaa, eihän ole mitään järkeä siinä, että pakoloiset Syyriasta ja Irakista pyrkivät juuri Eurooppaan, vaikka rikkaita saman kielen, uskonnon ja kulttuuritaustan valtioita on aivan vieressä.

[Lady Deadpool]

Sputnik News uutisoi kiihtyneestä liikenteestä Kreikan maaperällä.

https://sputniknews.com/europe/201705041053273030-greece-migrants-eu/ (4.5.2017)

Total of 90 Migrants Come to Greek Lesbos Island Over 48 Hours

A total of 90 migrants arrived on the Greek Lesbos Island in the past 48 hours, while one more migrant reached the Chios Island, local media reported Thursday, citing authorities.

According to the Kathimerini newspaper, the local authorities also said that two people had been arrested on human trafficking charges. Lesbos is one of the major centers for receiving undocumented migrants and refugees coming from Turkey.

So far, the number of asylum seekers stranded on the islands of Lesbos, Chios and Samos amounts to some 8,600.

Europe has been beset by a massive refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants fleeing their home countries in the Middle East and North Africa to escape violence and poverty. The majority of them arrive through the Turkish territory.

[Lady Deadpool]

Ekathimerini uutisoi yli 100 pelastetusta matusta perjantain aikana.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/218157/article/ekathimerini/news/more-than-100-migrants-rescued-at-sea-friday (5.5.2017)

More than 100 migrants rescued at sea Friday

A total of 105 migrants and refugees have so far been rescued at sea Friday, reports say.

Romanian staff of the European Union border agency Frontex reportedly rescued 45 people from a dinghy spotted off the eastern coast of Chios in the eastern Aegean.

Meanwhile, 60 people were rescued at sea off the eastern coast of Lesvos.

According to official figures, 8,566 migrants and refugees were stranded on Greece's Aegean islands Thursday.

[Mr.Reese]

Khioksella kähinöidään. Ketkäs muutkaan kuin suosikkitiimimme Afganistan ja tällä kertaa vastassa Algeria. 60 henkilöä osallistui joukkomähinään.

Tensions are rising on the eastern Aegean island of Chios, which is currently favored by human smugglers ferrying migrants over from neighboring Turkey, with an increasing number of brawls at overcrowded state reception centers and local residents' tolerance wearing thin.

Clashes between migrants of different ethnicities are an almost daily occurrence, residents said following a violent confrontation on Tuesday night between Afghan and Algerian nationals at the Vial reception facility.

That incident started as a fight between two small groups throwing stones at each other and escalated into a full-blown brawl involving around 60 people.

Riot police stationed nearby were eventually obliged to enter the facility and break up the fight.
http://www.ekathimerini.com/218147/article/ekathimerini/news/tensions-boiling-over-on-chios-amid-absence-of-migrant-facility

[Lady Deadpool]

Greekreportia lukiessa ei ensimmäisenä nouse toive "rajojen sulkemisesta".

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2017/05/08/migration-min-mouzalas-our-vision-is-to-open-safe-routes-for-refugees/ (8.5.2017)

Migration Min Mouzalas: Our Vision Is to Open Safe Routes for Refugees

"There is no use in bombing in Syria and Afghanistan — and we Europeans have a small contribution to it — and afterwards building houses for the refugees," stated Greek Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas addressing the World Progress Forum on the refugees issue organized by socialist Eurodeputies that is held in Thessaloniki.

Our vision is to open safe routes for the refugees in order to offer "life" to the "aged" Europe and succeed a heavy strike against the human traffickers. The refugees' transfer to Europe could be carried out by airplane from Turkey, Jordan or Lebanon," Mouzalas said.

[jahve]

Ensin tuore  uutinen (28.02.2017)
"Merikarhu käy taas matkaan – valvoo Välimerellä EU:n ulkorajaa loppukesään asti

Laivaan on koottu kansainvälinen miehistö, sillä Rajavartiolaitoksen oma henkilöstö ei olisi riittänyt koko operaation ajaksi. Kyseessä on ensimmäinen kerta, kun Frontexin operaatiossa vartiolaivalla on yhteiseurooppalainen miehistö. Mukaan lähtee myös Suomen Meripelastusseuran vapaaehtoisia miehistönjäseniä."

http://www.mtv.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/artikkeli/merikarhu-kay-taas-matkaan-valvoo-valimerella-eu-n-ulkorajaa-loppukesaan-asti/6328834

ja mitä käytännössä tehdään?

Suomalainen Merikarhu auttaa pakolaisia Kreikan rannikolla – "Olette saapuneet Eurooppaan"

https://suomenkuvalehti.fi/jutut/kotimaa/suomalainen-merikarhu-auttaa-pakolaisia-kreikan-rannikolla-olette-saapuneet-eurooppaan/



"Merikarhu varustetaan sadalle pakolaiselle

Suomenlahden merivartioston ulkovartiolaiva Merikarhu lähetetään neljäksi kuukaudeksi Egeanmerelle todennäköisesti ensi tammikuussa. Kyseessä on osa Euroopan unionin rajaturvallisuusviraston operaatiota hillitä laitonta ihmissalakuljetusta Turkista Kreikkaan.

Merikarhun varustaminen matkaa varten alkaa jo tässä kuussa. Alus varustetaan muun muassa pressusuojilla, bajamaja-vessoilla ja uudella veneellä, jotta alus pystyy poimimaan siirtolaisia kyytiinsä. Lisäksi alukselle tulee aiempaa laajemmat resurssit antaa lääketieteellistä hoitoa.

"Merikarhu tulee muistuttamaan leirintäaluetta", kuvasi Rajavartiolaitoksen päällikkö, kenraaliluutnantti Jaakko Kaukanen tiistaina.

"Alus varustellaan niin, että siihen pystytään nostamaan merestä huomattavan suuri määrä ihmisiä."

Käytännössä Merikarhuun voidaan poimia noin sata ihmistä, mikä vastaa kahta kumiveneellistä.

Merikarhun tehtävänä Egeanmerellä onkin ennen kaikkea poimia ihmiset kyytiin, kuljettaa heidät Kreikkaan" 

http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/art-2000002859569.html

Eli kaikki  Turkista Kreikkaan pyrkivät otetaan kyytiin ja kuljetetaan Kreikkaan  - näin näitä EU rajoja valvotaan

[Lady Deadpool]

Kreikkaan rahan syytäminen ei tunnu koskaan olevan se ensimmäinen järkevä vaihtoehto. Ekathimerini uutisoi EU:n antamasta 2.5 miljoonan summasta mikä oli tarkoitus käyttää alaikäisten matujen asuttamiseen. Ilmeisesti paikalliset eivät oli innoissaan, mutta valtio on myös aika hidas toimissaan. Missä lie miljoonat.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/218240/article/ekathimerini/community/millions-of-euros-in-funding-for-refugee-housing-wasted (9.5.2107)

Millions of euros in funding for refugee housing wasted

It is a very serious matter that 2.5 million euros in European Union funding for the development of housing units for unaccompanied young refugees is going to waste due to opposition from local residents to having such a unit in their area, but also major delays by the state in putting the funds to their proper use. We're talking about a program that is paid for with European funds from the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

It is meant to be carried out in conjunction with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which has already signed the contract for its implementation with the Hellenic Red Cross. The funding is supposed to be spent on the development of four housing units for unaccompanied minors. Two of the units are in Athens, one in Larissa and the other in Kalavryta.

They will house them for six months, meaning the youngsters will be housed until the time that they are relocated to an EU country where they have family members. Though the funding has been secured and the needs are urgent, the difficulties involved with its implementation are many.

Private buildings

The IOM has requested the buildings the Hellenic Red Cross funds be privately owned, given that they will need to be refurbished in order to be suitable for housing minors.

In September 2016, the Hellenic Red Cross began work at a building at 4 Alkiviadou Street in central Athens. However, in early February it was occupied by an activist group, which invited refugees to stay there.

The takeover happened despite the fact that the Red Cross had informed the chief of the Omonia police station that it was presiding over the refurbishing of the building to house refugees. For more than 40 days, there was no police intervention, and the activist group continued to host about 150 refugees in the building unhindered. After the Red Cross had resorted to legal action, an evacuation operation was finally carried out on March 13. During the occupation, the building had suffered damage and it was revealed that the conditions the refugees were living in did not meet any health and safety standards.

Up in the northern suburb of Kifissia, objections were raised to the announcement that a Red Cross-owned building on Georganta Street would be used to house unaccompanied minors.

Kifissia Mayor Giorgos Thomakos made it clear that "the municipality is not directly involved, nor does the law stipulate that it should be questioned. We have asked for written assurances from the Red Cross that the unit will house children under the age of 12, at most 10 individuals and for a period of time lasting six months."

The mayor says the Municipality of Kifissia is not offering to host refugees, saying it doesn't have large spaces such as military bases. He realizes, however, that the space that is expected to operate as a housing unit is currently in a dire state.

Strict guidelines

Housing units for child refugees operate under very strict guidelines. The children receive three meals per day and live in a safe, secure environment. Medical and psychological care is provided, as is schooling. This is how it is assured that on the one hand they are protected and have their basic needs taken care of, and, on the other, no problems are caused for the local community.

"It is shocking that the local community objects when it is announced that there will be a special housing center because it means there will be a responsible body and that certain standards will be enforced. At the same time it tolerates or possibly even supports the housing of refugees at activist squats, which don't provide any guarantee of legality or safety," says the executive of another NGO which is responsible for housing refugees in another part of Athens. "It is typical that [at the building] in Alkiviadou [Street], aside from household goods, there were gas canisters and crowbars," he adds.

[Lady Deadpool]

Greekreport ja ANSA jatkavat Kreikan "asuntopulasta" sekä ihan h****n naurettavasta (vista) talonvaltauksesta (sista). En edes halua ajatella millaisessa kunnossa kadut ovat näissä tiheään ympätyissä kaupunginosissa. Paine saada matut ulos lienee suhteellisen kova.

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2017/05/11/number-of-refugees-living-in-athens-squats-on-the-rise/ (11.5.2017)

Number of Refugees Living in Athens Squats on the Rise

More than 2,500 refugees and migrants are living in squats in Athens occupied by anarchists and so-called solidarity groups, Kathimerini says.

The owners of the occupied building have appealed to police and the City of Athens but to no avail, the newspaper report says. At the same time, the owners are called to pay high utility bills and the single property tax (ENFIA) without even making use of their properties.

Characteristically,the owner of the former hotel City Plaza in central Athens — which is occupied for over a year now and hosts 250 to 400 refugees and migrants — has been sent a water bill of 81,500 euros. Authorities told the owner that even though the occupation of her property is illegal, they cannot do anything about it because it is a delicate political issue.

Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis told Kathimerini that the municipality estimates that 2,500 to 3,000 refugees and migrants are being housed in squats. The residents of the occupied buildings are outside the legal framework that applies to migrants and refugees and cannot be processed. At the same time the hygiene and safety conditions in the squats can not be checked by the authorities.

In the case of an occupied building that belongs to the Hellenic Red Cross and is to become a center for hosting unaccompanied refugee children funded by the EU, police said that they will evict the squatters but not before there is a place ready to host the refugees who live there.

In a similar case of another Red Cross building that had been occupied by migrants and was evacuated in order to become a proper refugee hosting facility, it was found that the building was in squalid condition.

http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2017/05/11/athens-mayor-giorgos-kaminis-issues-sos-call-on-refugees_a619c9e1-d20f-4a2a-84ed-11d5ea2e6a89.html (11.5.2017)

Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis has urged the government to come up with a concrete plan to solve the issue of growing numbers of undocumented refugees and migrants heading to the Greek capital, with many thousands squatting in empty buildings as official facilities become increasingly overcrowded.

According to Kaminis, the situation of illegal migrants living in Athens is spiraling out of control, with the latest calculations made by the municipality stating that around 2,500 to 3,000 refugees and migrants are being housed in squats alone, apart from those official registered of which the number is around 18,000.

Only last month Kaminis had said that it was high time that refugees should be more fairly distributed around other parts of the country.

"The current picture we have isn't good at all for this city," Kaminis told reporters.

He added: "We have to face the actual reality and that's why I'm ringing the alarm bells; on behalf of the Athenian citizens I say that all the refugees and migrants who are entering Greece should not be heading anarchically - or even planned in some cases - towards Athens and left to their fate - the message sent by the municipality of Athens is clear; we are not going to tolerate this." The thousands of refugees and migrants which are living in various buildings occupied by so-called solidarity groups is causing a major headache for the city, both in terms of security and in unpaid utility bills. Sadly it is becoming a vicious cycle with the response property owners or their lawyers receiving when they go to police stations in a bid to get the problem dealt with is that the current status quo is being tolerated for now as a 'political decision'.

Kaminis has been outspoken in his pleas to the government to act fast on the matter, but in any case he has also began dialogue with his counterparts in Rome and Paris to try and find a way to tackle the issue with the EU's direct help.

He concluded: "What exactly is the country's plan for this? How will we deal with it? From my side, I have taken the initiative to speak with the mayors of Rome and Paris and we are preparing to make a move to the European institutions, in particular to Mr [Dimitris] Avramopoulos (European Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs). We are fortunate enough to have a Greek Commissioner in the EU on this issue, so that there is a systematic European policy on this issue, which is one which will affect the whole bloc for the next decade and beyond."

[Lady Deadpool]

Ekathimerini uutisoi työtä tekeviin matuihin kohdistuneista, rasistisista hyökkäyksistä Kreikan Asprópyrgosissa. Toisaalla luin, että tällä uumoillaan olevan jotain tekemistä yleisen ilmapiirin kanssa kun alkuperäisväestö on suivaantunut shoppailija-matujen perseilyihin, siitä sitten kärsii jokainen matu taustasta riippumatta.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/218433/article/ekathimerini/news/new-spate-of-attacks-against-migrant-workers-reported-in-aspropyrgos (15.5.2017)

New spate of attacks against migrant workers reported in Aspropyrgos

Three separate attacks on migrant workers living in the industrial town of Aspropyrgos near Athens were reported on Monday, as rights groups said there has been a spike in racially motivated assaults in recent months.

The Athens-Macedonia News Agency (AMNA) on Monday reported two assaults having taken place on Sunday night on the residences of Pakistani workers as well as an attack on a lone factory worker, also a Pakistani national.

Its report confirmed claims made earlier in the day by Left.gr, which quoted members of the Pakistani Community of Greece as saying that a group of men who are known in the area threw stones at two houses in the neighborhood of Gorytsa, smashing windows and shouting racist slogans.

The website also claimed that at least 40 attacks have been reported against migrants workers in Aspropyrgos by the same group of men since last August. It added that the anti-racism group KEERFA is planning to hold a press conference on Monday afternoon at Athens police headquarters to demand that more be done to bring the assailants to justice.

[Lady Deadpool]

Eu-rahoitteinen matujen hyysäsysorganisaatio on tutkinnan alla korruptiosta että matujen seksuaalisesta hyväksikäytöstä.

http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2017/05/18/eu-funded-ngo-investigated-for-sexual-exploitation_06411e6a-5112-461d-9405-cb100ac94ba0.html (18.5.2017)

Staff members of an NGO managing a European Commission-funded humanitarian project for refugees on a Greek island are under investigation for alleged sexual exploitation and corruption, according to a statement by a spokesperson for the European Commission.

"Although the accusations are part of an ongoing investigation, the Commission takes the question very seriously," the spokesperson said. "We have a zero-tolerance approach to any abuse of the rights and personal integrity of all refugees and migrants, as with any other abuse of funds usage," the spokesperson said.

"Our first concern is the wellbeing of the potential victims. We will ensure they receive the necessary support. We have already informed the Greek authorities and sent the case to OLAF (the European Anti-Fraud Office) for an immediate investigation," the spokesperson said. "We are also moving to suspend payments to the organization until the investigation is concluded".

Myös Breitbart uutisoi aiheesta:

http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/05/18/pro-migrant-activists-greece-investigation-sexually-exploiting-migrants/ (18.5.2017)

The European Commission announced there would be a formal investigation, saying that members of a so far unnamed organisation may have sexually exploiting migrants they worked with in Greece.

The Commission has also confirmed it will be investigating the organisation on charges of corruption and has suspended all its EU funding, Salzburger Nachrichten reports.

The EU commission has said the priority will be first taking care of the victims of the alleged abuse. The Greek government has also been informed of the situation. The EU's anti-fraud agency Olaf will also be involved in the investigation against the pro-migrant organisation.

[Lady Deadpool]

Ekathimerini uutisoi pienestä mähinäprotestista.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/218521/article/ekathimerini/news/lesvos-refugees-demand-transfer-from-moria-to-kara-tepe (18.5.2017)

Lesvos refugees demand transfer from Moria to Kara Tepe

A group of around 30 Syrian refugees Thursday blocked the entrance to the Moria reception center on Lesvos, demanding their immediate transfer to the Kara Tepe camp, another facility on the eastern Aegean island where living conditions are better.

The protest was broken up by police whose intervention provoked angry reactions and scuffles, leading to the arrest of a 27-year-old man. Conditions at Greece's migrant reception facilities have been condemned as inhumane by human rights organizations including Amnesty International.

[Lady Deadpool]

Kreikka on tuominnut 15 salakuljettajaa, tuomiot ovat kolmen ja 17 vuoden väliltä.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/218533/article/ekathimerini/news/court-convicts-15-for-migrant-smuggling (18.5.2017)

Court convicts 15 for migrant smuggling

A Greek court has sentenced 15 people to terms ranging from three to 17 years in prison in connection with one of the largest migrant smuggling gangs in northern Greece.

According to the case file, the gang had been active at least since July 2014, transporting migrants and refugees from the Vardari area of Thessaloniki to the Greek border with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), from where they would head to Serbia and then Western Europe.

The smugglers received a total fee of 1,500 euros.

The route through FYROM and Serbia was dubbed the "route of Jamal the Palestinian"  after one of the gang's leaders who is being held in England, where he was arrested in 2014 as he entered the country hiding in a truck.

His lawyers are currently fighting a Greek request for his extradition. The unraveling of the gang began in 2014 with the arrest of a man in Austria for smuggling 14 people.

[Lady Deadpool]

Ekathimerini uutisoi pienestä rynnäköstä, joita näemmä tulee tasaisin väliajoin.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/218550/article/ekathimerini/news/58-migrants-land-on-greek-islands-in-past-48-hours (19.5.2017)

A total of 58 migrants and refugees have landed on Greece's Aegean islands in the past 48 hours, authorities said Friday.

Officials reported 29 arrivals on Chios, 18 on Lesvos and 11 on Samos.

The official number of migrants and refugees awaiting processing on the islands of the eastern Aegean on Friday was 8,892.

[Lady Deadpool]

ekathimerini uutisoi Kreikan olevan puhdistamassa viimeistä telttakylää Ateenan alueella.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/218642/article/ekathimerini/news/greece-to-clear-last-makeshift-refugee-camp-in-athens (23.5.2017)

Greece to clear last makeshift refugee camp in Athens

Efforts are underway to remove hundreds of refugees from an unhygienic makeshift camp at an ex-Olympics facility in greater Athens, a migration ministry source said Tuesday.

"We are down there today to register the refugees' needs and officially inform them that they should relocate to organised camps," the source told AFP.

Some 700 mainly Afghan refugees are living at the camp at Hellinikon -- which until 2001 was the Athens airport -- in crumbling flight lounges and abandoned sports facilities later built for the 2004 Olympics.

Rights groups have repeatedly labelled the makeshift camp on the coastal Athens front unsuitable for long-term accommodation and called on the government to find alternative arrangements for the refugees.

In February, some of the refugees went on hunger strike to protest against the lack of hot water and suitable food.

The ministry source said the relocation to other facilities would be "gradual" and declined to give a timeframe.

The refugees were initially deposited at Hellinikon from late 2015 onwards as a temporary measure, as Greece's leftist government scrambled to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people of all ages landing on Europe's doorstep to escape war and poverty.

Many of them slept at the port of Piraeus, at Hellinikon and at another improvised camp on the northern Greek border for months before organised camps could be created with the help of volunteer groups and EU funds.

Overall, some 60,000 people including many young Syrians, Afghans and Pakistanis, have been stuck in Greece for the past year after neighbouring countries along the migrant route into Europe shut their borders.

At the start of the 2015 influx, Afghans were originally viewed as refugees and allowed to continue their journey from Greece to other countries in Europe.

But many now face deportation -- despite growing insecurity that saw civilian casualties in Afghanistan hit a record high in 2016 -- after a disputed deal between EU and Kabul to send migrants back.

AP raportoi liikenteestä Turkin ja Kreikan rajalla.

Turkey's coast guard says it stopped 71 Syrian migrants attempting to reach Greece.

The migrants were stopped in a rubber dinghy early Tuesday in Izmir province, on the Aegean sea, as they began their journey to the Greek island of Lesbos.

Turkey and the European Union struck a deal in March 2016 to stem the flow of migrants from Turkey's western coasts. In the year before the deal, an estimated 1 million people crossed to Greece and nearly half landed on Lesbos. Hundreds drowned.

According to Turkish coast guard statistics, more than 5,000 migrants have been stopped so far this year, a fifth of the total number in 2016.

[Mr.Reese]

Samainen e-lehdykäinen kertoo kuinka Saksasta ei voi palauttaa Kreikkaan jo sieltä turvapaikan saanutta, koska Kreikka ei anna tarpeeksi diskorahaa. Kadullakin kuulemma joutui asumaan.

Germany's highest court has upheld a complaint by a Syrian whose asylum claim was rejected because he'd already been granted asylum in Greece.

The man, whose name wasn't released, arrived in Germany in 2015. He told officials he had already been granted protection in Greece but had been living on the street there and received no support from the Greek government.

The man's claim in Germany was rejected, meaning that he risked deportation to Greece.

Germany's Federal Constitutional Court said Tuesday that a lower court had wrongly failed to take account of a lack of welfare payments for refugees in Greece and to check whether there were assurances that the man would be given at least temporary housing.

Judges sent the case back to the lower court to reconsider.
http://www.ekathimerini.com/218638/article/ekathimerini/news/in-germany-syrian-man-wins-case-against-deportation-to-greece

Se on moro, jos näillä perusteilla annetaan shoppailla paras taikaseinä.

[Lady Deadpool]

Greekreporter uutisoi kohtuullisesta sutinasta ja liikeenteestä.

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2017/05/24/number-of-migrant-inflow-to-greece-on-the-rise-again-29-found-stranded-on-ro/ (24.5.2017)

Number of Migrant Inflow to Greece on the Rise Again; 29 Found Stranded on Ro

A total 173 migrants crossed to the North Aegean islands from Turkey in the past 48 hours, while another 29 were found stranded on Ro islet on Wednesday.

The migrants landed on the islands of Chios (58) and Samos (115), with Lesvos registering no arrivals in the past two days.

According to the General Police Directorate of North Aegean, currently there are 8,892 migrants and refugees on the islands, in official camps and other structures. Of those, 3,083 are on Lesvos, 3,889 on Chios and 1,920 on Samos.

Meanwhile, a Frontex vessel detected 29 migrants stranded on Ro islet, in the Eastern Aegean, on Wednesday morning. The Hellenic Coast Guard was notified and officers arrested one man who is suspected to have been their trafficker.

The 29 foreigners were transferred to Kastellorizo where Port Authority detained a 19-year-old whom they believe to be a migrant trafficker.

[Lady Deadpool]

Nämä palautukset tuntuvat toimivan varsinaisen hitaasti, muutaman kun ulos saa, on jo useita kymmeniä tai satoja tullut/tulossa tilalle.

http://aa.com.tr/en/europe/greece-returns-10-migrants-to-turkey-under-eu-deal/826849 (26.5.2017)

Greek authorities sent 10 people back to Turkey on Friday in accordance with a Turkey-EU migration deal.

According to a statement issued by the Greek Public Security Ministry, the 10 individuals were taken from Lesbos island in the Aegean Sea and were sent to the Dikili district of Turkey's western Izmir province.

Four of the migrants are from Pakistan, two from Bangladesh and one each from Nepal, Morocco, Congo and Algeria, the statement added.

The total number of people sent back to Turkey under the November 2015 deal has reached 1,081 since the agreement came into force in April last year.

Under the deal, which was struck at the height of the refugee crisis gripping Europe, Turkey agreed to accept the return of some migrants who crossed to the EU from its territory.

In return, the EU agreed to accept Syrian refugees for resettlement.

According to the International Organization for Migration, in 2015 more than 857,000 migrants arrived in Greece, where most migrants headed from Turkey.

This figure fell by 79 percent to just under 177,000 arrivals the following year.

[Lady Deadpool]

Greek Reporter uutisoi paattiliikenteestä.

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2017/05/28/boatload-of-41-rescued-refugeesmigrants-to-be-taken-to-katakolo/ (28.5.2017)

Greek authorities on Sunday located a sailing boat with 41 refugees and migrants on board, following a search-and-rescue operation launched by the coast guard and the EU border agency Frontex in response to a distress call to the European emergency number 112.

The rescued refugees and migrants are now being escorted to the port of Katakolo, where they will be temporarily housed. According to the latest information, they may be transferred to a Frontex vessel since the sailing boat has started to take on water. The call for help was made by mobile phone by some of those on board the vessel, who reported that it had run into trouble, launching a search initially focused on the Pylos area.

[Lady Deadpool]

Viiden päivän sisällä 390 matua on rantautunut Kreikkaan meriteitse mikä kielii kiihtyneestä liikenteestä.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/218811/article/ekathimerini/news/390-migrants-enter-greece-by-sea-in-past-five-days (29.5.2017)

A total of 390 migrants and refugees have entered Greece by sea in the past five days, the Athens-Macedonian news agency said on Monday.

According to the agency, 157 landed on Samos, 131 on Chios, and 102 on Lesvos – all islands in the eastern Aegean.

Authorities say a total of 9,137 migrants and refugees are currently stranded on these islands.

[Lady Deadpool]

Matujen itsemurhat, mielenterveysongelmat yms. ovat taas nousseet otsikoihin Kreikassa. Independent raapustaa tutkimuksesta, joka on koonnut aika kattavaa tietoa (johon voi suhtautua kriittisesti).

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/refugees-chios-suicide-greece-rights-data-project-report-migrant-crisis-a7761931.html (29.5.2017)

One in three refugees on Greek island of Chios has witnessed suicide since arriving, report finds

Charities urge situation is 'at breaking point' as research shows one in three has witnessed a suicidal death on island and majority have no access to mental health support

One in three refugees in camps on the Greek island of Chios has witnessed a suicide there, an alarming report has revealed.

Research seen exclusively by The Independent shows 39 per cent of displaced people living on Chios – of whom there are an estimated 3,782 – have witnessed a death on the island, with 87 per cent of these saying it had occurred due to self-harm or suicide.


(...)

The report by the Refugee Rights Data Project (RRDP), based on 300 interviews with refugees on Chios, found that seven in ten (71 per cent) respondents had experienced mental health problems since arriving, and that less than a third of them (29 per cent) had been able to access medical care.

The figure was even higher for women, who made up 12 per cent of those interviewed, with 94 per cent of them having experience mental health problems since arriving and less than a third (30 per cent) having been able to access support.

The findings are of particular concern following reports that thousands of refugees in Greece are at risk of losing vital support as charities prepare to withdraw services from the country's "hotspot" islands, such as Chios, as changes to EU funding are set to leave them out of contract by the end of July.

(...)

Eighty-five per cent of refugees said they "never feel safe" or "don't feel safe" on Chios, while only three per cent saying they "feel perfectly safe". Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of respondents said they had experienced police violence, and many told researchers the police treated refugees "like animals".

A similar proportion (22 per cent) said they had experienced violence by Greek citizens on Chios, often from anti-immigrant groups staging demos on the island, which have been known to escalate into violence against refugees.

Thirty-seven per cent meanwhile said they had experienced violence by other refugees – often described as the result of exhaustion and tensions in overcrowded camps, combined with an absence of adequate security measures in and around the camps.

Half of the children interviewed were unaccompanied, with nearly three quarters (73 per cent) saying they didn't feel safe in the camp and more than a quarter (29 per cent) saying they had witnessed someone dying on the island, according to the report.

More than a third of the under-18s interviewed were recorded as having experienced mental health problems, but just 18 per cent had received medical care, and only 17 per cent had been offered access to advice about their rights and possibilities to change their situation. Nearly three quarters (73 per cent) said they had family somewhere in Europe.


(...)

The RRDP interviewed approximately 10 per cent of the refugee population on Chios. Of the respondents, 88 per cent were male and 12 per cent female, and the average age was 27, with 10 per cent being children aged 17 of under, including some female minors.

The average time respondents had spent on Chios was three months, with seven per cent having been there for a year or longer, and only a third of respondents residing on the island with family members. Seven in 10 of respondents told researchers they had family elsewhere in Europe.

The majority of refugees interviewed said there was a severe lack of access to information, with 86 per cent saying they had no access to information about their legal rights and opportunities to change their situation, while 78 per cent said they couldn't access information about European asylum law and immigration rules.

Almost half (41 per cent) of refugees questioned had not yet been able to submit their asylum application at the time of the study, while five per cent of them had had their application rejected and were awaiting deportation.

Almost all (95 per cent) of respondents said they were unable to go back to their home country due to fears of war, persecution or other. When asked about how they felt about being in Europe currently, seven in 10 said they felt "very bad" or "bad".

Commenting on the findings, Johanna Puhakka, RRDP research coordinator, said it was evidence that the island of Chios is "at breaking point", and urged that the proposals for NGOs to withdraw from providing services was "misguided" and required "urgent" reconsideration.

"Our research indicates that Chios is currently at breaking point. This small island is overcrowded, and the organisations and agencies operating there are clearly struggling to provide some of the most basic services required," said Ms Puhakka.

"The decision of humanitarian organisations to withdraw from the island in June therefore appears critically misguided and needs to be urgently reconsidered."

Sarah Story, co-founder of charity Refugee Info Bus, echoed the urgency of the situation, saying: "The health, safety and human rights of the displaced people arriving on Chios must be our highest priority right now.

"Increased resources and services need to be allocated – not reduced. Any further withdrawals of services will have a detrimental and inhumane effect on people's lives on Chios, given that this island is indeed, at breaking point.

She added: "If new services are not introduced, then transfers from Chios to mainland Greece must be accelerated. Moving families and vulnerable people off the island must be urgently prioritised."

[Lady Deadpool]

Ekathimerini on jälleen uutisoinut kiihtyvästä vesiliikenteestä.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/218876/article/ekathimerini/news/135-migrants-arrive-on-eastern-aegean-islands-in-past-48-hours (31.5.2017)

A total of 135 migrants and refugees have arrived on Greece's eastern Aegean islands in the past 48 hours, authorities said.

Fifty-four arrivals were recorded on Lesvos, 41 on Samos and 40 on Chios, authorities said.

A total of 9,171 asylum-seekers are currently stranded on the islands, according to official data Wednesday.

[Lady Deadpool]

Ekathimerini uutisoi Amnestyn halusta sulkea Elliniko.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/217907/article/ekathimerini/news/amnesty-international-calls-for-shutdown-of-elliniko-migrant-camp (25.4.2017)

Amnesty International calls for shutdown of Elliniko migrant camp

Amnesty International has made an urgent appeal for the shutdown of the Elliniko migrant and refugee camp on Athens's southern coast and is calling for the transfer of its 1,200 occupants to alternative shelters.

The rights organization is decrying appalling living conditions at the facility and says that women and underage girls live in constant fear of sexual and verbal abuse.

Tämä telttakylä on saatu tyhjennettyä.

http://www.balkaneu.com/refugees-migrants-evacuated-from-elliniko/ (2.6.2017)

Police evacuated a total of 376 refugees and migrants from the former Elliniko airport in southern Athens on Friday, with the last busses leaving the former baseball and hockey fields.

Most of the refugees will head to a refugee camp in Thebes, while three families will be sent to Kavala. Migration Policy Minister Yiannis Mouzalas monitored the procedure and will then travel to Thebes.

"Today concludes a difficult operation which was crowned with absolute success. Proper information, the humanism of the police forces, and the right way of implementing the operation had this result. It is a result that honors Greece because it showed it respects international law and human rights and honors the Greek government," the Migration ministry's general secretary Yiannetos Filippakos said, adding there were minimal objections which were quickly addressed.

Asked why no journalists were allowed access to Elliniko, Filippakos argued that in an "operation plan, some rules have to be kept to protect the initial phase of the plan".

He also explained that police will continue to guard the area until municipal crews clean it up in order to deliver the venue to the company "Elliniko SA."

"They all left voluntarily from Elliniko without any problems," Police's Lieutenant General Zaharoula Tsirigoti, in charge of Aliens and Border Protection, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA).

"It is indicative of the planning that everyone had a piece of paper with the particular container where they will be staying," she added.

Medecines sans Frontieres spokesperson, Rebecca Murray, told ANA that in the last year the organisation offered medical assistance to the refugees and expressed concern because "this evacuation procedure does not help us continue offering our medical services."

The head of the United Movement against Racism and Fascist Threat KEERFA told ANA that around 25 families living in the former airport opposed to their transfer to Thebes last night.

[Lady Deadpool]

Isohko salakuljettajien rinki on saatu kiinni, raportoi Euronews.

Euronews (4.6.2017)

Greek police say they have smashed a major people smuggling ring operating out of the country.

The organised criminal gang, said to include six Afghans and a Sudanese, is accused of helping migrants enter other EU countries and Canada illegally.

Depending on the destination, those trying to get out of Greece are believed to have paid the group anything up to 16,000 euros for high quality travel and identity documents.

Ioanna Rotziokou, a spokeswoman for the Greek police, said: The traffickers we've arrested provided irregular migrants with fake or stolen passports to facilitate their transfer by regular flights from airports.''

Investigations revealed the gang had been operating out of Athens and northern Greece for two years.

For refugees, the only legal way out of Greece is through an EU relocation programme.

From the Greek capital Euronews' Michalis Arampatzoglou said: "More than 60,000 migrants and refugees remain in camps in Greece after border closures across the Balkans. The slow progress of EU's relocation programme makes migrants and refugees more vulnerable to exploitation from the smuggling networks."

Myös rannalla on ollut liikennettä.

https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/2017/06/05/69-migrants-captured-en-route-to-greece-from-aegean-coast (5.6.2017)

Turkish security forces captured some 69 illegal immigrants as they were preparing to head for Greece from Turkey's Aegean coast yesterday.

Police in İzmir's Çeşme district stopped 29 Syrians, who had gathered at a beach awaiting a boat to take them to the Greek island of Chios. The Syrians were later sent to an accommodation facility for refugees in the city.

Meanwhile, in Çanakkale, 40 illegal immigrants from Syria, Democratic Republic of Congo and Mali were intercepted at the Sokakağzı Cove as they were preparing to board a boat heading for the Greek island of Lesbos.

Since January, Turkish Coast Guard has intercepted 5,118 migrants in the Aegean Sea and apprehended 32 human smugglers. In the meantime, 19 migrants died when their boats capsized.

Migrants, who often travel on rubber dinghies, risk their lives to reach nearby Greek islands from the Turkish coast. In 2015, more than 857,000 migrants arrived in Greece, most of them through Turkey, according to the International Organization for Migration. But, this figure fell by more than 79 percent to just 177,000, the following year.

In a bid to curb the refugee influx, Turkey and European Union signed a deal in 2016. They envisaged a "one-for-one" formula under which failed asylum-seekers in Europe would be returned to Turkey, while documented Syrian refugees would be resettled in EU states under a quota system.

The agreement, backed by tighter coast guard patrols on the Aegean Sea to stop the illegal smuggling of immigrants, led to a significant decline in the number of migrants. The Aegean shores that were previously teeming with refugees waiting to board boats heading to the nearby Greek islands are now calm, save for the occasional group of illegal immigrants.

[Lady Deadpool]

Jalkapallo on taas toimimassa maailmanhalauksen työkaluna.

http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/sports/2017/06/08/former-barcelona-stars-in-lesvos-for-migrant-benefit-match_2381edb5-c08e-473e-9feb-811f24dd285c.html (8.6.2017)

A team made up of former Barcelona soccer stars will play a friendly against veterans of the Greece national team on Thursday on Lesvos to honor the eastern Aegean island's role in the ongoing refugee crisis.

The match, which kicks off at 18:30 local time at the Mytilene municipal stadium, will represent the climax of a day of special events for local children and migrants in and around the refugee centers aimed at highlighting the great work and solidarity shown by Lesvos residents.

The event has been organized by a combination of the municipality of Lesvos, the FC Barcelona Foundation and the Union of Barcelona players, and is part of a broader program created by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

"This event is our way of honoring the people of Lesvos for their contribution during the refugee crisis. It also highlights an ongoing, worldwide humanitarian disaster that persists because of war, poverty or climate change," said Lesvos Mayor Spyros Galinos.

He added: "The main slogan of the event is 'Sport Welcomes', and we'll be using this as a hashtag (#SportWelcomes) on social media. This is because sport welcomes everyone, irrespective of where they are from. Sport is something which everyone can participate in and it has the power to make the world better; it is non-discriminatory."

Galinos concluded: "We are delighted to be working with Barcelona's world-renowned football team, which has millions of fans around the world. At the same time, the Pan-Hellenic Association of Professional Football Players (PSAP) responded to the challenge and gathered a group of popular players who have been distinguished players for Greece and abroad, playing in the national team and in major competitions." Lesvos, along with Chios and Samos, has been the center of world attention during the ongoing migrant crisis in Greece, taking in thousands of refugees arriving on boats from Turkey who have been fleeing from war and poverty.

Although the numbers have significantly reduced since the implementation of the EU-Turkey agreement in March last year, according to the latest statistics there are currently 3,183 migrants and asylum seekers still on the island, most of whom are waiting for the results of asylum applications.
According to official figures, 62,204 migrants and refugees are currently stranded in mainland Greece and its islands.

[Lady Deadpool]

Kreikan hotellien omistajat haluavat mieluummin turisteja kuin matuja. A shocker.

http://www.dw.com/en/greeces-hotel-owners-want-tourists-not-refugees/a-39176253 (10.6.2017)

Greece's hotel owners want tourists not refugees

Bracing for a record tourist season, Greece is trying to lure back travelers to islands hit hardest by the refugee crisis. In doing so, though, hoteliers are spurning bids by aid groups to rent rooms to refugees.

The sun, the sea, the refugees. It's no wonder hoteliers on the forefront of Europe's lingering refugee crisis are turning down requests by aid and humanitarian organizations to rent rooms to accommodate asylum-seekers continuing to stream into Greece from neighboring Turkey.

With the peak tourism season about to set in and Greek travel associations forecasting record arrivals this summer, hoteliers on the scenic and sun-kissed island of Chios say they are wary of renting rooms to refugees, trying, instead, to claw back thousands of vacationers and rid the island's image of a landing zone for bedraggled refugees.

"This stance isn't motivated by racism or hatred towards foreigners," said George Misetzis, president of the island's estimated 100 hotel owners. "If anything our local community as a whole has been very receptive and supportive of these people and their tragedies."

"But we have to reclaim our top-selling product: tourism," he said.

The move comes as the Greek state and the United Nations' refugee agency (UNHCR) embark on a new and ambitious plan to relocate asylum-seekers from squalid, overcrowded camps to host families and housing units, including hotels. The scheme follows fierce criticism waged against the Greek government for its failing refugee accommodation and worse yet, for leaving asylum-seekers to "freeze to death," when the continent was gripped by a deadly cold snap earlier this year.

"Urgent and emergency action was needed," said UNHCR spokesman Boris Cheshirkov. "Hotels were the first option."

To support the new accommodation plan, authorities have since then amended legislation, allowing asylum-seekers to move to the mainland. More than 12,000 refugees and migrants remain trapped on five Aegean islands, including popular holiday destinations like Chios, Lesbos and Kos, following a landmark European Union migration deal that kept them confined in detention camps pending review of their asylum requests.

On Chios alone, a total of 175 asylum-seekers, classified as vulnerable cases, have been moved into 44 housing units on the island. What's more, a first batch of about 50 were also shipped to new accommodation facilities on the mainland last week, according to a UNHCR spokesman.

Still, with refugees continuing to wash up on Chios' shores - more than 800 have reached the island since the start of the year, double the number recorded in 2016 - the global agency said it was looking for at least another 60 housing sites on the island.

Greece hosts about 9,550 hotels with as many as 40,000 rudimentary room-and-board hostels sprinkled across its mainland and islands, operating during the summer season only.

"The camps on Chios are already teeming with people. They have exceeded their capacity," said Cheshirkov. "But even if that were not the case, the working assumption of the new accommodation scheme is that some of these people will inevitably have to stay here and integrate within local communities."

"We are past the emergency [refugee crisis phase]," he said. "We're well into the post-emergency phase. And it will take time and a great deal of investment for integration to take place."

Tourists put off by refugees

The task is daunting.

Although record daily inflows of as many as 10,000 people in 2015 have dropped dramatically over the past year, local communities are still reeling from the fallout of the refugee crisis.

Small but vocal and at times violent opposition groups have sprouted nationwide, stoking passions among far-right nationalists who want to keep the country clear of foreigners and Muslims. Meantime, recurring scenes of violence, protests and crime waged by angry and frustrated migrant youth have dealt a devastating blow to local economies on Greece's eastern Aegean islands, tarnishing their reputation as serene, sunny holiday destinations.

"Let's be serious," says Misetzis, "which traveler and which visitor will book a holiday at a hotel, or other accommodation, knowing that a family of Muslim refugees is being housed right next door?"

"I've lost count of the times I've seen tourists move out of an establishment just because of that. When you're on holiday and you've planned a trip for months, the last thing you want to see are scenes of human suffering around you. Or waking up to the sound of Muslim prayers by the families hosted next door to you."

Chios' struggling hoteliers estimate a 50 percent drop in stays over the summer, forcing many of the island's small-scale hostel owners to drastically cut down costs and expenditures. Losses reached a crippling 80 percent last year, forcing some owners to shed their money-losing digs altogether, dealing a devastating blow to the local economy.

On the neighboring island of Lesbos, opposition to the accommodation scheme grew so intense that in April, authorities and the UNHCR vacated hundreds of refugees from an estimated 300 hotel rooms, relocating them either to the mainland or apartments or camps on the island.

"It's high time we get back to business," said Pericles Antoniou, president of Lesbos' hoteliers association. "It's high time for other local communities to starting bearing some of the burden that we shouldered entirely, for years now."

Last month, local communities on Crete, among the country's most popular holiday destinations, agreed to join in the UNHCR accommodation plan. It remains unclear how many units will be leased and how soon the project will kick off. Hoteliers, however, have already opted out.

[Lady Deadpool]

Ekathimerini uutisoi liikenteestä.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/219233/article/ekathimerini/news/coast-guard-rescues-43-migrants-off-farmakonisi (14.6.2017)

A total of 43 migrants and refugees were rescued off the southern Aegean islet of Farmakonisi on Tuesday, the Greek Coast Guard has said.

Officials said all 43 were transferred to the nearby island of Leros.

New figures released by the UN refugee agency on Tuesday show that the number of migrants who entered Europe in the first half of 2017 was 35 percent of the number a year ago.

[Lady Deadpool]

Tämän uutisen löysin jo muutamia päiviä sitten, mutta kaikessa kiireessä jäi postaamatta. Ateenassa vietettiin Refugee Food Festival tapahtumaa 18-22.6. Tarkoituksena oli luoda yhtenäisyyttä. Tapahtuma tulee saamaan jalansijaa myös muissa kaupungeissa.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/219281/article/ekathimerini/life/refugee-chefs-offer-culinary-journeys-at-athens-food-fest (15.6.2017)

www.refugeefoodfestival.com

In the Hippocratic spirit of "let food be thy medicine" – but also our united inspiration – Athens is set to take part in the first European edition of the Refugee Food Festival, in which restaurants from across Europe open their kitchens to skilled refugee chefs between June 18 and 22.

After a successful debut in Paris in 2016, Athens – at the center stage of refugee awareness – now joins 12 other European cities (Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon, Lille, Madrid, Florence, Rome, Milan, Bari, Brussels and Amsterdam) in a collective effort to redirect the dialogue about refugees.

Here in Athens, the humanitarian culinary initiative is being staged by Athens Insider and its sister publication Bonjour Athenes, in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the French association Food Sweet Food, to coincide with World Refugee Day on June 20. Over five days, five local Athens restaurants will add new dishes to their menus, created by five different refugee chefs to showcase their own cuisines – and to broaden the city's gastronomic range.

All of the chefs taking part in the Refugee Food Festival are qualified professionals who are using their culinary skills as a gateway to professional and social integration in their new homeland.

The five chefs and their partner restaurants are Mahboubeh Tavakoli (Iranian cuisine) at Yi in Glyfada (Sunday, June 18), Barshank Haj Younes (Syrian-Kurdish cuisine) at Seychelles in Kerameikos (Monday, June 19), Hassan Hassan (Somali cuisine) at Vassilenas in the Hilton area (Tuesday, June 20 & Wednesday, June 21), Abdulrahman Al Hallak (Syrian cuisine) at 7 Food Sins in Plaka (Wednesday, June 21), and Reza Golami (Afghan cuisine) at IT in Kolonaki (Thursday, June 22). Sittings are booked directly through the restaurants.

[Lady Deadpool]

Myös Kreikka on kokenut liikennettä viikonlopun aikana.

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2017/06/24/distressed-vessel-with-120-migrants-rescued-near-karpathos/ (24.6.2017)

On Friday night in Greece a wooden vessel carrying 120 migrants was discovered in the marine area of Karpathos. A passenger on the boat made an emergency 112 call that alerted authorities that the vessel and its passengers were in danger of sinking.

In the rescue effort three port vessels located the distressed boat, which had experienced mechanical problems and was towed to the port of the island. There was no further information available as to the origin of the migrants. There are currently over 60,000 migrants bottle-necked in Greece since other EU countries have shut their borders over one year ago.

Morning Star on kirjoitellut Khiosin tilanteesta kokien lehdelle tyypillistä maailmantuskaa. Kirjoitus on pitkä, joten loput linkistä.

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-2c54-Refugees-human-rights-count-for-little-on-Chios#.WU7AmmjyjIV (21.6.2017)

ANYONE who imagines that the EU governments have an untainted history of humanitarianism should take a sharp look at what is happening on the Greek island of Chios, whose eastern shore is just a few miles away from that of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Turkey.

Last month almost 4,000 refugees were reported to be confined to squalid official camps in dismal and unsafe conditions on this beautiful and mountainous island. Each week more join them.

Refugees from the Syrian war, but from elsewhere too, have been arriving for years by sea from Turkey, often on rubber dinghies after paying people-smugglers dearly for the privilege of dangerous travel.

The main town carries the same name as the island and is situated on the east coast, roughly half-way along its 30-mile north-south length.

Refugees are condemned to live in one of two camps. Vial camp is situated adjacent to a village at the end of a dusty track not far from the town. Souda camp is in the town itself, adjacent to the castle, and spilling on to the shore.

On this and other Greek islands ­ ­— notably Lesbos, Samos and Leros — refugees submit asylum applications to the government but mostly wait, losing all hope and fearing the worst. Most are refused sanctuary. A small percentage have been allowed to proceed to mainland Greece.

The rest wait.