From Anti-Immigrant Summer to Zero Tolerance on Election Bait

Text in Greek available here.

On the occasion of the International Migrants Day

Just over a month and half ago Prime Minister Papandreou used the Global Forum on Immigration & Development proceedings in Athens to sketch government measures which would stand for a humanitarian turn compared to the policies and situation of the recent months .  He described as necessary

“[T]o stimulate the participation of immigrants in the political life of the country, through the possibility of Greek citizenship acquisition, particularly of course for the so-called ’second generation’, in which we are suggesting the acquisition of citizenship by birth for the new person born in our territory.”

For people in Greece, though, the announcement of the Secretary for Home Affairs Theodora Tzakri two weeks later, which made clear that Greek citizenship would be granted only to children born to legal immigrants, came as no surprise.

The doctrine of “Zero tolerance to illegal migration” goes hand in hand with this government’s humanitarian turn… As for what this turn is all about, it aims at incorporating immigrants mostly from Albania, after two decades of overexploitation, and in exchange for votes. A phony exchange indeed.

Along with this, the dividing of immigrants into ‘good’ and ‘bad’, ‘useful’ and ’superfluous’, ‘legal’ and ‘illegal’ becomes more intense, and the system of exploitation grows deeper roots .

As we wrote in our above linked text on the Global Forum on Immigration & Development:

“The aim of developmental policy is to control migration flows (through the FRONTEX patrols and detention centres) as well as to regulate them (through 5-year rotating work permits, the annulment of asylum rights), in order to keep a stable proportion of productive inhabitants within the increasingly ageing, unproductive populations of Europe. In other words, recycling the migrants will keep the indexes of development in check, development being the systematic and bloodthirsty pillage of lives and resources, time and space.

According to the “UN Population Division report on replacement migration”, if the Europeans want to keep their ratio of older people to active workers at the 1995 levels, the Union will need 135 million immigrants by 2025.

This demographic issue is only part of the story, and maybe not the most important. Neoliberalization inside Europe has meant a weakened, destabilized labor force. It’s not just that capital wants selected migrants because it needs more workers, it wants migrants because they are powerless, unorganized, low-paid workers for whom there will be no job security, no health care and no pensions.In other words, they are far cheaper and less troublesome workers”.

Illegal immigrants are necessary because through them the rights of the legal ones are suppressed (there is of course rotation of people in these roles). At the same time, illegal immigration helps governments maintain a useful xenophobic atmosphere to impose authoritarian policies. ”Migration management” includes both authoritarian hysteria and humanitarian logistics. The two seemingly opposite positions are the two sides of the same coin of subjugation.

So let’s outline against this backdrop the government’s humanitarian turn after the elections of October 2009…

The Doctrine “Insulated Greece”

The new doctrine was introduced by Minister of Citizen Protection (= Public Order) M. Chrisochoïdis on Tuesday, December 15, at his meeting with the FRONTEX Executive Director J.Laitinen.   The construction of the Southeast Mediterranean FRONTEX Headquarters at the U.S. base of Aktion or at Piraeus has been a permanent request of the Greek government, which proudly stated that 75% of illegal entry arrests at the sea borders of EU for this year took place in the Aegean sea.

A few days earlier in the frame of FRONTEX operations (on Saturday, December 12) officers in Samos island, on no notice whatsoever and violently, carried out with utmost secrecy the transfer of over 85 Afghan refugees from the local detention center to the island’s airport at Pythagorio.  There the refugees were boarded on an airplane which departed for an unknown destination.

The slaughter in the Aegean Sea continues

In less than two months, 16 migrants have died in the icy waters of the Aegean. Most of them were children.

• On Tuesday, October 27, 8 immigrants, three adults and five children, drowned in the east part of the Aegean Sea.
• On Saturday, November 7, the lifeless bodies of six children from Palestine, aged 2 to 12 years, washed up on shore near Bodrum (Alikarnasos), Turkey.  The boat in which 19 Palestinians – half of them children – squeezed themselves on an effort to pass from the Turkish town of Turgutreis to Kos island overturned 500 meters from the shore.
• On Friday, December 11, a boat carrying undocumented migrants sank near the island of Leros. Fishermen found 25 migrants perched on a rocky island and two more lifeless bodies in the sea.

Police violence

Incidents of abuse and humiliation by the police amount to dozens, and most of them never reach the public attention. We report the following characteristic cases:

• In the afternoon of October 22, immediately after the visit of Secretary of State Vougias the detention center in Pagani of Mytilene, police officers responsible for guarding the center abused and beat prisoners, including a 17-year boy, who was evacuated to the Vostanio Hospital, where lesions were diagnosed on his head, back, waist and arms. According to the interpreter, the police promised 350 euros to the victim to buy his silence.
• On the 19th of November in the afternoon a 35-year old immigrant was beaten by two officers serving at the infamous Aghios Panteleimonas Police Station in Athens. Her two year old child witnessed the beating and the arrest, and along with her mother remained under custody at the Kypseli Police Station for four hours! The incident became known only because the woman is married to a famous Greek musician.
• On Friday, November 20 , immigrant detainee Mohammed bin Taher collapsed in the courts of Evelpidon street in Athens. His condition was such that he was taken to hospital by ambulance. As reported by the his fellow detainees (and he later confirmed) Mohammed bin Taher had been savagely beaten by police at the Omonoia Police Station.
• On the 9th of October Mohammed Kamran dies after the treatment he received by the policemen who had raided the house where he and fellow Pakistani workers resided in Nikaia, Athens.

Para-state violence

The para-state mechanism was launched last summer against immigrants and since then it has been working relentlessly despite the supposed change of policy.

• The most recent incident was the attack of last Tuesday, December 15, against the Social Haunt – Immigrants Haunt in Chania, Crete (hometown of the former Minister of Public Order Markoyannakis).  In the same city on December 8 there has been a savage criminal attack against two immigrants by unknown perpetrators. The near-killers attacked the immigrant workers in the back with crowbars, and left them with serious head and body injuries.  One of the 2 victims was among the 15 hunger strikers of last year , who shook the island of Crete with their proud struggle. The intensity of the attacks in Chania definitely is related to the dynamic struggles of immigrants in the city.
• In Athens, brutal attacks against Arab shops took place at the Neos Kosmos district on Monday, November 22, when 40 people holding crowbars and molotov cocktails attacked and injured the employees in two mini-markets, destroyed the merchandise and stole the money of the cashier.

Para-state organized violence encourages and feeds the diffuse social one.

• Thus, on November 8, four immigrants who had been working at olive fields in Messolongi, Western Greece, were attacked with crowbars and clubs and beaten savagely by circa 15 people. The immigrants were transferred to the emergency dept. of the Messolongi hospital. The immigrants had been asking their wages from the owner of the fields in which they had been working.  They were ambushed and beaten in an old warehouse, where they had an appointment with their employer to get their money.

Institutional violence

• In late November the trial of 25 immigrants (mainly Arabs and one Afghan) took place; they had been arrested during the events of December 2008 and had been detained ever since.  All this period they were considered missing.  All of them were sentenced to imprisonment from 7 months to 3 years.  It is characteristic for the fairness of the trial that only one interpreter had been assigned , who translated simultaneously for 24 defendants who were divided in three groups in the court’s room.  The Afghan who did not understand Arabic was seated on the last bench of the room…
• On Friday, December 11, in Thessaloniki, a report was issued by the Hellenic League for Human Rights, about the detention centers in Evros and Rodopi.  The survey took place from the 25th to the 29th of November 2009 and states:

In many cases there is inadequate lighting, ventilation and heating (…)  At virtually none of the premises visited have the possibility to go outdoors on some yard. Even in detention centers where there is an adequate yard, the large number of detainees on the one hand and the lack of personnel on the other allows usually only for some prisoners to have outdoor breaks for a minimum period and not on a daily basis (…)  Food in many cases is inadequate, the quantity and quality in general varies (..). The care taken for sanitation and hygiene conditions varies from inexistent to inadequate (…) The availability of medical and nursing staff is poor and at all cases occasional (…) The detainees were in total confusion regarding their rights, the time of their detention and ill-informed as to asylum procedures; interpreters were not available.

December 18, 2009

Clandestina Network

Group of Immigrants and Refugees, Thessaloniki

New assaults by para-state neo-nazis in Chania Crete against social spaces and comrade’s home – Rally and march tomorrow against rising fascist violence.

Immigrant's Haunt, Social Haunt's entrance after the fire.

Police’s pets, right extremists in Chania, Crete, continue with their aggression.  Yesterday evening, unknown perpetrators threw two molotov coctail bombs against the family house of a comrade who is involved in anarchist and antiracist initiatives, while his family (not he himself) was inside (includng his toddler nephew).  Some days ago, he and a friend had been ambushed late at night by a group of ten and severely beaten.  Info by Chaniotika Nea local newpaper.

The last social space hit by the fasco-group(s) in the town of Chania was the Immigrants Haunt – Social Haunt.    In the small hours yesterday night they broke into the building and put a fire on the entrance.   They signed on the walls with swastikas.   Last week they had painted racist graffiti on the outside walls.

AFTER THE RECENT NEO-NAZI-ACTIVITY, AN ANTI-FASCIST RALLY AND MARCH CALL HAS BEEN MADE BY VARIOUS ORGANISATIONS AND COLLECTIVES  FOR TOMORROW, THURSDAY, DEC 17, 19.00, AT AGORA SQ.

BELOW IS THE POSTER CALLING.

Murderous assaults by neo-nazis in Chania, Crete, and impunity for racist murder perpetrators.

TWO NEW PRESS – RELEASES BY THE FORUM OF IMMIGRANTS IN CRETE ON RECENT PROLIFERATION OF NEO-NAZI ACTIVITY IN CHANIA, CRETE; AND THE PROLONGATION OF A HIDEOUS RACIST CRIME BY THE SYSTEM OF “JUSTICE” IN RETHYMNO

Savage Assault against Immigrants in Chania

Τwo immigrants were savagely assaulted by last Tuesday, December 8, in downtown Chania, at10 at night. The unknown perpetrators nearly killed the immigrants who were sitting on a bench in a square of the city centre.  They attacked them with iron crowbars, all of a sudden and from the back, and behind the bench so that not to be noticed and resisted by their victims . They left them with serious head and body injuries.

One of the 2 immigrant workers happened to be one of the 15 hunger strikers who last year surprised the town with their proud struggle. At the hospital he was able to give us a first description of the thugs. Gym freaks with shaved heads. Figures that allow us to suspect with certainty the neo-Nazis, Hitler-nostalgics, para-state that recently have been trying to make their pittiful presence sensed in the town. The scumbags who in large groups ambush and beat individuals simply because they do not like their face of social and political areas because they classify them as enemies of the homeland and their Aryan race. The same people who appear and “provoke” rallies and marches, who flock and flirt in public with the police, who threaten or beat protesters, because they don’t like demonstrations.

They have long been active in our town as well, and elsewhere in the prefectire, as in Kastelli Kissamou. The names of their leaders have been whispered in schools, football stadiums and cafes.  They recruit and trade in the divisive violence among the the youth whose blood is hot with passion and anger. They complete the work begun by “loyal to democracy” right-wing circles and political spaces. They poison the social body with hatred and preposterous lies for ten years now, with the full support of economic and political power blocs. The neo-Nazis are merely the executive arm of the fascist turn in the society .

After the uprising of December, these processes accelerated. Like everywhere in Greece, so in the ‘democratic Chania’ we have been witnessing a proliferation of attacks against immigrants and struggling people. In fact, the perpetrators have been acting scandalously undisturbed. We have no doubt that the society of labor, work, dignity, the democratic society can deal with them. It must stand against to them, because it is itself the target of fascists. This is what fascists hate and want to discipline, just like their ideological ancestors 70 years ago did.

Chania, 10 December 2009

Innocent by-standers of an assassination!!!

At New Year’s Day 2006, a young Albanian was killed with incredible ferocity -17 stabs – in his house, in Old Town, Rethymno.

His fault was that he was Albanian. His name was Edison Jahai.

The System of Justice in 2009 decided to prolong the crime by judging not guilty 3 of the accused perpetrators considering them “mere bystanders in front of the assassination” (!!!)

The questions raised are obvious:

• Is society to be trained to tolerate injustice?
• Is society to be trained to fear the “other” in order to regard him/her as the absolute root of all evil;
• Is society to be trained not to claim its rights – social, economic, political, labor – and be satisfied with what is minimum and be in fear of losing even this?

We think this Court of Appeals’ decision took this direction.  It is unfair and humiliating for both dead Edison and his family.  It is dangerous at a time when atrocities against wage-workers by trained Nazi stabbers prolifarate. The response to all forms of injustice and all forms of rights violations, all racist murderous attack must be the strengthening of the fight for a society with equality and freedom, with essential respect to life and dignity.

For racism does not only affect its victrims, but also those who tolerate it.

CHANIA 10 Dec 2009

“One year after the hunger-strike in Chania: empowered by the movement’s past, for the movement’s tomorrow” – Event in Chania, Crete, Friday 20 Nov ‘09.

Forum of Immigrant in Crete event – open discussion about last year’s hunger strike in Chania.

Worker Unions’  Center, Chania, Friday, 20 Nov 2009, 19.30.

4 of the Nikea marchers released as pressure mounts against the hood-law

Submitted by taxikipali on Oct 21 2009, at libcom.org

Five of the eight marchers of Nikea, arrested last Saturday during an anti-torture demo, have been released after court hearing. Meanwhile pressure against the hood-law used against 4 of the 8 for the first time in Greece is mounting with occupations and solidarity.

Solidarity with Rosa Nera squat, attacked by fascists on 13th September 2009

On Sunday, 13 September 2009, a cowardly group, armed with helmets and helves, attacked the  Rosa Nera squat in Chania, at a time when almost all comrades were at the local antiracist festival.  At the entrance of the squat they hit a mother, her student son, a friend and an immigrant and then left quickly, within 2-3 minutes, hitting one more elderly person and his son who were at that time returning to the building .  During the last week posters and banners of the festival were torn across the city.

ROSA NERA CALLS FOR AN ANTIFASCIST DEMO ON FRIDAY, SEPT 25, 17.00, AGORA SQUARE, CHANIA, CRETE

SOURCE: http://rosanera.squat.gr/

A call for help for 43 Kurdish refugees facing illegal deportation

sources: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1064766, http://teacherdudebbq.blogspot.com/

see also this

“We’re are calling upon you for any kind of help for 43 Kurdish immigrants who having applied for political asylum were immediately given a deportation order by the Greek police in Hania, Crete and so taken from Hania to the Rodopi region of northern Greece.

Now after an outrageous violation of their rights police by the they are in Redopi. Of the 43 Kurdish immigrants, two are women, one, four and half months pregnant and four are minors.

Now they are in the Iasmou police department, Komotini, Rodopi and the detention centre in Renna, Rodopi. Any help from citizens should be sent there.”

This is happening NOW!!!!

URGENT – Kurdish refugees on the way to the border

Rough translation of parts of the Forum of Immigrants in Crete communique.  These are the 45 refugees that reached the shore of southern Crete οn boats. Forum of Immigrants in Crete blog at http://fmkritis.wordpress.com/

Urgent update on the situation of the Chania Kurdish refugees

photo from Athens indymedia

[..] The recent act of the “disappearance” from Chania of the 45 Kurdish refugees seems that the anti-immigrant policy now assumes plain criminal, gangster characteristics.

After a week of exhaustive negotiations with the police authorities to allow us access to the 45 refugees xwho reached the west Coast of the island, and after overcoming various obstacles with the synergy of pressures by the local community and Amnesty International, yesterday, Monday the 27th, 17 refugees signed their asylum applications at the  hotel in Kavros Apokoronou where they were detained, in front of  the Police, representatives of the Lawyers’ Bar of Chania, members of the Forum of Immigrants in Crete, a lawyer and Turcologist and 2 translators.

The police representative denied to receive the applications and the local Police Chief  said by telephone that they would be received at the Police Headquarters.  It was then,  just after we had turned our backs to get to the Police headquarters to hand the applications to the pertinent Public Attorney and the Police Headquarters thta we learnt that the 45 Kurds were loaded on buses to be boarded on the F/B to Athens.

Nobody so far answers our questions on the final destination of the transfer, which, as the time passes, makes stronger our fear that they will be led to the border with Turkey and handed over to their persecutors.

Police at Petrou Ralli (foreigners police departmentin Athens)  say they do not know the destination of the transfer, because this was specified and decided by the Chania Police Authority. Which, in turn, denies any knowledge.

These are primarily Kurdish refugees from Turkey, but some of them are Iraqis and Syrians.  Among them are 2 women (one is pregnant on her 5 month) and 4 minors; at least 17 of them, the ones that signed written requests for asylum on the reason that their lives run immidiate risk because of political persecution.

We urge every recipient of this message to join the effort  to stop the transfer of the refugees towards the border [...].

Below are the names of the minor asylum seekers.

	NAME AND SURNAME	FATHER’S NAME	MOTHER’S NAME	COUNTRY AND PLACE OF ORIGIN	DATE OF BIRTH (DD/MM/YY)	NOTES	SEX
1	BEHREM AGIRMAN	OMER	EMINE	SIRNAK ΤΟΥΡΚΙΑ	10/9/92	MINOR	M
2	YUSEF GENC	MUSTAFA	FIDAN	PAZARCIK ΤΟΥΡΚΙΑ	2/8/92	MINOR	M
3	ALI DARI	SULEYMAN	FATMA	CATIRHOYUK ΤΟΥΡΚΙΑ	5/20/93	MINOR	M
4	KAHRAMAN AGIRMAN	SUKRU	HANIFE	SIRNAK ΤΟΥΡΚΙΑ	9/11/92	MINOR

45 refugees reach the shore of southern Crete οn boats – solidarity campaign by the Forum of Immigrants in Crete

a hand through a window - a photo from an action at Kissamos, Chania, where 113 refugees where detained in September, 2006

Around 45 refugees reached yesterday night the shore of Palaiochora and Lafonisi οn boats.   Men, women and children.

In these times, when, according to some, the greatest evil society has to deal with are the “sans papiers”, what might be the fate of these wretched souls? The fate of those who, according to some, are not refugees, neither exiled, but clandestine, illegal, criminals, more dangerous, even than the network of gangsters-constructors-authorities who parade through TV screens the last few days, and appear to have been calling government ministers by their surname …

The sea washed 45 “utterly evil” people of this sort, refugees that is, ashore, yesterday, the 20th of July, 2009 on the south of the Prefecture of Hania.  These refugees have escaped some country of terror and death, presumably Iraq. Families with children, a pregnant woman… Wage labourers, mothers and children, who made it out of war, poverty and juntas… The politics that wants them illegal, clandestine, will detain them for months in prison cells, though they’ve commited no crime, it ‘ll keep them unemployed, it’ll force them work for 2 euros an hour. This politics goes against society’s interests.

The interests of us all working people, lay in the granting of asylum to all these people, so that they live in dignity with their families, to join unions, to join common struggles with their Greek colleagues against the real enemy: the cartel of political and economic power-holders, who set “criseis” up, who create unemployment, in order to cut down wages.

The 45 refugees are in a hotel in Georgioupolis.  The next days we will try to contact them, along with the Medecins du Monde and Amnesty International. Some first aid in clothes, especially underwear, would be very much appreciated. The office of the Forum of Immigrants in Crete (Chatzimihali Daliani 67, Chania) will be open for anyone who wishes to aid.

FORUM OF IMMIGRANTS IN CRETE

ΦΟΡΟΥΜ ΜΕΤΑΝΑΣΤΩΝ ΚΡΗΤΗΣ ,

Χατζημιχάλη Νταλιάνη 67 , Chania, Crete, 73100

tel. 00302821058851, mobile. 00306973525049- 00306982445088

forum.kritis@yahoo.gr

A prosecutory fiasco adds to the police vengeful campaign against immigrants in Chania, Crete

Surveillance and prosecutions in the town of Chania against struggling immigrants and their organisations continue. The police in the town after the two day networking and action event by the Forum of Immigrants in Crete launched a campaign of intimidation against the rise of immigrant assertive activity (see this post: Police campaign to intimidate struggling immigrants and communities in Chania, Crete). Among the arrestees of the days was Farahat Gabri, active in the migrant movement since years, whose health was in a bad condtion and remains so after his detention and the police denial of  access to medical care (instead of some hospital, he was transferred to Athens, away from his support networks – see this Chania Haunt of Immigrants – Social Haunt press release about this case – in Greek).

Yesterday though, the situation in the town took a bleaker and at the same time ridiculous – as regards the police’s “master plans” – twist.   After the arson attack against a police vehicle at the Souda district the police invaded the houses of immigrants well known from their year long residence in the town and their affiliations with the social struggle for rights.   Two of them were supposedly witnessed to be near the spot of the arson attack.

They were brought to court yesterday.  The witness was a junky, absolutely depended on state benefits support and intermingled with the undercover police in Chania.  The Courts of Chania were filled and surrounded with all sorts of police, who kept encouraging the “witness” to “say everything, and f*ck them”….

The Forum of Immigrants in Crete called the people who had been with the two immigrants that night to confer their testimonies to the court. Along with the Athens Indymedia post of some group assuming responsibility for the arsonist assault, and the rapid response by lawyers in Chania, the pressures culminated and led the court to to downgrade the charges (the accused immigrants would be otherwise trialled under the “terrorism-law”) and then release them until some DNA tests are carried out on supposedly found evidence.  The court will resume in ten days.

The Forum of Immigrants in Crete calls for vigilance.  This last police fiasco is not an isolated incident. It is not only part of the general terroristic “sweep operations” rush of the last days, but also – and crucially so -part of the vengeful campaign of the minister of public order Markoyannakis against the self – organized assertive initiatives of the Forum – the police and pertinent ministries will not forget and will not forgive the local community support and the momentum of  the last winter’s hunger strike.

Tomorrow (Thursday) an open discussion with the town’s associations, trade unions and political organisations is to take place at Papadopetrou building in the center of Chania.

(most info from Forum of Immigrants in Crete release).