news from CHIOS and MITILINI 28 july 2009

a solidarity action that prevented the deportation of 62 refugees in Lesvos

look here (english)

http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2009/07/25/63-mytilini-lesvos-solidarity-gathering-blocks-and-prevents-the-deportation-of-62-migrants/
and here
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1062539 (in greek but has some photos from the action)



16.07.2009 chios

30 refugees transported on the ferry THEOFILOS to KAVALA.
the information from the prison was that they will be brought to a
"better" refugee welcome center in Kavala.but even the police officials
assured in kavala that such a center does not exist.

the refugees have been braught from kavala to the river EVROS and been
forced to enter with 10 poeple a small boat and return to turkei.
the greek military that forced them has shoots in the air probably to
inform the turkish side.

this happend many times till all people had left on small boats.at night.
some where immediatly caught on the turkish side some managed to run away.
in istanbul they got in contact with ngos that gave this informations.

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23.07.2009 mitilini

62 refugees are brought with a bus at 1 o clock at nicht in the harbour
of mitlini to be transported with the THEOFILOS to kavala. suposetly to
be brought also in a better prison and to make space in the prison of
pagani/mitlini which is full with around 500 refugees.

the refugees are escorted from 3 police cars 3 security cars are atached
with handschellen each two together and amog them is one minor and many
who have a pink card (have asked for asylum).

as the THEOFILOS is aproaching the police officers desimbark the
refugees from the bus put them in rows and scream NOW so that they
immediatly start walking to to ship.

a group of 50 people concerned about the deportsation are faster than
the police allows
and stand blocking the refugees from entering the ship.

since a third group is also about to run into the ship:the traveling
people,the police immediatly returns the refugees in the bus.

untill 3 o clock the bus is standing int the harbour the refugees stand
in it screaming answering back the loud calls NO BORDER.

then they are brought back to the prison PAGANI.
the ship doesn´t leave,instead turns of the motor so that there is the
fear that they just wait the the
solidar people go away to bring the bus back.
but nobody moves from there.

at 4 o clock the ship leaves without the refugees.

two days later,and after the minor and the people having made
requests for asylum where kept in mitlini,the refugees are brought htis
time with police prison cars and straight in the ship that is better garded.

they are since then in athens in the central refugee prison ALODAPON and
say they did not even get something to drink or to eat.

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26.07.2009 chios- 2 deportation

2 buses transport 60 refugees from the prison to the harbour again to
embark them on the THEFILOS to kavala.this time a group of 100 people is
there and sits infront of the buses
blocking their way to the ship-
for 1 and a half hours.
then the police brutaly attacks the solidarity people.
one man jumps into the sea infront of the ship to try to block the
departure -

the flase information that the refugees are brought to a better prison
in north greece is said again from the officials.

the ship arived then in the harbour of mitilini where solidarity groups
where giving flyers to travelling people to inform about the deportation.

the two buses with their drivers that could not get out of the ship
before departure in chios because of the blockade desimbarked in mitlini.

the ship continued to thessaloniki where also groups of solidarity to
the refugees waited for the arival-

among the refugees are 2 minors one of which has been separed from his
mother which stayed in the prison in chios.

the greek UNHCR has informed that the 2 minors have to stay in greece

yeastarday at noon the bus with the 60 refugees was on its way to
ALEXANDROUPOLIS a town near the border to turkey.

here follows a translation of the flyer given in mitlini to inform :


A DIFFERENT JOURNEY

THIS EVENING, BETWEEN THE PEOPLE TRAVELLING VOLUNTARILY WITH THE NEL
FERRY BOAT, THERE ARE MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE WHO DO NOT AT ALL WANT TO MAKE
THE „RETURN“ JOURNEY.
THEY HAVE COME FROM AREAS IN THE WORLD THAT ARE AT WAR SUCH AS
AFGHANISTAN, PALESTINE, SOMALIA.
IN EUROPE THEY ARE SEARCHING FOR THE RIGHTS TO WHICH THEY ARE ENTITLED
UNDER INTERNATIONAL TREATIES. THE GREEK AUTHORITIES ANSWER TO THEIR
DESPERATION BY PUTTING THEM IN THE PRISON OF PAGANI IN MYTILINI UNDER
INHUMANE CIRCUMSTANCES AND BY LEGALLY AND PRACTICALLY IGNORING THEIR
RIGHT TO ASYLUM.

THEIR TRANSPORTATION TODAY TO AN UNKNOWN DESTINATION IS TAKING PLACE IN
THE CONTEXT OF AN OVERALL „CLEANING“ OF THE COUNTRY AND OF EUROPE OF
PEOPLE WHICH THE STATE HAS MARKED AS BEING „DANGEROUS“, „DIFFERENT“ AND
„UNWANTED“. THE THREAT OF IMMEDIATE DEPORTATION PUTS THEIR LIFE IN
DANGER IN A WAY WE ARE UNABLE TO IMAGINE.

THE GREEK STATE PARTICIPATES IN THE MAKING OF NEW EUROPEAN LEGISLATION
which virtually abolishes people’s right to asylum AND THAT IS THE
REASON WHY THESE PEOPLE ARE SENT AWAY BEFORE EVEN HAVING BEEN HEARD.

THIS EVENT IS PART OF THE CONTINUOUS PROGROM DIRECTED AGAINST REFUGEES
WITH OR WITHOUT PAPERS IN GREECE TODAY. WE HAVE BEEN WARNED THAT THIS
WILL BE A „HOT“ SUMMER AND INDEED WE SEE EVERY DAY: AGIOS PANDELEIMONA
IN ATHENS WHERE THE STATE AND GROUPS OF FASCHISTS COLLABORATE AGAINST
THE PRESENCE OF REFUGEES, OR THE EFETIO BUILDING IN ATHENS WHERE MANY
REFUGEES HAD FOUND A HOME WHCH WAS BRUTALLY DISMANTLED, THE CITY OF
PATRAS WHERE A REFUGEE CAMP WAS EMPTIED AND THAN BURNT DOWN BY SPECIAL
POLICE UNITS.

FINALLY WE SEE IT AT THE HARBOURS OF THE GREEK FRONTIER ISLANDS WHERE
THE CONTINUOUS PRESENCE OF FRONTEX IN CLOSE COOPERATION WITH THE GREEK
COASTAL AUTHORITIES TAKE CARE OF THE REFOULEMENT OF REFUGEES WHO HAVE
TRIED TO ENTER THE „PARADISE“ WHICH THE MEDIA SAID THEY WOULD FIND IN
EUROPE.

NO ONE IS ILLEGAL

DEPORTATION IS NOT A PLEASURE TRIP

DEPORTATION CAN MEAN DEATH