GREECE - June 15, 2016
The suffering of refugees in the Greece of Syriza:
Concentration camps and deportations
The eviction of two open camps remaining in northern Greece, on the border with Macedonia, "Hotel Hara" and "BP station" is imminent. Hotel Hara has 400 refugees, while in BP the refugees are counted with the fingers. Those who stay there are those who do not want to go to the government military camps, which are real concentration camps, and want to continue their way to Germany and northern Europe seekinf for a decent life.
Many who are now in these camps were previously in Idomeni. When the camp was evicted, they went to those camps, which are tents set up on the side of a road, because it is for them somehow just a waiting place to cross the border and move on. So from that time there are refugee families from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syrian.
Some days ago, busses of the government came to these camps to forcibly take the refugees to the military camps. Many of them escaped, running towards any direction, hoping their tents were not torn down, so they could return the next day and see how to cross the border. A refugee explained what most of them have to do, because there is no other possibility: hire some smuggler, walk for hours to cross the border through a gap between Greece and Macedonia and hope not to be caught. And if they catch you, you will be arrested, brutally beaten, your belongings and documents stolen, and then hopefully throw you back in Greece. Evading controls is not easy, because this border is guarded not only by the Macedonian and Greekarmy, but from all European countries were sent their troops, as from Serbia, Austria, Italy, Bulgaria, etc.
Many of the refugees tell their stories: a Pakistani wants to go to Spain. Six times he tried to pass. He is alone. A Pakistani family wants to go to Italy. 8 times they have tried. The last time his family could go but he was taken. He is now waiting for the moment to try again. 4 Afghanis (two sisters with 2 of the children of one of them) would try again in these days. A Syrian family, which is newcomer in the camp, also is going to try for the first time to cross the border. Even to try is not easy. They have to get about 1,300 euros per person, regardless the age, we are told, and it is paid when the border is crossed. Yet there is no guarantee they get to Germany, because even if they enter Macedonia they must continue, cross more borders to Serbia, Croatia, Austria and finally Germany.
The camp situation is terrible. There are very few NGOs that bring food, so it is not enough. Sanitary facilities are minimal; generally have to go bath into the river that passes by, with ice water. The EU and the Greek government say they provide medical care because allocate funds for it. But the reality is very different. These funds go mainly to the NGO MSF (Doctors without Borders). They get most of the budget and then they go to the camps when they want, and this usually does not happen often, and when they are there, quickly they leave when they are the only possibility for a refugees to visit a doctor. There are no journalists. The situation here is not issue in any media channel. Nothing is said about the situation of refugees or happens or in open camps (they already have little future) much less about the militarized camps.
A mother from Syria sitting in the shade with his son told us, "We know the rumor that this week we will be evicted these two camps again and within 15 days will happen the same with Eko (by open campEkoStation). There are many, especially those who came with children, who are going to these military camps, but many of us do not want that. And in this situation we have lost our dignity what else they want from us. Sometimes I think and say it is better to have stayed in Syria."
In Polykastro, the nearest town (about 10 km), many of the volunteers and coordinators of NGOs are beginning to talk about how the headquarter of the NGO has to decide whether they will do the dirty work of Syrizagovernment within the military camps, i.e. give them very little food, living in tents where there is no heating or ventilation where the bathrooms and toilets are few and very poor condition and so on. Therefore, for them, the NGOs, as "refugees will put little resistance" surely they will accept this job.
Thus the EU plan, sending its executioner Tsipras to jail in concentration camps the refugees, with the support of NGOs within these military camps is imposed. So it is imposed, having militarized the border with troops of all imperialist countries.
The demand for all refugees is one: Open the borders; we want a decent life, a job, a future! Refugees only in unity and coordination with the working class, the exploited and its militant youth will be able to open the borders and get their most pressing demands. If the working class and exploited in Greece and throughout Europe do not stand up, their fate will be concentration camps. We cannot allow there a single military camp that imprisons our class brothers! Trade unions and struggle and workers' organizations of the exploited must carry out a fighting plan to get them out of the concentration camps and to conquer papers (documentation), housing, decent jobs and wages at the level of the familiar basket for everyone!