All posts by momo

Greece

6th of February: Farewell in the port of Lesvos

On Wednesday 6th of February the strike of the sea workers was forcibly stopped by the Greek authorities and the ferry traffic started again. That was when the recently in PIKPA hosted refugees could finally leave towards Athens.

The refugees upon being asked in a plenary session among solidarity people and refugees in PIKPA what was their most important wish had informed us that they wanted to leave as fast as possible from the island. Together we cleaned PIKPA and prepared it for the next newcomers. In the afternoon a municipality bus took them to the port and we were all there to say goodbye until they disappeared into the ship. We felt happy, that this part of their journey seemed successful for them. We promised each other to stay in contact and exchange our news also in future. Everybody in the port – including the coast guard – had to realize that these people are not alone and that we walk this road together in solidarity.

Greece

LESVOS: Again 50 refugees in PIKPA self-organised reception camp

As refugees continue to arrive on Lesvos island the network “village of all together” has transferred again almost 50 persons to PIKPA self-organised and open reception camp.

On Saturday 2nd of February 2013, 26 refugees – mostly Afghans and Syrians – were transferred to PiKPA. They were detained more than a week in the police station of Mytilene under very bad conditions.

“We couldn’t even lie down,”

some of them said. Upon release they received a deportation order (so called “White Paper” valid for 30 days) by the police and found themselves homeless on the streets since the strike of the seafarers had paralyzed the general ferry traffic between mainland and islands. The freed refugees were desperate not knowing where to go. As we had promised earlier this year as network “the village of all together” no refugee should stay anymore homeless and helpless in the streets. So we decided to take them to PIKPA.
SONY DSC
On February 4th another 14 people were released from detention. We went to the police station and demanded them to be transferred directly to PIKPA. Today more refugees might be released and brought to PIKPA. We are preparing food for 50 persons today.

All of these people have suffered from the hazardous travel of the sea endangering their lives repeatedly to reach a safe haven in Europe. The strict controls on both sides of the Aegean, by Turkish Gendarmes and Greek Coast Guard / Frontex on the other side, make the border crossing a matter of life and death. At the same time weather conditions are creating additional dangers for the small, overcrowded and often insufficiently equipped dinghy boats. One of the refugees said:

“Three times we were caught by the Gendarmes. The fourth time we almost died in the huge waves.”

PIKPA is continuing and we need all your support!

Greece

Snapshots of a human tragedy that continues, by Efi Latsoudi

The bodies of 21 migrants were found on a beach on the Aegean island of Lesbos, December 15, 2012, after the sinking of their boat. A young Afghan of 16 years, one of only two survivors indicated that the boat had left the coast of Turkey, had thirty
people aboard, mostly Afghans, when it capsized because of bad weather. Efi Latsoudi, resident and volunteer Mytilene the charity « To Chorio tou Oloi Mazi », which helped the families of the victims in their efforts, discusses the moments of this drama, and the obstacles, and indifferenceof the authorities.
Continue reading Snapshots of a human tragedy that continues, by Efi Latsoudi →

booklet, Greece

Stories from PIKPA – a small booklet in Greek

Bildschirmfoto vom 2016-02-19 16-53-41

The stories of the migrants who crossed the border and arrived in Mytilini and the stories of people from Mytilini who were involved in the self-organised and open space of reception in former PIKPA.
Life stories so different that they cross and get interwoven for a few days and then separate again, bring together spaces and practices of co-existence and solidarity while challenging the borders of “Fortress Europe”.

p.s. soon to be published also in English

Οι ιστορίες των μεταναστών που διέσχισαν τα σύνορα και έφτασαν στη Μυτιλήνη, οι αφηγήσεις των μυτιλινιών που ενεπλάκησαν στη δημιουργία του αυτοοργανωμένου και ανοιχτού χώρου φιλοξενίας στις εγκαταστάσεις του πρώην ΠΙΚΠΑ.
Διαδρομές ζωής τόσο διαφορετικές που διασταυρώνονται, διαπλέκονται για λίγες μέρες και μετά χωρίζουν ξανά, υφαίνοντας χώρους και πρακτικές συνύπαρξης και αλληλεγγύης, αμφισβητώντας τα σύνορα της “Ευρώπης Φρούριο”.

Stories from PIKA (in Greek)