Refugees Start Hunger Strike in Syntagma Square
The 14 asylum seekers demand family reunification.
by Annalisa Galgano, Photos: Panayiotis Tzamaros / FOS PHOTOS
As winter is just starting in Greece, 14 refugees passed the coldest night so far this winter in tents across from the Greek parliament building in Syntagma Square. These refugees — seven women and seven men — began a hunger strike yesterday, November 1 to demand family reunification in Germany. In a press conference this morning, the hunger strikers revealed their plans to “stay here until we find a solution, or we will die.”
Although EU asylum policy establishes a maximum 6 month waiting period for refugees who have been approved for family reunification, last year, less than 25 percent of refugee family reunification cases were actually resolved. The 14 hunger strikers occupying Syntagma represent over 4000 refugees who have been waiting to reunite with their families for over six months. Farwaz, a refugee hunger striker from Syria, stated this morning:
“There is no reason for us to be in Greece. We don’t want to stay anymore […] We want to be together with our families. The solution exists, and it is up to the government to implement it.”
One of the hunger strikers, a mother of four young children, has been waiting in Greece for two years to reunite with her husband in Germany. In her words:
“We are people who fled Syria because of bombing and war. We are now here, and we will once again put our lives at risk until our demands are accepted. I received my acceptance for family reunification in March of this year. All the times that we have appealed to the Greek asylum service, we have been told it is the fault of Germany. But there is no solution. Nothing is moving. We have been accepted, and we have to move. We will stay here [in Syntagma] until we move from Greece.”
Migration Policy Minister Yiannis Mouzalas has countered claims that Greece and Germany made an under-the-table arrangement to slow the rate of family reunifications. Mouzalas, who was recently nominated by the Greek Government for the position of EU Human Rights commissioner, stated Wednesday, “What we’ve managed to do on family reunification is to have an increase of about 27 percent this year compared with last year, even though we’re accused of cutting back family reunification and doing deals to cut back family reunification.” Mouzalas also denied that refugees must pay for their own flights to Germany.
Earlier this week, Mouzalas and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras faced fierce criticism from the SYRIZA’s Group of 53 faction, which accused Mouzalas of mismanaging funds, failing to provide adequate refugee housing, and wrongfully supporting the EU-Turkey agreement. However, on Wednesday, Mouzalas reiterated his commitment to deporting refugees under the EU-Turkey deal. Mouzalas’ desire to “see more returns” of migrants to Turkey from Greece is likely to be met with opposition from refugee solidarity networks.
The strike is supported by refugees and left-wing and anarchist solidarian groups from around Greece, including AK Athens Antiauthoritarian Movement, AP Rosinante, Αριστερή Ενότητα (Left Unity) Athens, Social Support Network for Refugees and Migrants, Nosotros Social Center, KEERFA, Sunday School of Immigrants, SYPROME Coordination for Refugees and Migrants, and Refugee Accommodation and Solidarity Space City Plaza. The strikers in Syntagma also express solidarity with a group of hunger strikers on Lesvos, where one hunger striker was transferred to the hospital on Wednesday after 14 days without food.
There has so far been no official response from the government regarding the strike. The hunger strikers invite the government to make contact and discuss a solution.
Journalists and solidarians attending Thursday’s press conference were invited to a celebration with the children of refugees on Saturday (4/11) in Syntagma and to a demonstration for refugees’ rights that will take place next Wednesday (8/11) in Athens and Berlin.
The same action by refugees took place exactly three years ago. Watch our video from 2014.
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