Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS)
Newsletter on Immigration to Greece
Editor: Ioannis Kolovos
Battlefield…Ioannina?
Two groups of about 20 Pakistanis, armed with knives, iron bars and other objects clashed violently in Anatoli, Ioannina at the North West region of Epirus. Six Pakistanis were wounded, while the Police made 17 arrests.
Two news reports can be read here (in Greek only):
http://www.epiruspost.gr/epikairotita/1082-2009-04-26-20-15-14.html
http://www.epiruspost.gr/epikairotita/1088-17------.html
The State Department warns. Is anybody listening?
Following the warning by the US Ambassador in Athens Daniel Speckhard (see the Immigration to Greece Newsletter of April 2009), the annual State Department report on Terrorism emphasizes that: ”Greece is increasingly an EU entry point for illegal immigrants coming from the Middle East and South Asia, and there was concern that it could be used as a transit route for terrorists traveling to Europe and the United States”.
The whole State Department report can be read here (in English):
http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2008/122432.htm
National Center of Social Research study shows that immigration to Greece is directly linked with rising serious crime.
The fact that this news item was the main front page article in Kathimerini (the most pro-immigrant, pro-government newspaper) should not go unnoticed.
The relevant article (Kathimerini 2/5/2009) can be read here (in Greek only):
http://news.kathimerini.gr/4dcgi/_w_articles_ell_1_02/05/2009_313006
Even “Kathimerini” starts to wake up to reality
In a full-page article on its Sunday edition (May 10th), the newspaper argues that illegal immigration is a ticking time-bomb for Greece. The article fails to point out that successive governments have aggravated the situation by offering ex-post facto naturalization to illegal immigrants four times. Still, the article admits that the repatriation of illegal immigrants is a necessary measure.
The full article can be read here (in Greek only):
http://news.kathimerini.gr/4dcgi/_w_articles_ell_1_10/05/2009_314189
After five years in office, the government realizes they need to take the issue of illegal immigration seriously
A meeting of government officials with the chiefs of police, harbor police and high-ranking armed forces officers took place on May 13th where it was decided that the penalties for smugglers of illegal immigrants have to be harsher and that all relevant authorities should co-ordinate their actions. Pity that it took the government five years to realize the gravity of the issue. Now, such half-measures may not suffice.
The relevant press release can be read here (in Greek only):
http://www.ypes-dt.gr/index.php?option=ozo_content&perform=view&id=2886&Itemid=398&lang=
Fear and loathing in Athens
A small article by the “Economist” on Greece’s illegal immigration issue. The article can be read here (in English):
http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13652874
The Minister of Interior never ceases to amaze us: He does have a plan to combat illegal Immigration!
The Minister of Interior Prokopis Pavlopoulos in an interview (Free Sunday, 17/5/2009) claims that there is a plan to combat illegal immigration and the ghettoization of Athens’ historical center. He does not mention any details of the plan but he promises that we will witness “tremendous improvement by the end of the year”. He also claims that the plan to solve Patras’ problem with illegal immigrants is already being implemented.
Do remember this interview when, by mid-December, the situation will have become even worse both in Athens’ city center and in Patras!
The Minister’s interview can be read here (in Greek only):
http://www.citypress.gr/freesunday/PDF/44/10.pdf
http://www.citypress.gr/freesunday/PDF/44/11.pdf
South of Omonia Square: a real no-go area!
The streets south of Omonia square in Athens city center have been turned into a real no-go area even for the police. In the early hours on May 18th, a police car that was investigating a mugging was attacked by a group of about 30 people, that came from inside the abandoned old building of the Athens Appeals Court. It should be noted that the building is under occupation by illegal immigrant squatters. The illegal immigrants threw stones and bottles to the police car causing damages to the vehicle and injuring lightly one police officer.
A relevant report (To Vima, 19/5/2009) can be read here (in Greek only):
http://www.tovima.gr/default.asp?pid=46&ct=1&artId=258150&dt=19/05/2009
A rehearsal for a local jihad?
Hundreds of Muslim immigrants clashed with the police and with locals for two days, after an alleged tearing-up of the Quran by a police officer during a stop-and-search operation. Bus stops, 5 shops, one bank and 57 cars where smashed in and the city center’s main squares and streets were turned into battle zones for hours. 46 immigrants were arrested, 7 immigrants and 7 police officers were wounded during the clashes.
Reports of the incidents can be read here:
In Greek:
http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=1016429&lngDtrID=244
http://www.enet.gr/?i=news.el.ellada&id=47040
In English:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/5/23/worldupdates/2009-05-23T035705Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-398237-2&sec=Worldupdates