Tag: refugees

Protests as 3 Refugee Occupations evicted in Greece

UPDATE:   see the GOOD NEWS:   Greece: Refugee solidarity anarchists Found Innocent by Court

As explained by the Marea  Refugees Support Collective, thirty people have been expelled to other “unspecified” camps and there have been some 50 arrests.
thessaloniki evictions

translated from  with thanks     redaccion@lamarea.com

Three houses where dozens of refugees were staying in Thessaloniki have been vacated by order of the government of Tsipras , according to reports from support collectives on the scene.

old photo of the evicted Orphanage
old photo of the evicted Orphanage

One building, a former orphanage, is being demolished. As they explained to La Marea, 32 refugees have been transferred to other  “unspecified” camps and there have been around fifty arrests.

In protest, support groups, refugees have occupied the headquarters of Syriza: “In quick response to government action to evict the squatters for refugees, have occupied the headquarters of Syriza in Thessaloniki, demanding the release of our colleagues and halt the demolition of Orfanotrofio, because within it has been a lot of material necessary for the daily life of refugees (clothing, food, medicines …) “they say. Continue reading “Protests as 3 Refugee Occupations evicted in Greece”

Greece: Refugee solidarity anarchists Cleared by Court

see also the BAD NEWS:

At least 26 anarchist activists cleared by Greek court after being arrested for pro-refugee solidarity action

A Greek court has released 26 anarchists who had disrupted a Sunday Orthodox church service to protest against refugee evictions, a judicial source said.Refugees and activists who live in squats have protested the Greek government's evictions [File: Orestis Panagiotou/EPA]Refugees and activists who live in squats have protested the Greek government’s evictions [File: Orestis Panagiotou/EPA]

 The activists ran into the Thessaloniki cathedral on Sunday, scattering leaflets that read “Solidarity with the refugees”, before they were arrested by anti-riot forces.
The entrance to the EL CHEf food collective in Athens’ Exarcheia neighbourhood [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

Among those arrested were nine foreigners from Austria, Britain, Germany, Morocco, Spain and Switzerland.

The Thessaloniki court threw out charges of “disturbing a religious gathering”. Continue reading “Greece: Refugee solidarity anarchists Cleared by Court”

Refugees and Anarchists Occupy Abandoned Hotel

Greek leftists turn deserted hotel into refugee homes

  Wael Alfarawan left Syria’s Deir Az Zor and ended up in City Plaza a month and a half ago [Nick Paleologos/SOOC/Al Jazeera]

‘It was a gesture to reclaim the right of the visibility of refugees.’

Nearly 400 refugees and migrants live in the City Plaza squat in Athens [Nick Paleologos/SOOC/Al Jazeera]

BY Patrick Strickland

@P_Strickland_

Athens, Greece – The roar of children’s laughter erupts as they play tag and chase one another through the corridors, while several adults prepare the tables in the City Plaza hotel’s dining hall in preparation to break the fast for Ramadan, a holy month for Muslims.

Tucked away down a side street in the Greek capital, the previously deserted hotel was occupied by left-wing Greek activists and turned into a squat for nearly 400 refugees and migrants – half of them children – in late April. Continue reading “Refugees and Anarchists Occupy Abandoned Hotel”

Express Eviction of Refugee Centre occupied at Mayday Demo

''City Refuge Mukhayyam..bullshit hypocrisy"
”City Refuge Mukhayyam..bullshit hypocrisy”

info from La Directa,etc:   At the end of one of the anarchist Mayday Marches last Sunday an abandoned city-owned listed building was occupied to be converted into a self-run social center for refugees called  Mukhayyam.

Prospects looked good since the leftwing city council has banners reading ‘Welcome Refugees’ just round the corner.  However on theTuesday morning 200 riot police evicted the building (see video). The mayor Ada Colau claimed she knew nothing about it and the Catalan Govt (also left wing) had ordered it ( they weren’t city police).

eviction video

Dozens of activists had occupied after the ‘anarchist and feminist’ demonstration of Mayday to remake it as a welcoming space for refugees (Spain has promised to accept only around 16,000 but a mere 18 have been cleared so far). Continue reading “Express Eviction of Refugee Centre occupied at Mayday Demo”

Occupation for refugee centre in Calais: 8 comrades on trial today Friday

An update on the court case of the 8 friends arrested for squatting an empty homeless shelter in Calais, from Calais Migrant Solidarity.refugee eviction
Today, the trial scheduled to take place  at the court in Boulogne-sur-Mer was postponed until Friday, April 1. All 8 had accepted to be tried today,  under the comparution immediate(fast track procedure); yesterday 3 friends were released until the trial and 5 kept in detention to ensure that they would come to court.

However, 3 of those in prison, were not able to be transported to appear in person before the court. This was due to lack of organisation of transport from the prison to the court. Due to the delay, the right to be tried today, was not granted to them, even though it was their express wish to do so.

In a video conference call between the prison and court, the 3 expressed their wish to be tried in person and not by video conference. This resulted in their release today, after 4 days of incarceration, until the trial on Friday, April 1.

We call for support and solidarity for those on trial for trying to provide a home to those who have none, in the face of the repression of the state whose responsibility it should be to provide those homes!

Come to support outside of the court in Boulogne-sur-Mer at 14:00 Friday, April 1st.Bring your friends, send messages of support, resist evictions and squat the lot!

Immigrant Solidarity holds Rebel Street market in Barcelona

1457809768_795499_1457809927_noticia_normal

On Saturday we made a political act of disobedience with the popular Guild of Barcelona Street Vendors
and the ‘Blamket Stall’ collective in their support and in response to the police and City Hall repression suffered by colleagues Continue reading “Immigrant Solidarity holds Rebel Street market in Barcelona”

watch video: IMMIGRANT- by Alysha Brilla

immigrant

Semi-finalist of the 2015 International Songwriting Contest in the Lyrics Category.       Shot in Tanzania and Canada.

Thank you to The Zanzibar Superheroes Crew. Like them on facebook:      https://www.facebook.com/Zanzibar-Sup…

Song written by Alysha Brilla
Video Directed by Josh Haggarty
Edited by Fred Yurichuck

Lyrics/Subtitles available in Chinese (Mandarin), English, Swahili, Hindi, French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Latin America), Turkish, Shona & Urdu in CC.

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Lyrics:

“Immigrant”

Music and Lyrics by Alysha Brilla

Right beside the ocean with a warm breeze
A little boy was born beneath the palm trees
The air was thick the sun was shining daily
Mom was in the Kitchen cooking mehlee

But I don’t wanna talk about that anymore
That was back then, that was before
Now I am a new man with a big plan living in a new land…

I am an immigrant, I am
I am an immigrant, I am
I am an immigrant, I am

On an island in the Indian Ocean
A better life possessed all my devotion
When every night I’d hear the bullets ringing
I’d close my eyes and pray for a new beginning

So when the papers arrived at my door
I thanked god, ‘cuz I was so sure
that I was a new man with a big plan moving to a new land

I am an immigrant, I am
I am an immigrant, I am
I am an immigrant, I am

They say my food is funny, my name is funny, I look funny
They say my clothes are funny, I speak, I laugh funny
They say I pray funny, I dream funny, I sing funny
My god is funny, but where I’m from it’s not so funny…

I am an immigrant, I am
I am an immigrant, I am
I am an immigrant, I am

They don’t know me by my name, but I guess to them it’s all the same. Continue reading “watch video: IMMIGRANT- by Alysha Brilla”

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