Report of a huge anti racist demo by Youth against racism Europe

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday March 27, 2002 14:57 by Shane - Socialist Youth/ ISR

Report of a huge anti racist demo by Youth against racism Europe Taken from 2002-21-03

() A 1.500 antiracist demonstration of great significance took place yesterday (International Day against Racism) in the centre of Athens.

Under the banner of Youth Against Racism in Europe (manyof whosemembers are also involved in International Socialist Resistance’s affiliated organisation in Greece: International Resistance), 250 African immigrants sent a vivid message chanting, singing and dancing through the streets of the city centre. This immigrant group was by far the biggest, with all the rest of the immigrants/refugees not exceeding a hundred.

What is even more important, than the number of the participants itself, was the fact that these demonstrators were mostly illegal, with no previous experience in struggle. Thiswas the first time ever that any substantial immigrants’ force was mobilised against the immigration policy of the Greek government.

The demonstration was aimed against the new immigration legislation which under the fraudulent name of a "second chance for legalisation" forces 350.000 immigrants living in the country to pay a lot of money, wait for weeks in queues to submit their papers and in return only gives a one-year residence permit. At the same time almost half a million immigrants who could not register are deprived of the most basic human rights. On the other hand, refugees trying to enter Greece coming from Turkey by sea are sent back before they reach shore or before they have a chance to apply for asylum on the basis of an agreement signed by the two governments last November. This situation has caused great resentment amongst the immigrants and refugees.

The demonstration of the 21 March was organised after a YRE proposal supported by Xekinhma, Greek section of the Committee for a Workers’ International was endorsed in an all-Greece meeting of antiracist and immigrants’ organisations and groups at the beginning of March.

The immigrant members of YRE and Xekinima were the first to propose such action last December. The organisation was encouraged to go ahead with this after the successful protest organised outside the Nigerian Embassy on the 29th of January. The most encouraging element of this event was the intervention we organised in the African community neighbourhood, where many people approached us and wanted to know more about YRE.

Our main work to prepare for the demonstration was to organise regular interventions in this neighbourhood with material in English and an open meeting-air which attracted up to 50 immigrants.

On the day of the demonstration the YRE organised a pre-demo meeting, in the African neighbourhood, about one hour before the official demo. From there we organised a march of a hundred people to the central meeting point of the demo. At the head were African immigrant members of the YRE, bypassing the chairman of the Nigerian Community, a discredited collaborator of the Nigerian Embassy who turned up in a ridiculously smart suit and publicly accused us of trying to split the demo! This guy was isolated by the enthusiastic crowd who very well understood who did all the preparation when the Nigerian Community leadership only issued an announcement 6 days before the demo.

The African immigrants under the YRE banner and pickets brought an air of combativeness of a fresh layer coming into struggle for the first time, with genuine innovation and improvisation, with their children on their shoulders, with endless dancing and singing and even breaking part of the sticks of the pickets to use as drum-sticks! "Green cards are red cards", "How can we pay for registration without a job?" said their improvised placards and they were singing "All we are saying is give us our rights" and chanting "Simitis, we no ‘go ‘gree (we reject you)" throughout the event, that is for 4 hours non stop!

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