300 Migrant Hunger Strikers - Common Day of Action

international | racism & migration related issues | news report

Sunday February 06, 2011 12:14

by Open solidarity initiative of Thessaloniki - Open solidarity initiative of Thessaloniki

allilmet_ap at espiv dot net

EITHER WITH THE STRUGGLES OF MIGRANTS OR WITH THE DICTATORSHIP OF THE BOSSES!
Support the 300 migrant hunger strikers in Greece!
Call for a Common Day of Action – 11th February 2011

The hunger stirkers in Thessaloniki

On Tuesday 25 of January the historical building of the Law school in Athens that is out of use at the moment- turned to be the place of a fair and democratic struggle; a place, where a lot of social struggles had taken place in the past, had the opportunity to host the struggle of 250 out of the 300 migrants- workers, who are fighting in Athens and Thessaloniki for the unconditional legalization of all migrants. A struggle for equal rights to life, carried out by those who want to be no longer invisible.

From the very beginning political establishment and media put pressure on the migrants’ hunger strike accusing their struggle as an illegal act; legitimizing in this way the violation of the academic asylum and the forced evacuation of the building.

In the afternoon of Thursday 27 of January, police interrupts traffic in central Athens, creating an image of an occupied city, and encircles the building of the Law school. Thousands of people that came in solidarity are obstructed from accessing the area which is surrounded by the police and spontaneously set up gatherings in protest. From 6 o clock in the afternoon until 5 in the morning, hunger strikers are being blackmailed to leave the building. In the middle of this very long night, the hunger strikers along with the people in solidarity finally move to another central Athens building in a 4 a.m. demonstration!

This place (privately owned), however, turned out to be something similar to a refugee camp, as it has not enough space and hygienic infrastructure and many of the hunger strikers are obliged to sleep in tents in the frozen courtyard.

Government and media totally depreciate this migrants’ struggle, which is pictured as motivated by promoters so as to create ‘social unrest in the country’.

It is one of the hunger strikers, though, that gives the answer: “the most frustrating of all is that they cannot understand that the neediness that brought us here is so great that we do not need promoters but supporters”.

In a climate of intimidation and repression 5 companions from the Solidarity Assembly are been called by the state advocate as suspects for the crime of “trafficking”. At the same time the minister of interior denied any possibility of legalization and repealed the decree under which 15 migrants, hunger strikers were legalized back in 2009. In addition to that he called all migrants’ communities in Greece to comply so as “to prevent their members from participating on events that would act as hot spots”.

We, people in solidarity to the fair struggle of the migrants hunger strikers, declare our joint responsibility together with the 5 companions and we also declare being “traffickers” of dignity and solidarity.

In a climate of repression and anti-migrant policies in Greece and all over Europe, we need to act in order to create symbolic cracks in the system and achieve political victories.

It is more urgent than ever to vow the broadest support to the fight of the 300 hunger strikers.

We call for a common day of action on the 11th of February, a day where actions of solidarity will take place in all over Greece. We address our appeal to every association, union, organization and political group and everyone to protest in solidarity to the migrants’ fair struggle.

In solidarity with the 300 migrants, workers, hunger strikers.

We demand the unconditional legalization for all migrants

We support the migrants’ demands for equal political and social rights with all Greek workers

NO ONE IS ILLEGAL

Solidarity Assembly to the Migrants Hunger Strikers

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Thessaloniki February 2 demonstration update:

As part of the publicity and solidarity campaign in Thessaloniki, over 1000 people, among them many immigrants and refugees, marched the streets in a successful demonstration reverberating with slogans in Greek and other languages. Thousands of information and solidarity leaflets were handed out. The banner of the Open Solidarity Initiative (with the motto “EITHER WITH THE STRUGGLES OF MIGRANTS OR WITH THE DICTATORSHIP OF THE BOSSES”) was followed by that of the Antiracist Initiative, the Union of Bangladeshis, the Coordination of first-degree Trade Unions, the Initiative of the Unemployed and the Movement against Racism and the Fascist Threat. The demo returned to the Labor Centre where the hunger strikers were out on the 7th floor terrace and received the crowd with cheers and slogans in Arabic.