150 refugees and migrants, among them 30 babies and children, were removed from two squats close to Acharnon Avenue near Vathis Square in downtown Athens on Thursday morning.
In a coordinated police operation that started short after 6 o’ clock in the morning, 150 refugees and migrants from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq found themselves on the streets. Among them there were 30 children.
Holding their belongings and their children in their arms, the people boarded on police buses and were taken to the Alien Department.
Their documents will be screened and those with legal papers will transferred to organized structures. Those without legal papers will be deported.
The doors and the windows of the buildings were “sealed” with concrete blocks in order to prevent new occupation. One of the buildings belongs to a private person, the other one to the Athens Municipality and used to serve as school.
It is the second police operation against squats where refugees and migrants were living in downtown Athens. The buildings were occupied since 2016.
There are reportedly 11 squats in downtown Athens, their owners have filed lawsuits and had won in the country’s courts.
The first raid of police was against four squats in Exarchia district on August 26. During the raid 143 refugees and migrants were evicted together with their babies and children.
Falsely, several mainstream media close to the conservative government wrote that “police raided squats in Exarchia” also today, Thursday.
PS Exarchia is certainly a catchy title even if Vathis Sq. is not in Exarchia. However, the New Democracy government has said form the very beginning it will crash “illegality in Exarchia.”
pictures via nazimlomani on FB
