Europe will either show solidarity on the migration issue or ceases to be Europe, European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas said on Sunday, at the New Democracy (ND) party’s 13th congress in Athens. Speaking of the migration issue, the Greek Commissioner said that the country was holding its own in …
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UNHCR chief Grandi says Europe must do more for Greece and refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi sent a message to Europe to do more for Greece after his visit to Kara Tepe refugees’ camp on the island of Lesvos on Wednesday. Grandi said that Europe should do more for Greece which is part of the European Union adding …
Read More »Greece gives 10-day deadline to NGOs dealing with refugees to register
Greece has issued a 10-day deadline to NGOs dealing with refugees to apply for official registration. Those NGOs that will fail to do so will have no right to continue their activities in the country, the Ministry for Citizen Protection said in a statement. The move comes as the government …
Read More »No Child alone: PM Mitsotakis to start new program for unaccompanied minors
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a new scheme to protect unaccompanied migrant minors reaching the country, two days after condemning other EU states for their lack of solidarity. The prime minister’s office will take charge of the new “No Child Alone” programme, which he said was designed to protect …
Read More »EU 27 reject Greece’s request for distribution of unaccompanied children
Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said that European Union member-states failed to respond to the Greek request to take in 3,000 unaccompanied minors currently living in refugee camps and other facilities around the country. Speaking in the Parliament on Friday, Mitsotakis said on the distribution of 3,000 unaccompanied children in the …
Read More »Will Greece set up pre-departure centers on uninhabited islands?
A faux pas or a picture from the near future? Stage II of Greek government plans to tackle the Migration problem? Will Greece set up closed pre-departure or detentions center for migrants on uninhabited islands? Maybe intention and a trick to scare off future arrivals from Turkey? Or just a …
Read More »Samos, Chios and Leros up in arms over pre-departure centers capacity
Local authorities on the islands of Samos, Chios and Leros are up in arms less than 24 hours after the government announced the opening of five pre-departure centers on the five Aegean islands with capacities mostly exceeding the number of refugees and migrants currently been hosted there. Local authorities speak …
Read More »Minister for Citizen Protections issues deadline for squats evacuations
Minister for Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis, has issued an …ultimatum for those occupying squats: they have 15 days to evacuate them. In a statement, the Minister calls for the evacuations of the squats and notes that in the case of asylum seekers residing in these occupied buildings, they should be …
Read More »Greece to close hotspots, open closed pre-departure centers on the islands
Greece will close hotspots on the Aegean islands of Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos and Leros and will open instead closed pre-departure centers, government spokesman Stelios Petsas announce don Wednesday. the new centers will be ready by July 2020. Presenting the new government plan for the Migration issue, Petsas announced among …
Read More »9-month-old baby dies of dehydration in overcrowded Moria camp
A 9-month-old baby died of dehydration in the overcrowded Moria camp on the island of Lesvos, Medicins Sand sFrontiers/Doctors Without Borders announced late on Saturday. The baby’s parents are asylum-seekers from Congo. We have been confirmed today by the local hospital in #Lesbos that a 9 month old baby has …
Read More »Man arrested for injuring refugees’ translator; Monasteries resettlement unsuccessful;
Τhe idea to host refugees and migrants in monasteries was good and kind but its implementation difficult. The Monastery in Divri, Peloponnese, could not offer the basics to the 105 refugees and migrants resettled there: neither electricity nor heating. At the same time, a violent incident against a refugees’ translator …
Read More »EU Migration management in Greece & Italy has not reached full potential
The European union should step up action on asylum, relocation and return of migrants to better meet the objectives of its support, said the Migration report on Greece and Italy published by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) published on Wednesday. The Migration report states among others that emergency relocation …
Read More »Blasphemy Laws withdrawn following …”blasphemies” against the Law
Justice Minister Costas Tsiaras announced the withdrawal of the Blasphemy Laws following widespread opposition and a public outcry, especially on social media. The laws would punish those committing “malicious blasphemy” with up to two years in prison. Speaking to Skai TV on Tuesday, Tsiaras said that the proposal has been …
Read More »Erdogan: “Turkey could release ISIS militants, send them to Europe”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Europeans that “Turkey could release all the ISIS prisoners and send them to Europe, together with millions of refugees and migrants.” Erdogan’s threats are Turkey’s response to the EU sanctions over Cyprus. Speaking to reporters before his visit to the United States, Erdogan also said …
Read More »Riot police evacuates one more squat in Exarchia
Riot police squads were deployed before dawn to Exarchia district of Athens to evacuate a squat where 138 refugees and migrants were living. The people, men, women and children, were transferred with buses to the migration office for identification. Those with legal papers will be transferred to hosting facilities, those …
Read More »Greek gov’t brings back Blasphemy Laws, penalty up to 2 years in prison
The conservative Greek government brings back the Blasphemy Laws the previous government SYRIZA had abolished less than six months ago. Violating the blasphemy laws could send those insulting God and the Greek Orthodox Church up to two years in prison. The changes in the relevant Penal Code were announced by …
Read More »Racism virus infects pupils: They march chanting “Illegals out of schools”
The racism virus has infected also pupils in Giannitsa, Central Macedonia. Pupils from the vocational high school held a protest against refugees and migrants on Friday. Holding Greek flags, they chanted “Illegals out of schools.” Video: Some 50 pupils first occupied their school and later marched through the center of …
Read More »Greece tells MEPs: Migration on islands “explosive, beyond manageable capacity
Greek Minister for Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis, described with the grimiest colors the situation of the migration problem is Greece. The problem on the islands is “explosive and beyond any manageable capacity,” Chrysochoidis told the Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament on Wednesday. “Even …
Read More »Golden Dawn trial: Leader Michaloliakos in court, provocative, without remorse
A crucial moment in Golden Fawn trial: Leader of the far-right party, Nikos Michaloliakos, took a seat in the court room on Wednesday in order to testify in the long-running trial. He is accused of running a criminal organizations with the party members involved in several attacks against migrants and …
Read More »“Ancient Greek warriors” and “Pork BBQ” provocateurs against asylum-seekers
Naousa in North Greece 2019: A man in an ancient Greek warrior costume is waiting together with other compatriots on a semi-dark street in the middle of the night. His compatriots are normally dressed given the weather circumstances. What are they waiting for? A rumor spread via Facebook claimed that …
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