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Transcription of episode 1 in English
Invisible Radio
In the program today we will present 2 sections. The first section will present the voice of people living in Moria camp on the Aegean island of Lesvos and Amygdaleza detention centre.
In the second section we will provide a summary of the latest incidents in camps, prisons and detention centres in Greece.
We are a group of individuals living in Athens whose collective and individual lives have been strangled by the state response to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Confined inside for much of the day our movements outside are also controlled by emboldened cops.This authoritarian reaction to the pandemic has targeted the lives of those living on the streets, migrant people, people suffering intra-familiar violence and those confined to camps and prisons.
Under these circumstances we have decided to dedicate this period of self-quarantine and physical distancing to get closer to others and build bonds. We are collecting stories, ideas, experiences and reports from those considered illegal and banned from the streets, those living inside camps, detention centres and prisons (of all forms) in Greece. Through quarantining entire camps and prisons, racial profiling ID checks on the street and unequal access to health the state response shows clearly its racist and elitist ideology. We reject this totally.
We invite anyone to contact us and share their experiences, stories or thoughts. We welcome people to express themselves in any language and we will find translation. Please contact us by email at invisible.radio@protonmail.com.
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Moria Camp is situated on the Greek island of Lesvos which is 11km from the coast of Turkey. It was originally built in 2014 as a closed detention centre funded by the EU. It is officially the largest (quote) “refugee camp in Europe”. Since 2017 successive Greek governments have implemented policies that either directly or indirectly force people to stay in Moria rather than continuing their journey or moving to adequate accommodation on the mainland. This has led to the camp growing 7 times over its capacity.
Story 1
‘Hello everyone, I hope you are well . For around 8 months I have been living in Lesbos and Moria camp.
As you know, Moria Camp is one of the worst camps in Greece. Its capacity is for 3,000 people, but at the moment over 20,000 people live here. And in terms of health, it is in the worst condition.
And we hope the coronavirus does not spread to the camp. Because there is no plan to prevent the coronavirus. And given the large population here, if someone gets infected, it will soon be widespread and a catastrophe can happen.
Fortunately, as far as I know, no one has been infected to date, and I hope that the cure for this virus will be found and completed soon. Thank you for listening to me. I wish you all the best’.
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Story 2
Hello everyone right now i’m living in Moria camp for 7 months. The situation right now because of the coronavirus is: we can’t go anywhere, everyone is staying at home, so it’s a very difficult situation right now.
And my brother, right now, he’s in Serbia. He went to Athens illegally: it takes time to wait for your asylum cases or for your interview. That’s why he left. He went to Athens and then he went to Serbia, right now he’s in Serbia. Right now the border is closed, but when the borders are open, he wants to go to Switzerland or Germany… My health is good and … our people, from Afghanistan, they’re fighting a lot here, they don’t like each other, I don’t know why.
And my dream is: I want to be a footballer, or a DJ. But first of all, I want to make my future, to help my family, because the situation of my family is not good, there’s some financial issues, so that’s why first I want to help my family. That’s why I came here to help my family, to make my future.
And thanks a lot, I appreciate it.
Story 3
The life here is difficult to live and people are in bad situation because we don’t have proper electricity and most of the people they’re living in small summer tents with large number of capacity. Currently, winter is approaching and weather conditions are getting worse. It’s raining a lot here. Everything is soaked: clothes, blankets, the few things people have. They sleep at night in wet blankets and tents.
The needs of the people is that they want a better life, for their upcoming future and better support from the greek government.
We are depressed because it’s very difficult to live where no-one understands you. Because of my beliefs, because of my surroundings I was treated very badly and that has always been a painful thing for me. I am an agnostic and I was rejected by my family and those around me. Unfortunately, where we lived, The police put me in jail and I spent two years in prison.
They wanted to kill me. There is no democracy in Iran. When you want to feed a bird, the bird escapes. Because it knows freedom is more valuable than bread. I emigrated just for freedom. I was imprisoned and tortured in Iran for 2 years just because I am not a muslim.
I hope that one day no one in the world will be killed because of his beliefs. Religions have always been violent and have always taken advantage of people’s ignorance.
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Amygdaleza is a closed camp in Acharnes, in the northwest of Athens. It’s the first detention centre in Greece. It opened in 2012 to a lot of protests, and never closed. Among others, it hosts people before their deportation and unaccompanied minors. Amygdaleza, too, is over capacity: originally built for 250 people, more than 600 people are living inside right now.
Good evening, people, The time of the coronavirus. We don’t know what will happen after the coronavirus, but it’s time for courage. And to prepare for the worst. I’ll include some things at some point. About Amygdaleza. We are fewer than before. Before we were more. Now we are few, very few. And these 250 the mayor is talking about, he’s a liar. He’s a big liar. Makes sense from a fascist.
Now the main point isn’t just whether we are 250 people or 600. The point is the conditions we are in. I mean, the place here, people shouldn’t be living here. Because it doesn’t have the basic things it needs for people to live here. The thing we’ll say now is the first one, it’s sanitation. It does not exist, I mean the situation in here is a mess. It’s a total mess. There are no conditions for people to live in. People struggle just to wash themselves, to go to the toilet, to stay clean somewhere. It’s very hard. No doors, no other things. The situation is very bad.
Before and after the coronavirus, this is very strange. Because from the place I’m in, the camp, I left the world normal, functioning, and now it’s changed somehow. For us the view is different, how it changes. We’re inside and we see through the bars Athens below. But we don’t know what’s happening on the streets. But the police and the conditions here and how things change here: very slow. I want to write these things and say them gradually.
Before I came in here, I knew very well, for years, that we are like a game. I’m talking about refugees now. That we’re not *inside* a game, but that we ourselves are parts of this game and our life means nothing to them. Nothing matters, if you die-if you don’t die, if you get sick-if you don’t get sick, nothing. We are numbers and just that. Nobody cares what will happen with us. And now as we’re in here I feel that we’ve become cheaper, that our lives, our souls have become cheaper. I mean, we’re just… what can I say, not even animals. Because the conditions here, not even animals deserve to live in these conditions here.
But now with the coronavirus, we’ve realised (and this is a bit good), everyone, all the people, that they are nothing, that they’re worth nothing. Whether you have money or you don’t have money, you’re not worth that much. I’m talking about the middle part of society, I’m not talking about the really rich, who control this game. I’m talking about the simple people. We are in this game and it’s a serious one. I think that now we are the same, I mean that to the state we are the same, whether we’re inside or outside. We’re all inside. And this means that it’s not just a piece of paper that can get the state to lock you inside. There are many reasons to lock you inside. And I think that this is a beginning, it’s not the end. It’s a beginning to something that we’ll see later what it is. It’s the beginning of something. The danger is not *that* serious to treat us like this.
And I would like to say one more thing, that these detention centres like Amygdaleza are centres where they bring migrants without papers to deport them. But what I know is that there are a lot of people who are here for deportation but can’t be deported. If they’re not deporting them, why are they keeping them here until we don’t know when? Now they’re not justified to be keeping people here because they don’t do deportations, so why are they keeping them? When as they say it’s not good to have a lot of people together because of the coronavirus. Why are they putting us so many people together? Without cleaning and things to help people protect themselves from this thing? Why? Does our life count for nothing? What are we? I don’t know… Somewhere there must be someone to answer this question. Without deportations, why are we inside? What have we done to be inside?
I don’t know how this will evolve, but I would really like to speak with one of these people who think they’re doing something serious. And if I could speak with the Greek people in general, I would like to tell them:
– People, there’s no justice. To be having various problems like these in the world, this means that we’re not going well. They have no right at all to be putting people in prisons just because they don’t have one paper. And the mafia can be circulating outside, because they do have papers. I mean that good and bad can’t be measured with “has papers or hasn’t papers”. It’s not measured like this. I think there’s not too much justice on the earth, and there are examples: we here in Amygdaleza are one example. Things aren’t going to go well for the people if such things, such unfair things, are happening. Because it’s our life, it’s time from our life. They’re taking time out of our life without a serious reason. Without a trial. But no one speaks about this. I was good and very good. Because I didn’t have papers, because they didn’t want to give me papers. And no one ever wanted to occupy themselves with our problems seriously. We are not coming here for tourism. Tourism is not like this… So, we have serious problems. I think that people should understand this at some point. That, people, it’s not papers that make you good or bad. It’s not about papers. It’s about the heart. I think.
There is a doctor normally, but you can’t easily go to the doctor here, it’s a woman who comes to give out medicine, just that. There’s nothing serious as to doctors here. And if you have a problem, it’s very hard to see a doctor. It’s very hard. And about teeth, forget it. No one will fix it for you. Before, I had an issue with my tooth, I went to a cop, I said: I have a serious problem with my tooth. What do I have to do to go to a doctor, to find a solution? What?
He tells me: I don’t know. He has no idea. They’re bringing people here to work who don’t know what your rights are and aren’t. I don’t know what they think we are here. They themselves, the police, they don’t know their job very well, the one they’re doing here. They don’t know exactly what they are and what they aren’t supposed to do. Like, up until now, they come and give out things to the migrants here, but without gloves and masks. They come in, they go out. The danger can be from outside. I told a policeman: Be careful. Put gloves on, put that on, why aren’t you?
We have no protection from the virus. Nothing, nothing. Here we’re not in Greece, we’re lost somewhere, I don’t know where, but this is not Greece, it can’t be Athens either. This place here shouldn’t exist. Normally, it shouldn’t. Athens is too pretty to have a place like this inside. But who is looking at us, who sees what’s happening? Who? Nobody sees, just us, here.
I try to cope with the books I have, I write things, Today was a very bad day. It was very windy, we’re on a mountain. It was raining, cold, there are no doors, the power got cut off, we have no battery in our phones. It’s hard, but the harder it is the stronger we learn to be. This.
And I haven’t been talking, for 2-3 days, during the day, because we have no electricity. We have no electricity every day now. It only comes in the afternoon.
Now it happens often, every day for 3-4 days now, I don’t know why. But here in some way we are not in Athens, nor in Greece. I don’t know where we are, really.
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Here is some news of struggles from within camps and prisons across Greece…
On 19th March in Korinthos detention centre 1200 migrants started a hunger strike.
On Friday 3rd April in Drama prison 300 to 400 people started a hunger strike due to miserable food quality. In the afternoon prisoners refused to eat the supplied food. They were told in the evening the quality would be improved but the same food was given to them. They therefore decided to start a hunger strike in protest to conditions inside the prison. At 9pm on the same day 2 squadrons of riot cops entered the cells and beat people before forcing them to eat. That night some people were taken to hospital for treatment for injuries from the attack, while others were kept outside until 3am as punishment.
Since 5th April self organised teams have been cleaning Moria, Xios and Leros due to the state doing nothing to clear large piles of rubbish throughout the camp and a total lack of care for hygiene.
On 5th April Prisoners of PROKEKA detention centre on Moria went on hunger strike. Four detainees sewed their mouths shut in protest, however after a few hours a doctor was called to come and remove the thread by force. A police special forces unit has been stationed there with hunger strikers constantly threatened and ridiculed. A small number of men were removed from their cells for interrogation and at least one of them was beaten. After 3 days the hunger strike ended however circumstances surrounding how remain unclear because police have blocked prisoners’ communication channels with each other and with the outside world. Detainees are denied access to their telephones on weekdays, so they are cut off from support networks. During the week, police blocked communication between rooms in the prison.
On 6th April people in Malakasa camp demonstrated against lack of food on the 2nd day after the camp being closed due to quarantine.
Up until the 7th April two people have been confirmed dead and one missing in their struggle to cross the border at Evros. The camp has now been forcefully evacuated.
On the 9th April there was a riot in the female prison of Thiva after 35 year old Azizé Ntemíroglou died. People within the prison were talking about symptoms of corona and are asking for immediate protection and decongestion measures. Here is a quote from someone within the prison: ” the 35-Year-old was very sick, had a fever, and showed breathing problems. We were told she had a flu. And now they tell us that she died of her heart. We are afraid that, if it was coronavirus we’re all infected. They didn’t give us any antiseptic or gloves. Just a little bleach in a bottle of water. We are at God’s mercy. Help us. In Thebes there are also prisoners with children up to 3 years old. Help us “. About a month ago, another woman died there and from inside the prison someone said: ” despite the promises, to relieve the prisons, due to the pandemic of corovavirus, nothing has been done Still. Hospitals do not accept patients from prisons, there is no doctor in thebes. Vulnerable groups should have been released. We’re prisoners, not on the death penalty.”
On 17th April people in Korydallos prisons announced they are striking, not attending work or meals, in response to overcrowding and low hygiene standards especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The inmates also act in solidarity with other prisons against the state’s violent supression of protests and demands of basic hygiene and protection from Corona.
On 18th April protests began in Vial camp on Xios after a 47 year-old woman died, reportedly from either a heart attack or an obstruction. She had been in hospital for two days but after testing negative for COVID-19 she was sent back to the camp. Here she was locked in one of the new containers outside the camp, as an isolation precaution with minimal medical support. She was found dead by her husband the following day. In response people burnt the administration centres of the camp as well as the police info point and cars. Cops responded to the fires and protests immediately with teargas. The fire later spread to a housing area. No-one was injured in the fires however, as the fire destroyed the food distribution point food is now even more limited.
On 26th April 600 people moved from Moria to the detention centre in Serres published an open letter calling on the EU to resolve the horrible conditions they are living in. They state that they are imprisoned in packed small tents in the middle of nowhere with no electricity or lighting except from the roads. They have received no information at all about their asylum processes and have no access to asylum services.
At 7:30am on 26th April a fire erupted in the camp on Samos leaving 100 people without shelter. The police blocked people escaping citing coronavirus measures. A second fire started around 9am, and a third one shortly before 10. After that, the fire department came in and the people went out and gathered in the square of Samos. Tensions leading to the fire are reportedly due to overcrowding and a disregard for health measures within the camps specifically long queues for basic items such as food and showers.
On the morning of 29th April people protested outside the main gate of Moria Reception and Identification Center. They state that they are defenceless in the case of an outbreak of the disease in the camp.
On 30th April Vasilis Dimakis is returned to Korydallos prison after 9 days of hunger strike in protest over his sudden transfer to Grevena prison on 16th April, where he was forbidden to continue his university studies.
On 4th May people moved from camps on the Greek Islands to the regions of Edessa, Arnisa, Panagitsa, Kilkis and Mouries are forced to sleep in buses because local residents blocked access to the hotels booked by IOM.
During April and May there have been many reports of illegal pushbacks to Turkey by coast guards and border patrols. These actions now occur under a blanket of secrecy as witnessing, documenting or opposing them have been extremely limited due to the strict quarantine conditions imposed by the Greek state.