Building economies within walls
Ritsona is the largest refugee camp on Greece’s mainland. Excluded from the region’s social and economic network long before the pandemic, the camp gradually acquired its own life. Today, with new surveillance technologies being installed at the camp, there are growing fears that the camp community will become completely isolated.
Greengrocer’s, barbershops, pool halls: Inside the marketplace of the Ritsona
A photo report by Thodoris Nikolaou for Solomon
“When the pandemic ends, we must talk about the mental health of the workers during this period”
Loretta Macauley, activist and founder of the United African Women Organization in Athens, in an interview with Solomon on the effects of the pandemic on migrant women employed in Greece.
The perilous border crossing “game” in Bosnia
Migrant people stranded at the Bosnian border wait for the right moment to try their hand at the “game”. Normally they must try multiple times due to violent pushbacks by border forces.
The protectors of refugee children
They are probably the first and only doctors to examine young refugees who arrive in Athens. The pediatricians Stavroula Dikalioti and Smaragda Papachristidou – due to their efforts and personal interest – have managed to facilitate the refugees’ access to public health, which is provided at no cost, but remains a complicated maze to navigate.
There is no escape from violence for LGBTQI+ asylum seekers
They flee their countries because of violence and persecution. Once in Europe, they face discrimination again. “We have been repeating that for years: the camps are not a safe place for LGBTQI+ asylum seekers.”
Building economies within walls
Ritsona is the largest refugee camp on Greece’s mainland. Excluded from the region’s social and economic network long before the pandemic, the camp gradually acquired its own life. Today, with new surveillance technologies being installed at the camp, there are growing fears that the camp community will become completely isolated.
Congolese minor suing Frontex: “I thought that the law is upheld in Europe”
A.N., a young woman from Burundi, was recently granted asylum in Greece. However, her struggle continues. She is suing Frontex, for the first time in the history of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, for complicity in two pushback incidents that she claims preceded her asylum. The case is co-signed by an unaccompanied minor from the Democratic Republic of the Congo – who claims that he has been pushed backed to Turkey three times, where he currently remains.
The perilous border crossing “game” in Bosnia
Migrant people stranded at the Bosnian border wait for the right moment to try their hand at the “game”. Normally they must try multiple times due to violent pushbacks by border forces.
The protectors of refugee children
They are probably the first and only doctors to examine young refugees who arrive in Athens. The pediatricians Stavroula Dikalioti and Smaragda Papachristidou – due to their efforts and personal interest – have managed to facilitate the refugees’ access to public health, which is provided at no cost, but remains a complicated maze to navigate.
Mahmood in waiting
In 2016 Mahmood left Jalalabad, his hometown in Afghanistan, and embarked on a dangerous journey to Europe. After six months he made it to Greece. We meet him in a flat in the suburbs of Athens, which he shares with up to twelve other compatriots; struggling with the Greek asylum services; making a living on the streets; and strolling through the center of Athens. This is his story.
Young Roma shot dead by Greek police. Yet another case of police impunity? — Part 1
After a car chase, Greek police shot and killed a young Roma man. The incident bears a striking resemblance to another case of excessive and unwarranted use of force by Greek law enforcement − in which Greece was convicted by the European Court of Justice in 2004. The Makaratzis case was the main lawsuit in a group of cases brought to the European Court of Human Rights regarding excessive use of force by Greek law enforcement and the failure of both disciplinary and judicial action to bring an end to such incidents. The Council of Europe continues to urge Greece to take action to address police violence.
Congolese minor suing Frontex: “I thought that the law is upheld in Europe”
A.N., a young woman from Burundi, was recently granted asylum in Greece. However, her struggle continues. She is suing Frontex, for the first time in the history of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, for complicity in two pushback incidents that she claims preceded her asylum. The case is co-signed by an unaccompanied minor from the Democratic Republic of the Congo – who claims that he has been pushed backed to Turkey three times, where he currently remains.
How a convicted neo-Nazi attempts to regain his seat in Greek Parliament − from jail
A year after the leaders of neo-Nazi party, Golden Dawn, were convicted of operating a criminal organization, their influence seems to have waned. However, through his own YouTube channel, which he uses to speak unopposed, Ilias Kasidiaris is aiming to become the main spokesperson of the Far Right in Greece.
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“When the pandemic ends, we must talk about the mental health of the workers during this period”
Loretta Macauley, activist and founder of the United African Women Organization in Athens, in an interview with Solomon on the effects of the pandemic on migrant women employed in Greece.
N. Paleologos: “We owe it to their painful experiences, to tell their stories as honestly as possible”
Two photojournalists, Chrysoula Patsou and Nikos Palaiologos, discuss their projects during the refugee crisis, talk about the photojournalist’s mission as a “chronicler of History”, and comment on the challenges that the freedom of press faces in Greece.
Apostolos Kapsalis: “We are travelling in uncharted and stormy seas”
We sat down for a long discussion with the researcher of the Institute of Labor for the phenomenon “Manolada”, the realities of migrant workers in Greece, and the challenges that the pandemic brought -and will bring- not only to the agricultural production, but the rights of the ones ensuring it.
The logbook of Moria
A logbook was found in the ashes of Europe’s most notorious refugee camp. Written by the workers that were there to protect the unaccompanied minors, but often felt incapable of doing so, its pages reveal the horrific reality that they endured. The logbook of Moria’s safe zone is an indisputable document of Europe’s failure to protect the most vulnerable group of asylum seekers that sought safety within its borders.
Snapshots from the days after the fire that burned Moria refugee camp
On September 9, massive fires destroyed Greece’s largest refugee camp leaving thousands of asylum seekers without shelter.
Labeled “immigrants”, two-thirds of Moria’s population actually have a refugee profile
The Greek government and major media outlets are presenting the victims of the fire at Moria camp as “immigrants”. However, according to our analysis, the majority will most likely be granted international protection.
“We are better off here, that place is like a prison”
The Greek government has been trying to relocate victims of the Moria fire to a new temporary shelter. Asylum seekers are reluctant to go there.
“The time-bomb exploded” at Greece’s largest refugee camp
Massive fires burned through Moria – repeated warnings had been made, and ignored, for years.
The logbook of Moria
A logbook was found in the ashes of Europe’s most notorious refugee camp. Written by the workers that were there to protect the unaccompanied minors, but often felt incapable of doing so, its pages reveal the horrific reality that they endured. The logbook of Moria’s safe zone is an indisputable document of Europe’s failure to protect the most vulnerable group of asylum seekers that sought safety within its borders.
Snapshots from the days after the fire that burned Moria refugee camp
On September 9, massive fires destroyed Greece’s largest refugee camp leaving thousands of asylum seekers without shelter.
Labeled “immigrants”, two-thirds of Moria’s population actually have a refugee profile
The Greek government and major media outlets are presenting the victims of the fire at Moria camp as “immigrants”. However, according to our analysis, the majority will most likely be granted international protection.
“We are better off here, that place is like a prison”
The Greek government has been trying to relocate victims of the Moria fire to a new temporary shelter. Asylum seekers are reluctant to go there.
“The time-bomb exploded” at Greece’s largest refugee camp
Massive fires burned through Moria – repeated warnings had been made, and ignored, for years.
Name: Unknown – Cause of death: Drowning
“I can’t, I’ve had a difficult time processing all this.” Since 2012, the registrar of Lesvos has been mainly registering the bodies of unidentified refugees.
How the Aegean islands became a warehouse of souls
It was four years ago, March 2016, when the EU-Turkey Joint Declaration to curb refugee flows was signed.
The perilous border crossing “game” in Bosnia
Migrant people stranded at the Bosnian border wait for the right moment to try their hand at the “game”. Normally they must try multiple times due to violent pushbacks by border forces.
“What does Europe want to achieve? That we will all commit suicide one day?”
A new refugee camp on Samos is almost ready. Nobody knows if it will be an open or a closed facility. One thing is for sure, though: the prospect of confinement in the middle of nowhere leads to the deterioration of asylum seekers’ mental health.
N. Paleologos: “We owe it to their painful experiences, to tell their stories as honestly as possible”
Two photojournalists, Chrysoula Patsou and Nikos Palaiologos, discuss their projects during the refugee crisis, talk about the photojournalist’s mission as a “chronicler of History”, and comment on the challenges that the freedom of press faces in Greece.
Police Violence: Concerning Treatment of Migrants and Reporters during Covid-19
A cross-border collaboration on the escalating trend of police violence against people on the move and media professionals.
Report “Modern Slavery: from production to consumption”
Generation 2.0 for Rights, Equality & Diversity in the context of the project design and implementation, collaborated with Andreas Hatzidakis Professor of Marketing at Royal Holloway University of London, who is the scientific supervisor at the research and the researcher Iordanis Paraskevas, who undertook the implementation of the research and the writing of the report.
The night when “hell” burned down
Two months after the fire that destroyed Moria camp, the overcrowded refugee facility on the island of Lesvos, an asylum seeker who lived there, remembers the events of that night and what happened in the days that followed.
Domestic Workers in Greece
Migrants employed in the domestic work sector are essential workers in the COVID-19 response, due to the important roles they play in the care of children, sick, and dependent people.
Unaccompanied minors: Dis-continuum of protection
We discuss the realities of unaccompanied children on the move and attempt to address the varying experiences of children migrating – both positive and negative.
Grief and mourning among refugees
Mourning is an inevitable experience that occurs following the loss of loved ones. Going through the bereavement process in a host society, refugees are faced with different challenges, very often without even being able to practice their funeral rites and rituals. Nikos Gkionakis, experienced psychologist and Head of Babel Day Center, offering mental health services to refugees in Athens, is our guest for this session.
/ Publications
© Constantinos Stathias
/ Last in Line
A Publication about young male migrants and refugees
More than 75,000 asylum seekers arrived in Greece in 2019 alone, either by crossing the northern border with Turkey via the Evros River or by crossing the Aegean from Turkey on boats, hoping to land on one of the Greek islands.
About 40% of the asylum seekers are men.
© Iasonas Athanasiadis
/ Migrant workers
A Publication about migrant workers during COVID-19
Despite often being undocumented, without legal papers and off the radar, migrant workers are essential workers. Often lacking documentation, access to information and networks, migrant workers are uninsured, underpaid, and exposed to human rights abuses and labor law violations.
But, in big part, their realities in Greece still remain underreported.
WHY
WE
NEED
YOU
The media in Greece have lost their credibility and they are solely responsible for this. However, time has run out, and so have excuses. Media and journalism should communicate with other disciplines in search of common ways to include their communities.
We should make an effort to be more receptive and above all to include the very people we are (supposedly) writing about. Each side needs the other. And it shouldn’t be so difficult anymore, for us to question our ”expertise”. This can make things a lot more exciting.
At Solomon we are not interested in trying to be the ”experts” nor do we want to be vaguely ”objective”. We are interested in seeking and presenting the facts, and being able to share them, completely and transparently, with the people who care about realities. And, of course, doing so without serving any special interests or outside influences.
But we do not want our independence to be the reason why we are forced to work in a state of insecurity and exhaust all of our resources to be able to literally remain upright. On the contrary, we want our independence to be the reason why people view us as a trustworthy news source, and will support us in maintaining our dedication.
Iliana Papangeli, Managing Director