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 phneomenon “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.
Paul Schlag: “The improvement of the labor market integration can be a very long process”
Solomon Interviews are in-depth conversations about human rights issues and current events with experts from various fields, who offer their perspectives, based on their on-the-ground experience.
Millions in funding at stake for refugee housing
2020 was the year the government vowed to “put NGOs in order” and millions were controversially allocated to tackle the issue. Funding was even granted to NGOs that did not meet the criteria set by the government.
A fire in tent 959
A heavily pregnant Afghan woman set herself on fire, after hearing her transfer to Germany was postponed again. The act was viewed as “a cry for help” by many. The woman had been living in Lesbos’ infamous camps for over a year.
Current population of asylum seekers in RICs in Greek islands
8,746
Lesvos
Cap: 12,602
2,088
Chios
Cap: 1,352
3,505
Samos
Cap: 665
428
Leros
Cap: 860
651
Kos
Cap: 1,290
31
Other islands
Cap: 52
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.
Europe’s largest refugee camp under coronavirus risk
The longer people are being left to live in such dire conditions, the higher the risk of a coronavirus outbreak that would be impossible to be contained.
/ 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.
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.
“Mom, what are Albanians?”
Marios and Mirela came to Greece 24 years ago, and their children were born here. They cultivate garlic − a local product which has helped the region of Platykampos, Larissa, gain international attention. But they are still waiting for Greek citizenship.
“The time-bomb exploded” at Greece’s largest refugee camp
Massive fires burned through Moria – repeated warnings had been made, and ignored, for years.
“I didn’t know I had to tell my story somewhere”
Keita is from the Ivory Coast and has been living in Athens since 2010. As a minor, he decided to leave his family and pursue his dream to play football. But things didn’t quite work out as he expected.
Deportations: The eternal denial of the Greek government
With mounting evidence and growing allegations of illegal deportation operations along the Greek-Turkish border, the Greek government maintains “ignorance”.
/ THE VISUALS
We collect data information and create visual stories that give you a whole new perspective of a topic.
Capacity and number of asylum seekers in refugee camps in Greece
In addition to the overcrowded Reception and Identification Centres (RIC) in the five Aegean islands, there are currently 27 more hosting structures for asylum seekers in the mainland of Greece.
A visual representation of Australia’s devastating fires
Fires in Australia are estimated to have burned 107,000 square kilometers, nearly the size of mainland Greece (132,049). 28 people died and more than a billion animals killed in wildfires that have been burning the country since autumn 2019.
The curse of the “rich” countries
The term resource curse refers to that situation in which countries with an abundance of natural resources, such as fossil fuels and certain minerals, appear to have lower economic growth, less democracy and lower index scores on peacefulness.
/ THE VISUALS
We collect data information and create visual stories that give you a whole new perspective of a topic.
Capacity and number of asylum seekers in refugee camps in Greece
In addition to the overcrowded Reception and Identification Centres (RIC) in the five Aegean islands, there are currently 27 more hosting structures for asylum seekers in the mainland of Greece.
A visual representation of Australia’s devastating fires
Fires in Australia are estimated to have burned 107,000 square kilometers, nearly the size of mainland Greece (132,049). 28 people died and more than a billion animals killed in wildfires that have been burning the country since autumn 2019.
The curse of the “rich” countries
The term resource curse refers to that situation in which countries with an abundance of natural resources, such as fossil fuels and certain minerals, appear to have lower economic growth, less democracy and lower index scores on peacefulness.
The most expensive and cheapest countries to live in
The cost of living in Greece remains relatively high compared to the income of the population. According to the European Job Mobility Portal, Greece is ranked 31st in the world’s general price levels.
Millions in funding at stake for refugee housing
2020 was the year the government vowed to “put NGOs in order” and millions were controversially allocated to tackle the issue. Funding was even granted to NGOs that did not meet the criteria set by the government.
One month after the Moria fire, press coverage on refugees remains restricted
Press restrictions began soon after Moria camp was set up. And they have not ceased − asylum seekers in the new camp are reporting on the deplorable conditions themselves.
The grey areas on the list of the greek media outlets’ payments for COVID-19 awareness campaign
Athens Voice received more money than LIFO. The Athenian newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton only got as much as a local paper. There were 239 websites that received money although they were unregistered news outlets. The publication of the list revealed inconsistencies in the payments the media received for the coronavirus public awareness campaign “We Stay Home”.
The thorn in our side: racially-motivated violence in Greece
Attacks on refugees, attacks on the LGBTQI community, police officers as aggressors. This year, the findings of an annual report by the Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN) are, once again, concerning.
“We are kind of speechless today” – Lime quits Athens, downsizes Thessaloniki’s operation
After pausing its operations in Greece amid COVID-19, Lime announced to employees it is shutting down its services in Athens.
The truth about the voucher program which was terminated by the government
After intense protests and reports which uncovered the program’s links to distance learning providers, the government ended the program. Even now, however, the whole truth has not been revealed.
Something’s up with Lime
The multinational company Lime, worth €2 billion, suspended its operation in Greece due to COVID-19. A months-long investigation, however, reveals that the problems began long before the pandemic.
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.
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 tandoor of Moria
Afghan wood-fired ovens are an example of people’s attempt to resist a regime of detention which imposes misery as normality.
Blurred Future
What happens to asylum seekers when they manage to escape the inhumane conditions in which they live in the Reception and Identification Centers on the Greek islands? How do they experience the legislative changes regarding the asylum status, but also the restrictions they place on NGOs?
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.
“Moria 2.0” turns once more to mud
A short rain in Lesbos turned everything into mud in some parts of the “Moria 2.0”, the new camp in Lesbos, for one more time. What will winter look like for its thousands of residents?
The grey areas on the list of the greek media outlets’ payments for COVID-19 awareness campaign
Athens Voice received more money than LIFO. The Athenian newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton only got as much as a local paper. There were 239 websites that received money although they were unregistered news outlets. The publication of the list revealed inconsistencies in the payments the media received for the coronavirus public awareness campaign “We Stay Home”.
The scenario of simple proportional representation: the Greek Parliament under different conditions of representation
Using simple proportional representation to explore what the composition of the current and previous Parliament would resemble and taking a hypothetical look at the past, in search of the last autonomous prime minister.
The Greek vote and the political circumstances that influenced it – A timeline covering the past four decades
Historical data reveals how the Greek vote has changed since the political transition after the dictatorship, from the first parliamentary elections in 1974 to the most recent national elections in 2015.
Real gold or Fool’s gold? Golden Visas in Europe
The lucrative trade of passports and residence permits in Europe, the money under the table and various reactions.
The feng shui of money: Greece’s Golden Visa program
The facts about the Golden Visa program – the illegal and legal practices of the foreign and Greek companies involved and the impact on the real estate market.
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.
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 tandoor of Moria
Afghan wood-fired ovens are an example of people’s attempt to resist a regime of detention which imposes misery as normality.
Blurred Future
What happens to asylum seekers when they manage to escape the inhumane conditions in which they live in the Reception and Identification Centers on the Greek islands? How do they experience the legislative changes regarding the asylum status, but also the restrictions they place on NGOs?
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.
The grey areas on the list of the greek media outlets’ payments for COVID-19 awareness campaign
Athens Voice received more money than LIFO. The Athenian newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton only got as much as a local paper. There were 239 websites that received money although they were unregistered news outlets. The publication of the list revealed inconsistencies in the payments the media received for the coronavirus public awareness campaign “We Stay Home”.
The scenario of simple proportional representation: the Greek Parliament under different conditions of representation
Using simple proportional representation to explore what the composition of the current and previous Parliament would resemble and taking a hypothetical look at the past, in search of the last autonomous prime minister.
The Greek vote and the political circumstances that influenced it – A timeline covering the past four decades
Historical data reveals how the Greek vote has changed since the political transition after the dictatorship, from the first parliamentary elections in 1974 to the most recent national elections in 2015.
Real gold or Fool’s gold? Golden Visas in Europe
The lucrative trade of passports and residence permits in Europe, the money under the table and various reactions.
The feng shui of money: Greece’s Golden Visa program
The facts about the Golden Visa program – the illegal and legal practices of the foreign and Greek companies involved and the impact on the real estate market.
Blurred Future
What happens to asylum seekers when they manage to escape the inhumane conditions in which they live in the Reception and Identification Centers on the Greek islands? How do they experience the legislative changes regarding the asylum status, but also the restrictions they place on NGOs?
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.
Bringing a refugee story to its true protagonists
When BFJE fellow Stavros Malichudis published his investigation into young unaccompanied male asylum seekers and refugees in Greece, he took it to the kind of people featured in the story to test their reaction.
The past, the present, and the future depicted in a drawing by young Saad from Syria
“Which government, which country, which policy, what person has the right to deprive Saad of his dreams?”
Testimonies of refugees and migrants in a time of pandemic
The digital narratives were created under the project “Narrating COVID-19: Testimonies from Refugees and Migrants in a Time of Pandemic”, which was implemented by the MSc “Global Health – Disaster Medicine” of School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), in order to highlight the humanitarian role of new technologies, which has been used as a tool of self-expression to capture the psychosocial effects of Covid-19 in vulnerable populations.
Racism, Coronavirus and Police Brutality
Some thought -and numbers- about the deep-rooted racism of American society.
The police are policing themselves
Five points on how the US system protects the authorities.
The original team will not play in the Global Goals World Cup
Hestia FC is the first football club in Greece consisting of players who are refugees and immigrants.
When Mao censored Antonioni
China by Michelangelo Antonioni was different from what the Maoist regime had hoped to present to the West in the 1970s.
Sex work can be a choice
Despite objections, some people believe they have the right to get paid for having sex. Sex workers share their stories.
Christmas is postponed
I ran away from my parents in 2010. I was 17 years old. After forty eight hours of uncertainty, I returned home. They forgave me. Two years earlier, 2008 was the year that made me feel doubt and rage. It was near Christmas time, I was 15 years old and really angry. There was a very serious reason that made me and many other children of my age feel this way.
“The state is very funny”
Dandom Howladar owns a mini market in central Athens. Since the pandemic hit, fewer customers shop at his store – and they don’t always have good intentions.
Inside a gardener’s quarantine
For a year and a half, Hamid Nasseri moved daily from the center of Athens to the northern suburbs and took care of the gardens at houses there. Until the coronavirus appeared, the country entered a second lock down, and he was forced to lose his job and income again.
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.
New Publication: Impact of COVID-19 on migrant workers
It was March 2020 when Greece imposed the first lockdown to combat the spread of COVID-19. The country is currently in its second lockdown, which for the moment has been extended until January 7, 2021.
Human traces on the landscape in Moria, three months after the fire
A photo essay by Elias Marcou.
Moria’s “missing” migrants
When multiple fires destroyed Europe’s notorious refugee camp, it became apparent that more than 3,000 asylum seekers were missing already. While authorities remain silent regarding their whereabouts, we met some of them. We witnessed them living in limbo, working under exploitation, and being victims of brutal attacks; crossing borders to reach the “European dream” or failing to do so. We also delved into the government’s practices of fabricating the numbers.
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, Project Manager
Choose the monthly plan of your Membership or get a discount with an annual plan
Advanced plan
most popularYou help us make our independent journalism stronger and remunerate fairly our contributors.
Save 12€ with your annual membership.
* The plan of your Membership is irrelevant to the news and stories that are provided to you. Access to information should be given to anyone, anytime in any way possible. Even if you’re not a Member, you still have access to our content.
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, Project Manager
Choose the monthly plan of your Membership or get a discount with an annual plan
* The plan of your Membership is irrelevant to the news and stories that are provided to you. Access to information should be given to anyone, anytime in any way possible. Even if you’re not a Member, you still have access to our content.
Advanced plan
most popularYou help us make our independent journalism stronger and remunerate fairly our contributors.
Save 12€ with your annual membership.