On Tuesday 25 of January the historical building of the Law school in Athens that is out of use at the moment- turned to be the place of a fair and democratic struggle; a place, where a lot of social struggles had taken place in the past, had the opportunity to host the struggle of 250 out of the 300 migrants- workers, who are fighting in Athens and Thessaloniki for the unconditional legalization of all migrants. A struggle for equal rights to life, carried out by those who want to be no longer invisible.
In the afternoon of Thursday 30 of January, police interrupts traffic in central Athens, creating an image of an occupied city, and encircles the building of the Law school. Thousands of people that came in solidarity are obstructed from accessing the area which is surrounded by the police and spontaneously set up gatherings in protest. From 6 o clock in the afternoon until 5 in the morning, hunger strikers are being blackmailed to leave the building. In the middle of this very long night, the hunger strikers along with the people in solidarity finally move to another central Athens building in a 4 a.m. demonstration!
This place (privately owned), however, turned out to be something similar to a detention camp, as it extremely small and many of the hunger strikers are obliged to sleep in tents in the frozen courtyard.
Political establishment and mainstream media totally depreciate this migrants’ struggle, which is pictured as motivated by promoters so as to create ‘social unrest in the country’.
It is one of the hunger strikers, though, that gives the answer: “the most frustrating of all is that they cannot understand that the neediness that brought us here is so great that we do not need promoters but supporters”.
In a climate of intimidation and repression 5 companions from the Solidarity Assembly are been accused by prosecutors as “traffickers”; the minister Papoutsis repeals the decree under which 15 migrants, hunger strikers were legalized back in 2009, denying any possibility of legalization by that means, while he calls for all migrants’ communities in Greece to comply so as “to prevent their members from participating on events that would act as hot spots”.
We, people in solidarity to the fair struggle of the migrants hunger strikers, we declare our joint responsibility together with the 5 companions and we also declare being “traffickers” of dignity and solidarity.
In a climate of repression and anti-migrant policies in Greece and all over Europe, we need to act in order to create symbolic cracks in the system and achieve political victories.
It is more urgent than ever to vow the broadest support to the fight of the 300 hunger strikers. We call for a common day of action on the 11th of February
* In solidarity with the 300 migrants, workers, hunger strikers.
* We demand the unconditional legalization for all migrants
* We support the migrants’ demands for equal political and social rights with all Greek workers.