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Anastasia Balezdrova

Another one of the immigrants who have been on hunger strike for 24 days was rushed to the hospital by an ambulance yesterday at noon. The reason for the hospitalization of the immigrant were symptoms of dehydration.

One of the members of the medical team that provides support to the already sick immigrants said that "the state of many of the strikers would go to the extreme in the coming days."

A little later, a committee of members of trade unions, workers and unemployed people held a protest in front of the Interior Ministry and expressed their solidarity towards the immigrants on hunger strike with primary and only request to be granted refugee status.

A delegation of five people asked to meet with the Minister Yannis Ragousis who was not in the ministry and they waited to meet with the chief secretary of the ministry competent in immigration matters.

They shared in their statements their concern about the health status of the immigrants. "The immigrants’ state is crisis already." According to them, "the strike of the immigrants affects all working people. It is part of the joint efforts of working people not to allow the existence of "illegal" or uninsured workers without rights and access to hospitals, schools and social services."

The two largest unions in Greece wrote manifesto in support of the immigrants. The leaderships of trade unions of employees in the private and public sectors urged the government "to solve immediately the problems of the strikers, many of whom risk losing their lives." They invited the working people to participate in the rallies in support of immigrants which will be held in front of the National Museum in Athens today in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, the government is uncertain about its actions on the issue of immigration.

Unnamed sources say that during the last meeting at which the problem of immigration in the historic center of Athens was discussed, Prime Minister George Papandreou ordered a solution to be found in the fastest possible way by observing the rights, but humanitarian parameters of some immigrant categories. These are the people who previously had permits to stay and work but are currently unemployed and immigrants living in the country for many years without any documents, but their children were born here and attend the schools.

The Interior Ministry itself remains stubborn about the decision that was taken during the seizure of the building of the Law School by the 250 immigrants. According to it, the only thing that has to be done is to apply the law but in no case mass legalization of immigrants will be effected under the pressure of protests.

The Minister of Citizens Protection Christos Papoutsis does not intend to apply stringent police measures against the immigrants who live in downtown Athens unless the other ministries provide the necessary conditions. The same sources say that Minister Papoutsis will not order "cleaning" actions or other similar measures, unless it is a central government decision. One condition is the provision of accommodation for the illegal immigrants, the immediate activation of the procedures for deportation or of readmission agreements.
 
According to some members of the government, different policy approaches hide behind this impartiality. They note that in some ministers’ opinion a "dynamic" solution of the illegal immigration issue will be welcomed by the majority of the Greek society. However, others think that it is not possible to exceed the limits of humanity and the real parameters of the immigrants living in Greece.

All these issues are related to the ongoing immigrants stay in the Ipatiya building troubling the government and the relevant departments.

Some members of the government do not hide their concern about what will follow if the hunger strike causes such a serious problem and threatens the life of one of the immigrants on strike, because then the government will face a worldwide crisis.

In connection with all this the government has decided to coordinate between the competent ministries and departments in order to solve the problem within the limits and possibilities of law and to prevent the issue caused by the arrival of 250 immigrants from Crete to Athens from growing into a more serious problem.