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Equality and tear gas for all ruled the special forces for  riots control on Saturday when two parallel protests took place in Athens. One of them against racism and the other one against illegal immigration. On St. Panteleimon square at twelve o’clock at noon, was held a protest rally of the residents in the area who protest against the great number of crimes in their neighborhood. As the main source of the problem they identify the large groups of illegal immigrants who have found refuge in the narrow streets around the neighborhood square and according to the residents are the main cause of high crime rates in the region. Cases of theft, assaults and violence have increased progressively in the last fifteen years and today people say, "We want all foreigners out".

"At night after six o’clock you can not see a Greek in the street, it is full of criminals – I see how they sell drugs, they let their wives prostitute. You can not live like that", said a resident of St. Panteleimon. A pensioner who has lived for 40 years in the neighborhood said that two weeks ago, "two black men" as she called them, hit her to take her purse. The woman wore a supportive neck collar. When the retired participant in the protest, realized that GRReporter is a Bulgarian news agency she started shouting: "You Bulgarians sell your children, you sell drugs, you hold chains of illegal prostitution! We want all foreigners out!"

A member of the extreme right-wing Golden Dawn rushed to say: "It’s not precisely the Bulgarians who are our problem - we have the same religion as them and many of them have come to work honestly. Illegal immigrants from countries like Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other Muslim countries come to Greece and have no respect neither for our country nor for the people." He told us about a Pakistani who said that all Greek women were easy, because they go around dressed in tight jeans and low-cut necklines. "They look at our women as if they were a piece of meat and think that everything is permitted. There are many cases of assaults and rapes in the area for which for which are to be blamed Albanians and other immigrants, and the state does nothing", he explained.

Xenophobic attitude in the region escalated in recent years because of high crime rate, and residents complain that the police is powerless. "The fact that they are hungry is no excuse for the crimes they commit," said the member of the Golden Dawn. People say there hasn’t been political will until now to ensure peace and tranquility, and to decide the fate of illegal immigrants who break the law. To the question "Can’t the police protect you?" People responded: "What can they do – they will arrest them for one night, then they will let them on the street and everything happens all over again."

The authorities in many cases remain observers and following the rule "Along with the dry grass, burns also the fresh one" it all comes down to mob justice, the victims may even be legal immigrants who have no guilt for the crimes committed in the area. The violence and long term carelessness of the state in recent years led to severe acts of racism, which were also illustrated with the rally of Saint Panteleimon. Slogans were heard saying: "Greece for the Greeks - the foreigners out", "Greece is white" and other similar slogans. Members of the Golden Dawn had gathered from different parts of the city especifically for the rally. Almost all were dressed in black and held in their hands bike helmet and the flag of Greece on an unusually thick rod.

At two o'clock in the afternoon the same day in front of the University of Athens in the city center the left political organizations in Greece also organized a protest rally, but against racism and the right of immigrants from war zones to a political asylum. It was planned to develop into a protest march and end with a festive concert not anywhere else, but on the Saint Panteleimon Square. The choice of the particular site was more than controversial in the moment when all know about the problems that exist in this region. GRReporter tried to find out, whose idea was for the protest concert to be held right in the "battle" area of Athens. Greek journalists from the leftist media, explained that the concert should take place exactly there because it is the region with the greatest intolerance of foreigners in the country, and the music can launch a bridge between cultures.

Naivety of this explanation was apparent, even offensive, but whatever the reason was for for the choice of the place where to hold the peace concert, the problems of the immigrants in Greece is obvious to every visitor and citizen of the country. We asked real immigrants to share their views about life in Greece. Sahaap from Iran is 27 years old. He has been living in Athens for five years and is still waiting to be given a certificate of political refugee. "I came illegally here as everyone else from Iran because of the regime in my country. My goal is to settle, to work legally and pay taxes. I didn’t come with bad intentions and I observe the law of the country", said the young man. He explained that the problem lies in the lack of a unified policy for political refugees like him.

In cases such as Sahaap after immigration authorities registered the refugee, he shall be issued a temporary document known as the "pink card". This document does not give him the status of a political refugee and has no value before the government institutions, banks or employers. "Although it certifies who I am with this document I can neither sign a contract of employment, nor can I open a bank account. And so for five years now I reside in Greece illegally". He says that every time thei go to renew their status they hear excuses like "We are waiting for the new law to be voted" or "We can not currently consider your case because a new commission is being formed" or "There are new procedures for which trainings have not yet been held".

While Sahaap told me his story the rally against racism was slowly moving from downtown Athens to the square of Saint Panteleimon. I asked him if he knew why we're headed right there, and he replied: "I have no idea, we were told to do so by the organizers". He said he didn’t know about the problems which the locals have with immigrants in the area and added: "I hope there won’t be any problems." At the same time in the megaphones sounded slogans like "Say No! to fascism", " Say No! So the dictates of the International Monetary Fund" and "Free Greece for all".

When the procession reached the boulevard Aharnon and some of the anarchists in Athens also joined it, who occupied an old building known as the Villa Amalias. The house is known as one of the centers of the Greek anarchist movement since the mid eighties of last century. Anarchists who walked alongside the protesters and immigrants were dressed in black clothes, they had scarves covering their mouth and held the wooden sticks in their hands. In general they are declared to be supporters of the rights of immigrants and it was obvious that they were ready to protect them before the members of the racist Golden Dawn by all means. On Aharnon Boulevard in the close vicinity there were all the ingredients for mixing an explosive cocktail.

Police, however, turned out to be ready to prevent bloody clashes between "peaceful" protesters and even more "peaceful" inhabitants of St. Panteleimon and a block across the square the armored buses of the special forces had closed off the road. After another 50 m from the first blockade there was a second one that held members of the extreme right racist organizations away from their leftist opponents, who defend the rights of foreigners. Tension grew until the outbreak of the first homebrew bomb was heard on the side of the Golden Dawn. It was followed by tear gas, shouting and running. After about ten minutes the same was repeated on the part of the peace march defending the rights of immigrants and against racism.

Tear gas was dispersed, but the concert was not held. The problems of the residents of Saint Panteleimon were not solved. The message that being refugee does not automatically make you a criminal also remained unheard.