About 250 immigrants who had arrived from Crete came into the Athens Law School and went on hunger strike, requesting documents to be given to all illegal immigrants in the country. "These unfortunate people have not gone there by accident - they have been targeted and taken there. It is disgraceful how political parties use human pain in a challenging manner to serve their partisan goals," said the Minister of Education Anna Diamandopoulou.
Immigrants come mostly from countries in North Africa but they have been working on the island of Crete for years. They had arrived in Athens on Sunday night and then were taken by human rights activists to the Athens Law School, reported Kathimerini newspaper. They announced that they go on a hunger strike today and will drink only water and sugar until their requests to obtain documents to stay and work in the country are fulfilled. Supported by leftist parties and anti-racist organizations, the immigrants will jeopardize their lives to compel the government to "provide documents" to all illegal immigrants in the country. 50 more immigrants from Thessaloniki joined them and started a hunger strike on the seventh floor in the headquarters of the Workers Center in the second largest city in Greece.
"Laws must be applied by all government bodies so that to end this unacceptable situation," said the Minister of Education Anna Diamandopoulou. "Turning the Faculty of Law into a migrant camp goes beyond all bounds," added Diamandopoulou. The Dean of the Athens Law School said for his part that the building has been freshly renovated but has no finished plumbing and electricity installations. He said for Sky radio they were not permitted to enter it but in Greece "all people do what they want to do without asking permission from anyone." The Minister of Citizen Protection said he had no reason to stop immigrants to enter the Athens Law School because this means that all citizens walking down the streets should not be allowed to enter it. The university in Greece has the status of "asylum" which forbids the police to enter inside.
"We entered into this empty building of the School to shelter the struggle of those who went on hunger strike. We notified the dean and made arrangements with student organisations and try not to trouble anyone," said Nikos Giannopoulos – representative of the initiative in support of strikers – at a press conference at the Athens Law School .
"The immigrants themselves took the decision without intermediaries. We, from the Forum of Immigrants, know most of them. They live with us and work on our fields... We will support them and will not close our eyes... We are talking about a very terrible strike - only water, tea and sugar, and it will not last long – just as long as the body endures," said Marcos Hadzisavas from the Forum of Immigrants in Crete.
"The "asylum"of the university for us is to shelter all social struggles. We resort to all legal proceedings in the students union to have the approval of all students. The decision of the board of the students union was signed by all student organisations and it stated that the student union had agreed to shelter immigrants in this building," said Petros Satamoulis – a board member of the students union at the Athens Law School .
The extreme situation led to rapid developments and a meeting was held yesterday with the Deputy Minister of Employment Anna Dallara and advisors from the Ministry of Interior. Its purpose was to validate and to provide documents for the immigrants who come under different categories depending on whether they ever had had documents or whether they had arrived in Greece before December 31, 2004 but had no stamp in the passport to prove it, said Giannopoulos. He said that they were assured during the meeting that the Ministry would come up with proposals in the coming days and there would be a meeting between the strikers and their lawyers and the Minister of Interior next week.
"There are around 400,000 immigrants with documents in Greece, as many again who are in a process to obtain documents or have had such but failed to renew them, and around 400 000 immigrants without any documents. We believe all who are illegal and others who have no documents should be legalized. It would be good not only for them but for our health insurance funds too," said Giannopoulos.
Mattresses on which immigrants will sleep in the coming days are arranged in several rooms on the first floor of the Athens Law School. The immigrants are only young men. They have sleeping bags and warm clothes. They left their slippers at the door and settled. Nobody answers the question "Where are you from?". All have agreed just to say 'I am an immigrant." They do not hide. They are ready to talk to journalists from all TV channels, newspapers and media, dozens of journalists who have gathered and who want to hear the stories of these people. The men with whom I talk and listen to his talks with the others know the Greek language very well without having studied it. They take poses for pictures, smile and show the sign of victory.
Muradini tells me that they arrived in Athens to strike: "Either we will get documents, or die. I work in Chania for a contractor working on the roads. I have been here for five years. My family is not with me." I ask him whether he likes to live in Greece and he tells me with a smile that if he did not like it he would not be here.
Kamal is more shy. He follows the conversation between a journalist and another immigrant. I pat his hand and ask him if he wants to tell me his story. He had been in Greece for three years and worked as a painter but had no health insurances and documents. "I'm afraid of the police. My life is work but with no insurance. It is difficult. I am 23 years old. I came alone. I have many friends here." He says that if he has a job he will stay in Greece, but if not - he will leave, he will find another country. His dream? To obtain documents.
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