The hygienic wall that makes me sick

I'm fucking angry.

Having just come home from a demo with the Afghan refugees who have been campaigning for the Greek government to respond to their claims for asylum, I start reading the news online (OK. I admit. 1 source. The Guardian) and there are 2 headlines: “Nato units left 61 migrants to die” and “Arabic exodus likely to lead to stricter border controls in Europe”. This second article is about Europe proposing to re-introduce its internal borders in an effort to block refugees from the Arab Spring.

3 examples of how European politicians are willing to sit back and continue to erect a wall to protect its wealth and privilege whilst others die. And 3 examples of how Europeans are prepared to sit back and let it happen. It happens because we are able to keep the realities of the effects of such decisions at a distance. There is a hygienic wall between 'us' and 'them'. But the idea of 'us' and 'them' is what’s wrong, and is caught up in the idea of 'our nation' and 'their nation'.

I am angry because the realities for the migrants that those articles portrayed was made real for me at the demo today.

The demo was organised by the Afghan Refugee community of Athens and attended by maybe 150 Afghans and Iranian refugees, many of whom have been in Greece years awaiting a decision on their asylum claims. The Afghan refugees have occupied a space outside the university in the centre of Athens for over 5 months now. Since the beginning of their occupation they have suffered numerous attacks from police and fascists. Back in December, 9 of them begun a hunger strike, sewing their lips together in protest and desperation. 5 months later, and the hunger strike long over, the occupation still continues.

It continues because they have still not had a response from the government. And perhaps this is the most shameful thing. That the authorities do not even bother to address them; those that are losing their marbles after 5 months of waiting and fighting and still trying to support themselves and their families. So once again today the campaigners and their supporters headed for The Ministry of Citizen Protection (the name says it all) to demand a response. And they were stopped from reaching the building by lines of swaggery riot cops smoking fags. Were the campaigners breaking the law? No. They are trying to claim asylum. Were the campaigners violent? No. But they sure have a right to be. Why were they forbidden from reaching the building?

After a fairly brief confrontation with the cops, we retreated to a distance away from the cops (who had threatened to start using force. And there were kids there, for God’s sake) as a delegation of campaigners went into the ministry. A meeting with the minister was what the campaigners were aiming for (unfortunately if you wanna get their rights, they still have to ask the state!) so spirits were high, So, a few hours after the protest began, me and Phil headed home and will await the result.

These 3 things: the treatment of these campaigners by the state; the reintroduction of borders to keep people out, and the wilful killing of so many refugees. It’s disgusting. It’s shameful. I am ashamed.

Reinforcing and increasing an uneven division between wealth and right is damaging for everybody.