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GREECE: New Laws Being Rushed in Against Migrants
By Apostolis Fotiadis
ATHENS, Jun 23, 2009 (IPS) - Following a big defeat in the European parliament elections, the right-wing New
Democracy (ND) government is cracking down on irregular migration to counter
the far right.
The moves come after the far right Popular Orthodox Alarm (LAOS) achieved
a best ever 7.15 percent of the vote, capitalising on a xenophobic election
campaign.
The day after the results, LAOS invited ND members to join it in setting up a
political alliance. This worried the ND leadership because many among its
rank and file are sympathetic to the LAOS proposal. The ND has a majority of
just one, making it hostage to any departure from an MP.
It is unlikely that a new political formation will arise from the LAOS offer, but
the invitation has managed to bring government policies on migration closer
to an extreme political stance.
The electoral success of LAOS does not depend exclusively on its own
capacities, says George Roussis, political scientist at Panteion University in
Athens.
"The right turn of the electorate could either create a new contestant in the
power game, or make people rally around traditional political forces in order
to stop the progress of extreme right-wing forces," Roussis told IPS. "In any
case, parties like LAOS are tools employed by power and market elites when
they are preparing to toughen their policies."
Irregular migration is now becoming the first field in which the right turn
cultivated during the last few months is producing policy results.
Policing around Athens has been expanded, with operations carried out
publicly. Hundreds of migrants are brought to police stations every evening.
Activists blame the police for inhumane treatment and abuses. The operations
are a "racist atrocity", says Thanasis Kourkoulas of the pro-migrant
organisation Deport Racism.
The ministry of interior has announced plans for the creation of many
detention centres across the country where irregular migrants will be
transferred to await repatriation. The first of these will be ready in six months
at the earliest. Meanwhile, most migrants arrested are soon released, leading
many to blame the government for wasting police resources for the sake of a
political campaign.
Many people are now aggressively demanding removal of irregular migrants
from neighbourhoods like Agios Panteleimonas where large number live in
inhumane conditions. LAOS and Golden Dawn, a notorious fascist
organisation, had their best electoral results in this district.
The government is looking to satisfy such public sentiment, and is preparing
to effectively shut Greek borders to irregular migrants. New amendments to
migration and asylum have been hastily prepared, and are due to be enforced
later this year.
A new parliamentary bill to be ratified in less than a month provides for
doubling the detention period for undocumented migrants from three to six
months. This can be quadrupled to a year if the authorities consider that
migrants fail to cooperate, or documents necessary for their repatriation are
missing.
According to the proposed new regulations, any foreigner charged with an
offence that carries three months imprisonment or more can immediately be
deported.
Decision-making on asylum applications will be transferred to regional police
commanders, without any provision for improving their capacity to deal with
related issues. Appealing will practically be annulled, contrary to provisions
of European law which give the right to appeal in case of rejection.
Last Thursday Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis unsuccessfully asked
his counterparts in Brussels to consider harmonising further the European
Union's strategy for dealing with the irregular influx, and fortifying European
borders. He was keen particularly on winning the Union's support to pressure
Turkey to re-enact a refoulement protocol signed with Greece in 2001. Under
that protocol Turkey would accept the return of people crossing into Greece
from its territory.
Such repatriation agreements with source and transit countries have become
a priority in Greek migration policy.
George Tsarbopoulos, head of the Greek wing of the United Nations Refugee
Agency, argued against this strategy in a public speech last Wednesday. "As
long as the government doesn't essentially provide access to asylum
procedures, translation and legal assistance, especially to people arriving
from refugee 'source' countries, UNHCR will oppose firstly informal returns to
Turkey that take place through territorial and naval boundaries of the two
countries and clearly violate Greek and international laws, and secondly,
refoulement to Turkey of recent arrivals based on the bilateral agreement of
2001."
Tsarbopoulos said the new legal measures being promoted by the
government will not improve the situation, and in the case of asylum
applications will perpetuate existing problems. "Toughening policing of
borders should at least be accompanied by improvement of reception
services and infrastructure at entry points; these are non-existent anywhere
in Greece at the moment."
With early national elections expected before next March, activists are already
warning of an upcoming pogrom against undocumented migrants during the
summer, on which the government will attempt to capitalise politically
September onwards. (EU/IP/HD/PR/MI/AF/SS/09) (END)
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