Greece: 6,000 Detained During Raids on Immigrants Authorities in Greece are rounding up thousands of suspected illegal immigrants in a large-scale deportation drive to combat what a government official compared to a prehistoric invasion. Greece has long been Europe's main entry point for illegal immigrants from Asia and Africa seeking a better life in the West. But Greece's severe economic problems and high unemployment are making the problem worse than ever. Police said Monday that 6,000 people were detained over the weekend in Athens in a massive operation incongruously named after the ancient Greek god of hospitality, Zeus Xenios. Officers across the city were seen stopping mostly African and Asian people in the street for identification checks. Most were only briefly detained, but about 1,600 were arrested for illegally entering Greece and sent to holding centers pending deportation. Left-wing opposition parties criticized the crackdown, while the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees voiced concern that migrants from war-torn countries and genuine asylum-seekers could be denied the right of protection. Some 100,000 illegal immigrants are estimated to slip into Greece every year, mostly from neighboring Turkey, and up to a million are believed to live in Greece, which has an official population of about 10 million. The uncontrolled influx, which coincided with a recent spike in crime, contributed to the sharp rise of an extreme-right political party which uses aggressive rhetoric against immigrants. Once beyond the pale of Greek politics, the extreme right Golden Dawn gained nearly 7 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections six weeks ago. Mainstream parties also pledged to curtail immigrant flows. Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias said Monday the rounding-up of illegal immigrants would continue, arguing that their unchecked entry has brought Greece "to the brink of collapse." "The country is being lost," he told private Skai TV. "What is happening now is (Greece's) greatest invasion ever. Since the Dorian invasion some 3,000 years ago, the country has never received such a flow of immigration." Ancient tradition linked the invasion of Greek-speaking Dorian tribes with the end of the heroic Mycenaean age, although historians believe that the Mycenaean palatial civilization was brought down by financial and social unrest. Dendias said arrested immigrants will be temporarily held at police academy buildings in northern Greece, which are closed for the summer, and at a detention center outside Athens. He claimed that by the end of the year Greece will be able to detain up to 10,000 people. "Whoever is arrested will be held and then deported," he said. The Greek office of the U.N. High Commission for refugees said that while Greece has the right to carry out checks on immigrants, it should ensure that vulnerable groups do not suffer. "People who truly need protection must be able to request it," said Petros Mastakas, associate protection officer at the UNHCR office in Athens. "It is very difficult, practically impossible, for asylum seekers to apply for protected status, and we are concerned that among those arrested there may be people who want protection but were unable to submit their requests because access to the relevant authorities is practically impossible," he said. http://abcnews.go.com/International...tained-raids-immigrants-16937366#.UB_2mE1lTEK Broke European countries can ill-afford illegal immigration. It is common sense to roll back foolish immigration policy and start enforcing the law. _
Greeks are not fighting to do what these poor imigrants are doing. I haven't see a Greek fight to find a work aganist Albanians in contructions, or I haven't see a Greek fight to sell stuff on the street aganist Africans. So, to think that these people steal opportunity of Greeks, is an idiotizm. Also Greek state don't spend even 1 sent for them. Anyway to send them back to their country will not change anything for economy or unemployement. To hope a good result after this a result of small brains, to feel satisfied after this kind of aplications is result of sick brains.
They shouldn't have to compete with Albanians or Africans. Why on earth should a Greek have to compete with Albanians or Africans for work in his own country?
Who told that Turkey doesn't have imigrants, just now in Turkey hundred tousands of imigrants live (Turkey must give them more chance to survive too) Only difference Turkey is not crying so much like Europe. Your wiev on this issue is like if these people die in their own country because of sarvation everything will be solved . On the other hand it is not Turkey stole mines and patrols of these countries and left them poor also it is not Greece. Maybe they have to move to western Europe and USA, so there will be more fair wrold.
Sir, we're talking about ILLEGAL immigrants. People who haven't followed the law. Who would want to open their borders and let criminals into their country on purpose? ..besides the u.s. of course.
Countries have right to control their borders and have right to send back the immigrants to their country back, they are doing it too. However in my oppinion all countries which economically in better situation have to give right to survive immigrants their life in acceptable limits. People writing comment here mostly from welfared countries. We don't choose where we born, If I was born in Somali or Mongolia or even Armenia probably I was living Illegally in another country. To immigrate legally almost impossible nowadays. Probably you would do the same too. Nobady choose to move for fun to another country where they seen as second class people, and doing worst work. Some of them escape from starvation some of them escape from war.
Would you have all countries open all their borders and let anyone in? You say . Why do you think that is? Most people are more loyal to their own nation and people than they are to illegal immigrants. I feel sympathy for people who are in need and the u.s. gives many millions of dollars every year to other countries... but "illegal" means against the law and I won't sacrifice my nation and my people to allow illegal people to infiltrate my country and take resources and benefits that should go to americans. Unfortunately our president doesn't agree with me.
This is what I say, immigrants are doing different works Greeks are doing different works. Article shows like the reason of unemployement is immigration, this is not true, so to send these people back will not change the reality.
What are you trying to say? That the hard working Africans / Muslims / Albanians are simply doing the jobs that the lazy Greeks / Europeans "won't do"? Tell that to the Greek working class, who are suffering record unemployment. I mean feck knows how Western civilization thrived before unlimited immigration. How ever did we cope!?
I say very basic If you don't have industry, agriculture, area to work, even you are %100 pure Greek you will have unemployement problem. immigrants selling stuff on the street, cleaning toilets so don't beleive that they effect the unemployement in Greece.
Greece has a good infrastructure built by Greeks. Unlike Africa. Please stop slandering the Greek people. Why would you make up these lies? Why do you hate white people? Please explain.
These illegals are gutless cowards and traitors disloyal to their own countries. A REAL patriot who loves his country would STAY THERE AND FIGHT TO IMPROVE HIS OWN HOMELAND, the nation he inherited from his ancestors and SHOULD be improving for his OWN offspring. ...but there's more free stuff in america and it's easy to get in.
The Greek Nazi "Golden Dawn" party supported this, that is an indication of the historical right wing scapegoat tactics. And we all know what happened in Germany's Weimar Republic once the Nazis got in. It's a clear parallel with Germany - economy goes to crap, then when people are confused and desperate they get seduced into the wave of xenophobia, a political party takes advantage of the situation, and what then?
So if alleged "Nazis" support something, that means you're not allowed to do it? If "Nazis" support a healthy diet and animal rights, you automatically have to do the opposite? It doesn't make any god(*)(*)(*)(*) difference if the Nazis did it. Are the Greeks expected to allow themselves to be invaded and wiped out for fear of you calling them "Nazis"? Even if the mass immigrants weren't harming a damaged economy, which they are, the Greeks should still kick them out. And that doesn't make them Nazis anymore than it does Chinese border control. You are just calling them "Nazis" because they are white people defending their land, like every other country does.
You really don't understand my post. I wasn't making a retarded correlation = causation argument like so many idiots here do, I was mainly talking about Golden Dawn's support of it because of their own xenophobic tendencies, and how they actively promote a "being invaded by foreigners" mentality and use them as a cover for Greece's real problems - for example crazy amounts of tax evasion. It seems you'd fit in nicely with these fellows anyway with your wierd identification with white people. Fast fact: "Most (85%) of our genetic variation is within populations rather than among them, even when different sequences of DNA (or proteins) are examined (Barbujani et al., 1997 ). Statistical divisions of humanity based on different kinds of genetic data do not group people consistently into races (Romualdi, 2002 )."
I understood your "you are Nazi" guilt by association fallacious slander perfectly and I addressed it. Greece is being invaded by foreigners. Is my identification with white people "weird"? And of course it's "weird" for Thais to identify with Thais and disapprove of massive African immigration. I certainly would fit in with the Golden Dawn because I support them. Fast fact: there is more genetic variation within chimpanzees and humans (82%) than between them. "Update to Long and Kittles's "Human Genetic Diversity and the Nonexistence of Biological Races" (2003): Fixation on an Index" Race is real and the claim it is not is only made by people ignorant of biology.
The rise of Golden Dawn can only be contained when mainstream parties find ways to calm voters’ pressing anxieties over immigration and reducing the number of illegal immigrants in Greece is the first step in the right direction. The extremist party is winning votes with its food handouts and other social efforts to appeal to the poor just like Hamas does in Gaza when the country's economic crisis has given rise to a xenophobic backlash.
