- Title: Afghans in Greece stage protest, march to U.S. Embassy
- Date: 28th August 2021
- Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (AUGUST 28, 2021) (REUTERS) HUNDREDS OF AFGHANS LIVING IN GREECE MARCHING THROUGH STREETS OF ATHENS WITH GREEK AND AFGHAN FLAGS AND CHANTING (English) "STOP KILLING AFGHANS" PROTESTERS MARCHING AND CHANTING (English) "PEACE FOR AFGHANISTAN"/ SIGN READING (English) "AFGHANISTAN IS BLEEDING" CHILDREN MARCHING PROTESTERS MARCHING VARIOUS OF AFGHAN PROTESTER PARWAN AMIRI, AGED 17, CHANTING INTO MEGAPHONE OUTSIDE OFFICES OF EUROPEAN UNION VARIOUS OF ANOTHER PROTESTER CHANTING "STOP KILLING AFGHANS, PRAY FOR AFGHANISTAN" OUTSIDE OFFICES OF EUROPEAN UNION, IN FRONT OF POLICE VANS CLOSING OFF STREET CHILD ON MAN'S SHOULDERS VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING PAST GREEK PARLIAMENT VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT, BOY WAVING AFGHAN FLAG CHILDREN MARCHING AND CHANTING (English) "FREE AFGHANISTAN" VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WAVING AFGHAN FLAGS OUTSIDE U.S. EMBASSY VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS OUTSIDE U.S. EMBASSY CHANTING (English) "STOP KILLING AFGHANS" VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS OUTSIDE U.S. EMBASSY CHANTING (English) "WE WANT JUSTICE" VARIOUS OF AFGHAN WOMEN AND CHILDREN STANDING IN SYNTAGMA SQUARE, HOLDING HAND WRITTEN SIGNS READING (English) STOP KILLING" SIGN READING (English) "EDUCATION FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS IS BASIC HUMAN RIGHT" LITTLE GIRLS AT PROTEST (SOUNBITE) (English) PROTESTER, PARWAN AMIRI, 17, WHO LIVES IN A CAMP AND WHOSE PARENTS AND SISTER ARE IN AFGHANISTAN, SAYING: "We are here in order to be the voice of voiceless people in Afghanistan that they are trapped, that they are not able to step further and there is no way to be (go) back, and more than ever we are thinking that we don't have a land, we don't have a homeland, we don't have a country and we are afraid that we will even, that our flag will be taken away from us." WOMAN STANDING AT PROTEST (SOUNBITE) (English) PROTESTER, OMEY NAZIAM, 24, SAYING: "Black and white lives matter, Afghan lives matter, too. We are tired of war, we are tired of violence, we are tired of seeing dead bodies. We all came here together, we want peace from the world, we want to end this war." VARIOUS OF CHILDREN STAGING A SYMBOLIC DANCE PROTEST IN SYNTAGMA MAN HOLDING AFGHAN FLAG
- Embargoed: 11th September 2021 19:03
- Keywords: Afghanistan bombing Afghanistan evacuation Afghanistan protests Biden migrants refugees
- Location: ATHENS, GREECE
- City: ATHENS, GREECE
- Country: Greece
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Europe,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA001ES728UF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Hundreds of Afghans marched to the U.S. Embassy in Athens on Saturday (August 28), making a plea to the international community for peace and to not abandon the country.
Following the Taliban's takeover of the country two weeks ago, U.S. troops have begun their withdrawal from Kabul airport, after a two-week scramble by Washington and its allies to fly out their nationals and vulnerable Afghans by a Tuesday (August 31) deadline set by President Joe Biden.
As it neared the end of a 20-year military involvement in the country, the United States said it had killed two Islamic State militants planning attacks in Afghanistan, following a deadly suicide bombing outside the airport on Thursday (August 26).
"We are tired of war, we are tired of violence, we are tired of seeing dead bodies. We all came here together, we want peace from the world, we want to end this war," said Omey Naziam, 24, who joined the peaceful protest in Athens.
Other protesters shouted "stop killing Afghans" and "we want justice" outside the U.S. Embassy and offices of the European Union.
Greece was the frontline of a migrant crisis in 2015 when more than a million people, most of them Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis, arrived seeking refuge.
Fearing new migrant flows from Afghanistan, Greece has completed a 40-km fence on its border with Turkey and a new surveillance system was in place to stop possible asylum seekers from trying to reach Europe.
"We are here in order to be the voice of voiceless people in Afghanistan that they are trapped," said Parwan Amiri, 17, who lives at a migrant camp outside Athens and whose parents and sister are still in Afghanistan. "More than ever we are thinking that we don't have a land, we don't have a homeland."
European Union home affairs ministers will hold a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan and its consequences for security and migration in the 27-nation bloc.
(Production: Stelios Misinas, Phoebe Fronista) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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