GREECE: International groups protest over immigrants rights as migration conference takes place in Athens

Record ID: 348166

  • Title: GREECE: International groups protest over immigrants rights as migration conference takes place in Athens
  • Date: 5th November 2009
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (NOVEMBER 4 2009) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) PROTESTERS HOLDING BANNER READING "LEGALIZE IMMIGRANTS-GRANT ASYLUM TO REFUGEES" WITH HOTEL WHERE BAN KI MOON STAYING IN BACKGROUND DEMONSTRATORS FROM FILIPINO INTERNATIONAL IMMIGRANTS ORGANIZATION HOLDING BANNER PROTESTERS CHANTING SLOGANS FOR SOLIDARITY FOR MIGRANTS PROTESTERS OUTSIDE HOTEL WHERE BAN KI MOON STAYING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANNABELLE FROM GERMANY, SAYING: "United Nations GFMD is not really acting in the way they are claiming that they are bringing forward the development for the migrants all over the world. So we say that it is time that we as migrants and progressive forces unite to speak out, to really bring up our issues and realities." PROTESTERS FROM ARABIC COMMUNITY IN GREECE HOLDING BANNERS AND SHOUTING SLOGANS MORE OF PROTESTERS MARCHING IN ATHENS STREETS DEMONSTRATORS MARCHING AND SHOUTING "WE ARE NOT FOR SALE" AND "THE PEOPLE UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED" PROTESTERS MARCHING IN ATHENS STREETS AS THEY HEAD TO CONFERENCE VENUE MORE OF PROTESTERS MARCHING IN CENTRAL STREETS POLICEMEN BLOCK ROAD IN FRONT OF CONFERENCE VENUE POLICEMEN WITH THEIR SHIELDS RAISED AS THEY BLOCK ROAD DEMONSTRATORS STANDING IN FRONT OF POLICE BLOCK ROAD GLOBAL FORUM ON MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT TAKING PLACE IN ATHENS, PARTICIPANTS GATHERED PANEL OF SPEAKERS INCLUDING PRIME MINISTER GEORGE PAPANDREOU AND UN SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI MOON SEATED ON STAGE PARTICIPANTS FOLLOWING CONFERENCE NEWS CONFERENCE BY BAN KI MOON ((SOUNDBITE) (English) UN SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI MOON, SAYING: "As host of this very important third global forum on migration and development I think the Greek government may have a very important political and moral responsibility to addressing all these refugees and asylum seekers in accordance with the relevant international laws and regulations." JOURNALISTS GATHERED AT NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 20th November 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA50EQBZO3NSWWQEE4VAMEBKZRQ
  • Story Text: Hundreds of protesters demonstrated in Athens on Wednesday (November 4) calling on the government to legalize immigrants and grant asylum to refugees, while an international conference on immigration was taking place in the capital.
    The protesters, including human rights and anti racist organizations from various countries such as Germany and United States, as well as members of Greek immigrant communities, staged a demonstration outside the hotel of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and then marched holding banners and chanting slogans in an effort to highlight the problems that immigrants face throughout the world.
    The protest rally coincided with the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) in Athens with the participation of international delegates and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
    The protesters, who tried to march to the conference venue but were stopped by police forces, criticized countries of hypocrisy for spending funds on hosting conferences instead of on support for immigrants.
    "United Nations GFMD is not really acting in the way they are claiming that they are bringing forward the development for the migrants all over the world. So we say that it is time that we as migrants and progressive forces unite to speak out, to really bring up our issues and realities," said demonstrator Annabelle from Germany.
    The newly elected socialist government has set immigration at the top of its agenda, but with many Greeks believing their crisis-hit country cannot take in more migrants, the issue will be one of the government's toughest challenges.
    The government announced this week the temporary closure of a migrant detention centre on the island of Lesvos, after the UNHCR condemned the conditions at the facility.
    The new government also said it will grant citizenship to some 250,000 children born to immigrants in the country as a sign of a change of attitude towards migrants.
    Struggling to cope with a swelling number of migrants who seek a getaway to Europe, Greece has been criticized by human rights groups for its migration and asylum policies and appalling conditions in migrant detention centres. Authorities shelter them in detention centres on the mainland or Greece's islands, where overcrowding is rampant. Greece has often said it cannot cope with the numbers.
    During the conference the U.N. Secretary General said Greece needed to address the issues and adhere to international humanitarian laws.
    "As host of this very important third global forum on migration and development I think the Greek government may have a very important political and moral responsibility to addressing all these refugees and asylum seekers in accordance with the relevant international laws and regulations," said Ban.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register