A young man with a moustache in Amsterdam

Not with a harmonica.

And why a moustache, how does it help anyhow? Too poor to shave? Possibly. Too stressed out to keep appearances the man approaches, moustache, and only a hoodie to shield him from the All Saints rain. “Are you a tourist?” He is asked. “Are you here looking for some fun?”Fun is when the bench is dry and there are warm and clean leftovers from the 24/7 snack bar.Old men have all the money and all the fun. Young men scurry like rats along wet pavements, looking…looking for the work to get the money to get the fun that makes it worth going to find the man with the moustache in Amsterdam. Looking for work – just like that. Easier to find the camel which slid through the needle’s eye. Young men die in old men’s wars, break backs in old men’s factories. Men die young, old men die too. Who shall inherit the Earth?

Greece is becoming a garbage bin for migrants and it does so with European consent. It is high time to react.

By Apostolis Fotiadis

High Commissioner António Guterres has asked some days ago the European Commission to consider convening a meeting between Italy, Malta, Libya, UNHCR and other relevant partners to work on a joint strategy for a better  response to irregular migration across the Mediterranean, following Italy’s recent  ‘push-backs’ to Libya.

But while Italy is being internationally chastised for the refoulement of refugees that effectively annuls the country’s responsibilities arising from international treaties, most notably the Geneva convention, neighboring Greece is building up a state sponsored persecution of irregular migration which has so far got away provocatively unnoticed.

International Women’s Day – Demo for Solidarity with Kuneva organised in Sofia

Schengen blues

Here’s the link to a highly entertaining article by Gábor Miklósi which explores some of the paradoxes of Schengen in Central Europe.

http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-04-09-miklosi-en.html

Tony Onuoha: Dying in the postmodern age

by Makis Karagiannis

“The angry reaction of African immigrants was caused by the death of a Nigerian CD-vendor, who fell from the first floor of a café in Thessaloniki. In his effort to escape, thinking that he was pursued by police officers in civvies, he jumped from the first floor, with the result that he lost his life” the report said.

Refoulement of Iraqi citizens fleeing to Greece

PRESS RELEASE
1 August 2007
  Common statement by 16 NGOs

We wish to express our profound concern regarding the policy of the Ministry of Public Order towards Iraqi citizens entering into our country. In particular, whereas until recently the readmission protocol between Greece and Turkey was not applied to Iraqis, the Greek authorities instead adopting a policy of tolerance including avoiding detention and deportation/refoulement of Iraqi citizens, lately there have been arrests and returns to Turkey on the basis of the readmission protocol. Turkey provides no guarantees for the protection of the rights of Iraqi citizens. Moreover, as has been noted by UNHCR’s latest press release, Turkey often deports them to Iraq.