Borders and racism
The militarization of Europe’s borders, the cooperation between Frontex and the Greek coast guard and the EU and Greece’s degrading asylum policies make the sinking of ships and detention of survivors no exception in Greece. Many victims are left unidentified in the sea. On top of this, released migrants trying to make ends meet in Greece face racist and fascist violence. In the months following the Pylos shipwreck, two people, including 1 Pakistani migrant, were murdered on the streets of Athens by supporters of neo-Nazi club and parties like the now forbidden Golden Dawn.
Mobilization and legal aid
After the shipwreck, KEERFA, together with other organizations and with the help of Het Actiefonds, organized mass demonstrations: 24 hours after the shipwreck, they rallied 30,000 people, and 3 months later again. They also held a vigil for the 650 victims, with delegations from more than 30 cities and refugee camps in Greece. In the months after the shipwreck, they offered practical and legal assistance to survivors, detainees and bereaved families. They are supporting some bereaved families in their lawsuit against the Greek state, which is actively covering up and denying push-back actions. KEERFA continues to mobilise massively against rising fascism in Greece, and all border violence and racism. Het Actiefonds is supporting their struggle against all forms of violence against refugees and migrants, and against all manifestations of fascism, in Greece and around the world.
