On Monday, 14 December 2020, several residents of the refugee camp of Katsikas were subjected to forceful evictions from the camp by the police. Authorities used violent measures including teargas; the escalation of tensions culminated in the arrest of at least two persons. Eye-witnesses reported the sound of shots – caused either by rubber bullets Read more about Forced Evictions in Katsikas’ Refugee Camp[…]
On Saturday 21 November, 140 residents of camp Katsikas were tested for COVID-19 in an orchestrated procedure. According to several camp residents we spoke with, the explanation provided by authorities was the detection of a positive COVID-19 case inside the camp. A local news source reported later that a total of 10 people were tested Read more about Current Quarantining Procedure in Camp Katsikas – Healthy Residents at Risk[…]
Katsikas Refugee Camp was put under a complete lockdown on Tuesday morning (Oct 6), despite the fact that not a single case of Covid-19 had been detected in the camp at that point. Hours later, with the camp under lockdown, authorities transferred several people there from the island of Lesvos. A test result of one Read more about Update & Press Release on the Lock Down in Camp Katsikas[…]
by Esther ten Zijthoff and Mimi Hapig This morning (6 October), residents of Katsikas camp were met with police presence at every entry/exit point of the camp. The camp has been placed under complete lockdown, barring its residents from exit and barring third-party groups from entry. This step is one (and certainly the most drastic Read more about The Lock-Down of a Camp Without a Single Case – What is going on in Katsikas?[…]
Last week, fires devastated Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesvos. Moria had become infamous over the past years for its constant overcrowdedness and inhumane living conditions. The fires that started on Tuesday night and raged through to Wednesday morning left the 12,598 men, women and children who had been living in the camp, Read more about Riot Police instead of Shelters – an Analysis of the Political Response to the Moria Fires[…]
A recent change in the asylum regulations by the Greek government threatens several thousand people with homelessness. The new regulation reduces the 6-month-period recognised refugees used to have to leave their accommodation in camps and apartments to 30 days. This change forces the accepted asylum seekers to find housing on their own within little more Read more about From Camps to Homelessness – Latest Change in Greek Asylum Regulations[…]
Thoughts about the New Coronavirus Pandemic in the context of migration and solidarity by Miriam Hapig, 31 March 2020 The new coronavirus is causing a crisis that is going to impact the narrative of our generation. The way the world around us used to function has been interrupted. Countless processes have come to a halt. Read more about A New Global Narrative – A New Global Solidarity?[…]
Grace Anne Odom joined the maker space Habibi.Works as a supervisor for the metal workshop in June 2019. In her last week with the project, she offered a guided training within the NetWorks Program* to share her skills in welding techniques. In this interview, she gives an insight into her experience, the power of crafting Read more about About Welding, Confidence and the Soothing Power of Crafting[…]
by Rory O’Keeffe Thirteen sports-lovers from Asia, Africa and Europe are joining forces this weekend, to run the Olympia half-marathon for freedom of movement. The runners – refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Cameroon, who now live at camps in Ioannina, Epirus, and humanitarian volunteers at Habibi.Works, Katsikas, from Germany and the Netherlands – will run the Read more about ‘Move for freedom of movement’ – refugees, volunteers to run at Olympia[…]
By Rory O’Keeffe As thousands of men, women and children who were forced from their homes by war and chaos prepare to take their places in Greek society, aid organisations and Greek citizens are working to help them succeed in their new home, to the benefit of all. Habibi.Works, run by aid organisation Soup Read more about Ioannina residents and Greece’s newest citizens working together[…]