03.10.2014 Athens: attempted eviction of a Rroma camp leads to protests

Kemmos (2014) reports on an attempted eviction of an informal Rroma settlement in Halandri, a suburb of Athens. The Rroma who, according to the journalist, have been living on the private grounds since 40 years, shall now be evicted, following a decision by the ministry of interior. They were offered a site in Megara, a town forty kilometres east of Halandri. However, the inhabitants of the settlement do not want to move voluntarily to the new location. Firstly, the new site is not yet habitable, and on the other hand, they have set up small businesses in Halandri, such as the recycling of metal, and have a social network there. Upon the police’s appearance, the residents reacted by erecting barricades: “But the residents of the camp, supported by the mayor, decidedly resist. Entrenched in the inside, they organise the defence. The demolition operation that was planned for this morning did not take place. Forty residents of the camp of Halandri, located in the northeast of Athens, were able to block the arrival of the police cars by setting up barricades on the main access roads, producing significant traffic congestion at the entrance to the capital. At another entrance of the camp, trash and tires were set on fire, which forced the evacuation teams to make a U-turn.” The further fate of the settlement is still unclear. In Greece, according to estimates of the Rroma Foundation, there are 200,000 to 300,000 Rroma. Quite a few of them have training, a job, and a flat. Rroma belong to all social classes, but are indeed particularly affected by poverty and discrimination (compare Citizenside France 2014, Okeanews 2014, Press TV).