1-10 November, 2013
Round Table Discussion: Wrong Destination
The complex and urgent issue of immigration and Greece’s position as a crossroads in the migration movements from East to West were the main issues discussed in the round table Wrong Destination, which took place at the John Cassavetes theater on the occasion of the screening of the documentary Stop-over by Iranian Kaveh Bakhtiari.
The panel consisted of Andreas Takis, Assistant Professor of Law at Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University; Konstantinos Tsitselikis, Associate Professor at the Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies of the University of Macedonia and Jakub Alizade, an Iranian recognized refugee living in Greece. Director Kaveh Bakhtiari was unable to attend due to a sudden health problem. Panel coordinator Elena Christopoulou noted that several films screened at this year’s Festival also deal with immigration, including The Golden Cage by Diego Quemada-Diez, Withering by Milos Pusic and God’s Offices by Claire Simon.
Stop-over (the second screening will take place on Saturday, November 9, 15:00, at the John Cassavetes theater) attempts to shed light on the problems immigrants face in Greece and their struggles with the notorious Greek bureaucracy as they strive to reach other European countries. These conditions lead many of them to desperate and often dangerous attempts to escape from Greece.
Mr Tsitselikis opened the discussion, observing that immigration has been a major political, social and humanitarian issue in Greece since 1990. He then raised a number of questions concerning human rights in the country, what constitutes a modern state of law, control processes and the role of international organizations. Commenting on the problems thousands of immigrants face in Athens, like the protagonists of the documentary who live in a cramped apartment, Mr Tsitselikis said: “Where can desperation lead someone? To a hunger strike? To pay large amounts of money to reach the West? To the decision to return to the homeland? Greece became a destination country in 1990, with the first wave of immigrants from Albania; then, since 2000, it has been receiving a second wave of immigrants, this time from countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, due to the geopolitical developments in these regions.” Mr Tsitselikis also commented on the term “illegal immigrant,” saying it describes “someone who does not even have the right of being an immigrant, because he has illegally crossed a border; to the law, he is invisible.” He went on to add: “We must examine how this immensely important issue is kept in the dark in our own system, helped by the media. Greek authorities, enforcing an EU directive, detain those people for eventual deportation."
Law professor Andreas Takis noted that he thought the film was extremely interesting and moving, while also testing the morality of the audience. “The film allows us to step into the shoes of these people and witness their way of life, fears, and hopes. It allows us to witness the realities and agonies of the ‘others’ — people who are considered by some a burden or a nuisance.” Two of the major issues raised by the film, according to Mr Takis, are human dignity and the borders separating Europe from the East. “Why has Athens turned into a nightmarish stop-over for immigrants? The policy of detaining these people is very dangerous - it creates ideal conditions for the incubation of the serpent’s egg, a danger very clear to us all today.”
Recognized refugee Jakub Alizade described his own adventure since arriving in Greece 13 years ago. “We arrived with my wife and our baby without any papers. We were arrested and sent to different prisons. In the course of the same day, we were transferred to six different detention locations in Athens. Eventually, I found myself held in a cramped space with 500 other people -it was so crowded, that you could hardly find a spot to stand. Many detainees came from Iran and Afghanistan. Most were sent back from Athens to Thessaloniki, from there to Evros and then Turkey and, finally, home. I applied for political asylum and they told me I would be released in two weeks. Three weeks passed, but nothing happened. I was in serious trouble, since I did not speak any Greek and had no idea where my wife and daughter were. I ended up staying in jail for six months and I finally decided to go on a hunger strike. After 24 days, I was released and reunited with my wife, who failed to recognize me, as I had lost 30 kilos. For 24 days I lived on water and sugar alone. After my asylum claim was accepted, I moved to Thessaloniki. I like the people in Greece; many have offered their love and support to me and my family. We want to become Greek citizens, but we are still waiting. My daughter, who was born here, often asks me: “Where am I from? Greece? Iran?” Not even she knows. I believe that a stateless person is deprived of his human nature.”
The audience raised a number of questions, including one concerning the illegal industry of human trafficking. Mr Takis said: “This is indeed an industry, very much like the drug industry, since they both destroy lives for profit. This industry, however, exists based on a hypocritical, obstinate system, aided by an institutional framework that builds many tall walls, while turning a blind eye to the small holes that allow this industry to thrive.”
Commenting on the same issue, Mr Tsitselikis said that “immigrants are the victims of exploitation by criminal rings that operate not only in Greece and Europe, but on a global scale. Our response can only comply with the principles of humanitarianism and law.” The panelists agreed with a statement from the audience linking immigration to poverty, but they added that immigrants do not migrate exclusively for economic reasons, since in many cases it is politics that necessitates their departure. For example many immigrants flee from authoritarian regimes.
Commenting on another question from the audience about what people in the West can do to help solve the problem of immigration, Mr Takis said: “I am not optimistic that it is enough for enlightened individuals in the West to coordinate and act collectively to bring a solution. One of the root causes of the problem is the political situation in the countries of origin. The West pays the price for the authoritarianism of many regimes in other parts of the world. This is a global issue and finger-pointing is counterproductive. Immigration has reached unprecedented levels. The earth’s human crust is moving and no human-made wall can prevent it. The West will have to learn to co-exist with the ‘other’ but so far refuses to come to terms with this reality.”
On the issue of Greek immigration laws, Mr Tsitselikis noted that “in the past 24 years, the Greek state has not adopted any inclusive policies for immigrants; a modern legal framework is long overdue, but the new law being discussed addresses those issues only superficially.”
Mr Alizade said that he would prefer to live in England, but added that he has found a lot of support in Greece from various quarters, including the Odysseas school for migrants. “Many people help us. At Odysseas we learn Greek and other languages. These past few years, the crisis has led many Greeks to join the school as well. I like Greece. And I hope that my daughter will get the Greek citizenship with the new law. I have no such hope for myself.”
The film Stop-over is part of the Open Horizons section, one of the actions of this year’s Festival financed by the European Union - European Regional Development Fund, in the framework of the Regional Programme for Central Macedonia - 2007-2013.
