Greece is a key entry and transit point for African, Asian and Middle Eastern migrants desperate to get to Europe in search of security and a better life. Now more than ever, the Greek state is under enormous pressure from the European Union to stem the influx, reads a recent Voice of America article. “They [Greeks] don’t accept you as a black man. Even in my shop you can see a Greek person once in awhile,” says Ibe, an African immigrant currently living in the Kypseli neighborhood of central Athens. “I am being patronized by foreigners, my African brothers, but Greeks before they come [it] is late in the night, if they are desperately in need of something they will come to you. Some see a black man and leave.” The father of five also says the Greek government does not recognize his children as Greek citizens. “The children who are born here they don’t care about them, they don’t give them money, they don’t give them citizenship. It is a problem,” he said. “I have five children here but they see them as a foreigners.” Another migrant, Emeka, says he has documents that allow him to stay in the country but is still frequently stopped and questioned by police. “Imagine a policeman in this country can ask you to lie down on the floor on the road and you have a paper, even if you show him the paper he will still tell you to go down on the floor just for nothing,” says Emeka. The article adds that “people who appear to be foreigners are subjected to routine stops, unjustified searches of their belongings, insults and in some cases are physically abused.” “The rights group also said even those with legal documents are stopped and officers transfer them to a police station, where they can be held for hours pending verification of their status,” it continues. “Greek authorities have a right to control irregular immigration and a duty to improve security on the streets for everyone, but they have also to regulate police powers.”
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