Do it like Portugal
Read below the announcement of the Greek Forum of Migrants regarding the state of migrants and refugees in Greece, during the coronavirus epidemic crisis:
ANNOUNCEMENT of the GREEK FORUM OF MIGRANTS
Athens, 01 April 2020
Do it like Portugal
How do you choose who will live or die? At this time, when we all wear masks for our protection, it seems like many "masks" are falling. Being a migrant in Greece means not an equal citizen of the country. We, the migrants, do not have the right to live as Greek citizens live. We do not have the same rights, neither in health nor in welfare, nor in work, nor in education, nor in society and culture, nor in life, not even in death.
During the coronavirus pandemic, the government of Portugal has taken measures, with the spokeswoman of Internal Affairs Ministry, Claudia Veloso, announcing this: People cannot be deprived of their basic right to health and welfare simply because their asylum procedure has not been completed. In these particular circumstances, the rights of refugees and migrants will be protected.... In a difficult time for humanity, even temporarily, migrants and refugees whose residency permits or asylum applications are pending respectively, both will be recognized as permanent residents of Portugal.
So we urge the institutions and the State of Greece to do the same, or even take it one step further. Let the Greek state acknowledge that we are permanent residents of Greece, and as equal citizens, we should finally have the right to protection, health and care, ALL of us, regardless. We should all have this right, both migrants and refugees who are pending applications for residence or asylum permits, as well as the irregular migrants, the invisible ones: undocumented women working indoors, in houses or hospitals, workers, also undocumented, in construction, catering services and restaurants, farming, etc.
We immediately demand the right to the protection, health and welfare of all people.
The Greek Forum of Migrants
