In the heart of Athens, fifty meters away from the Omonia police station on the road Veranzerou 33, there is an old and seemingly abandoned three-storey building. It seems to be just another abandoned building, but for most Athenians the area is a "ghetto" for immigrants. Some Athenians argue that the area around the Omonia Square was deliberately downgraded. Non-legal immigrants were "pushed" towards the area, so the buildings slowly began to lose their value and were abandoned by their owners. This may explain the fact that 100 non-legitimate Somali immigrants with their woman and children are "hidden" close the police station.
The sign in front of the building informs that the building is “for rent or sale”. The building however has already been rented. Every month the illegal pay 6,000 Euros to the Greek owner. How is such a high amount gathered? "We operate as a community. The men, most of which work on construction sites or as cleaners, give the money to the community of the buildings inhabitants for the building and for food. Women remain closed here to take care of the building and the children, which also do not go out, not even to play ", Deria explains, one of two managers of the building. “Children do not approach us. They fear the white people" Elias Ali Hasan says, the president of Somali Community in Greece and he continues 'the only white people who have seen are the police when they arrested groups of men, children’s fathers, by kicking the doors open. Everyone you see here has no papers. They seek political asylum since they fled from a war, but the Greek authorities do not provide them that”. The rates in Greece for giving asylum, based on the records of the Greek part of the UNCR, do not exceed 0.065%. Children not attend school. They do not know English and in Greek they cannot pronounce more than three words. “Mohammed" they shouted to us, having their hands crossed as if they had handcuffs on them. They tried to tell us that the father of their friend was arrested by the police, because he did not have papers. "They will release him in two days," his wife told us. They are well aware of the procedures here. The detention centers in the central police stations are always overcrowded. Mohammed will not be kept there long. Once out he will hide again in the number 33 of Veranzerou Street, where an endless secret-chase is being played...
© / Young somalian boy in the house Veranzerou Street 33.
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© / After shooting the photo, the water supply was stopped.
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© / Khadija and Mohamed from Somalia with their two children.
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© / Jay with friends in his room.
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© / The house in the Veranzerou street 33.