Palestinians among Hundreds of Homeless Refugees in Athens

Palestinians among Hundreds of Homeless Refugees in Athens

Thousands of refugees live in tents in forests near the official migrant centre [AFP]

Hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers, including Palestinian refugees, have been left without a roof over their heads in Athens after the Greek authorities ruled for evacuating migrant shelters.

Human rights sources said dozens of refugee families have been living rough as most of them do not have enough money to pay exorbitant rental fees.

A few weeks ago, Greek government officials, in cooperation with a delegation of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), toured migrant camps pitched on Greek islands.

The delegations paid visits to buildings and shelters housing migrants and asylum seekers and officially notified them that holders of visa cards will have their cash allowances suspended pending their transfer to the Greek mainland by the end of this month.

Earlier this year, the Greek Ministry of Citizen Protection issued a decision to evacuate all buildings housing migrant residents who have received visas or subsidiary protection cards in Greece since 2017.

The Ministry said the eviction should be carried out no later than April 2020.

Activists said the move dovetails the country’s attempt to rein in the influx of migrants and overcrowdings on its islands.

The activists further warned of the fallouts of the decision, which they said will result in increasing numbers of homeless refugees who will be left with neither food nor shelter and be denied their basic human rights.

Hundreds of Palestinian refugees who have fled war-stricken zones to Greece have been denied their rights to visas and prevented from accessing vital facilities.

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