Nello scorso fine settimana al City Plaza Hotel di Atene si sono celebrati – con workshop, assemblee, musica e danze – i primi sei mesi di occupazione. Un albergo fallito negli anni della lunga crisi greca ed europea è diventato un riferimento fondamentale per tutti coloro che in Europa, lungo le sue “frontiere esterne” così come sui suoi molteplici confini interni, si battono quotidianamente contro il razzismo, per la libertà di movimento e per il diritto di restare. In questi sei mesi oltre mille profughi e migranti hanno trovato al City Plaza un alloggio, pasti regolari, consulenza legale e servizi sanitari di emergenza. Ma soprattutto, sono diventati protagonisti di una straordinaria esperienza politica di lotta e autogestione. Mentre le politiche europee, dopo l’accordo con la Turchia e la chiusura della “rotta balcanica”, hanno trasformato la Grecia in un grande hotspot, in cui decine di migliaia di donne e uomini sono letteralmente arenati, il City Plaza non è né un’oasi né un ghetto: è uno spazio di vita e lotta comune, collegato ad altri spazi occupati e iniziative di solidarietà, capace di far sentire la propria voce nei campi allestiti dal governo, di interloquire con ONG e operatori umanitari, di confrontarsi in modo realisticamente conflittuale con il governo.
L’assemblea finale tenutasi domenica scorsa al City Plaza ha lanciato la proposta di fare del prossimo 18 marzo, anniversario della firma dell’accordo tra Unione Europea e Turchia, una giornata di mobilitazione su scala europea. Pubblicheremo nei prossimi giorni l’appello. Fin da ora, in ogni caso, ci sembra una proposta di fondamentale importanza, sicuramente da rilanciare: attorno al protagonismo di profughi e migranti, alle vecchie e nuove reti di attivisti che lavorano su migrazioni e confini, al ricco tessuto delle iniziative di solidarietà e accoglienza è possibile costruire una campagna e un’iniziativa che intervengano sugli stessi sviluppi interni alla Turchia e sulla guerra siriana. Ma è anche possibile collegare questa campagna e questa iniziativa alla lotta contro l’austerity in Europa, che proprio in Grecia ha avuto uno dei suoi momenti più alti e drammatici. Non è allora inutile ricordare che il 18 marzo è anche un altro anniversario, a noi caro: quello della grande mobilitazione di Blockupy a Francoforte nel 2015, nel pieno dello scontro tra il governo greco e le istituzioni europee.
Riprendiamo qui, intanto, una raccolta di testimonianze di rifugiati e migranti che sono passati attraverso il City Plaza o che ancora ci vivono. È un work in progress, presentato nel corso delle iniziative per i primi sei mesi di occupazione: geografie e storie di guerra e violenza, gioia e dolore, resistenza e cooperazione si intrecciano nelle parole qui raccolte.
Collettivo EuroNomade
„HERE FROM THE FIRST DAY!”
Green – blue – white – turquoise – red – yellow – beige – black and red – multicoloured – white and yellow – white and orange – brown – yellow… Many colours; many images. Of approximately 100 families living today in City Plaza Hotel, 8 are still here from the very first day. Each of them see in Plaza a different colour but all see a home.
More than 1,000 refugees have past through Plaza since it’s opening. They said hallo and many said also goodbye. The time spent in City Plaza has left its signs on everyone who passed and on the ones who are still here.
These are some fragments of memories, thoughts feelings from some of the people who have stood in solidarity from the very first day and the first residents who are still in Plaza but who we hope to meet again soon elsewhere in the places they dream of and where they wish to go.
We wish all people in City Plaza a safe journey!
w2eu
H., Afghanistan / GREEN
For me the Hotel reminds me of green. Before I came here I wanted to deport myself to Afghanistan… Here I changed my mind. I gained hope.
…
It is very special for me that all these people of different cultures live here together.
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The funniest thing here is that from the very first day we make plenary and plenary and plenary and still until today we have problems in the kitchen. Another funny thing is that we always fix a kinder garden room and when it’s almost ready then some emergency comes in and we put some new people in the room to stay.
…
In Plaza we share time of our life, we go one part of the road together, and then we one day suddenly
have to say goodbye to each other. Again and again people come and leave. This is at the same time very hard and sad but also nice. I met all these volunteers, and all the residents who moved on. It is good to be still here. City Plaza is good. But I wish the problems of life and survival in Greece would get solved in general and we could all stay here happily, safe, in peace and with dignity because I like the people here in Greece.
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It is so good here in Plaza that I cannot even think of leaving anymore. I could never leave. (laughing) … No, I am kidding. I just have no money to go.
M., Afghanistan / BLUE
Plaza in my eyes should be painted blue like the blue sky and the blue sea. If you ask all people here this question, then it will be a rainbow in the end.
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The funniest thing was to see Rabi driving a children’s bike with Haji pushing him.
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The first day here was a happy day for me. I was in a bad place before. In Plaza we found a home, we have three times a day food. Here I sleep well and I see good dreams.
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When there are fights, it’s much better than the fights in the camps. No one gets killed here. I like the rules: to kick the ones out who fight.
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I want to thank the securities for keeping us safe in here!
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In Idomeni I participated for the first time a demonstration. We demanded the opening of the borders. In Athens I demonstrated the first time also
with Greeks and people from other countries. We want our right to a dignified life from Greece and the EU.
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You know, I came from Kunduz. People are dying there. Now I can’t talk often with my father and my mother on the phone. But I have told them, that I am in a safe place.
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If I would leave Plaza I would miss my friends a lot. But where will I go? As long as there is Plaza, I will be here too. I have nowhere else to go.
A., Syria / WHITE and ORANGE
I like Plaza. I like white colour. I would paint the Hotel in orange and white, like our home in Syria.
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The first day I felt safe because I found a place to stay. Today I feel sad because I haven’t yet managed to go. My husband and my son are in Belgium. I am too long here.
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I feel home here. Most of all I love the balcony in the Hotel. To sit there with my friends. The best thing in here is my friends.
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Things in the Hotel got better everyday the last six months. But I am tired and sad in general. I cannot think of anything else. I just want my family to be united again.
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The most beautiful day in Plaza was Eid (new year). …
When I will finally go to Belgium I will miss my room and my friends from here.
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Most of the time here I spent in my room because of my kids.
Kurdish family, Syria / WHITE I like white.
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Before coming to Plaza we were staying with many others in an old abandoned building, as we had nowhere else to stay. We moved together all people who were there in here. Like a family. Here it is clean and we have our own room for our family. That is very special for us.
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I thought living together with people of other cultures would bring troubles. But we are brothers and sisters here.
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We just don’t like the food and sometimes we have technical problems with our room and they don’t get fixed.
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We wish to go to Austria and Germany, where our families are. I have five of my children each in a different country. It is the worst thing not to be able to live together. I miss Syria. In Greece many people are nice with us, but a few are not. In the end of the day we cannot do anything. We cannot return home to Syria.
I., Greece / TURQUIS
I think of this colour because of the Plaza poster. …
When we came here the first day, I felt a strong contrast between the inside and the outside. And I
remember people were very anxious, and there was no electricity.
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The funniest thing was that after months without hot water, when it actually worked, there were accidently three volunteer rooms, which remained with cold water.
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I would love to have a special children’s’ playroom where they can play and be happy and safe and calm.
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My favourite place is successively moving downwards: First it was the bar, then the reception, now the security. Tomorrow it will be outside.
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The greatest day was the first school day of Plaza kids. All of them came down half an hour before the
appointment all by themselves and they had prepared themselves to look beautiful and were all happy and excited.
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The most impressive thing is that we survived until today.
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My wish: Worldpeace!
K., Afghanistan / RED
Red has energy and red makes me happy! …
I calmed down since we live here. There are more rules here. Even if most people ignore the rules, life is more organised here.
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Plaza is cleaner than the camps, we get everything we need, we have good doctors, and we get help when we need it.
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I get tired when our problems won’t get solved. We do not stand always all together. Not everybody participates in the same way in the shifts.
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When I am outside and I want to go to Plaza, I say to my friends: “I am going home”.
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If I leave one day Plaza I will miss the people more, even the ones from other countries. I will miss each person I said “Salam” in here.
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The most beautiful moments in Plaza are the parties for the ones of us living here.
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The first day? Oh god. Don’t remind me. I was ready to escape or hide. But when the people made this human corridor for us to pass by the people in front of the door who were shouting, when they protected us with their own bodies I thought they are angels. I felt great.
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I wish we could leave Plaza and Greece all together. I wish the day I will leave all people who helped us will be here so I can say goodbye.
J., Iran / BLUE
For my City Plaza reminds me of blue. It is my favourite colour.
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I want to stay in City Plaza and also I want to go. I want to go to my son in Germany, but how will I leave from here one day?
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If I would be rich I would go and get a present for everyone in here.
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I will never forget when the fascists had announced to be around the neighbourhood and all these people came here and protected us. Also in City Plaza, I was for the first time a person with responsibilities acknowledged by all others. People were coming and asking me what to do. That was very special for me.
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In the first month I was alone cleaning the kitchen every day. And then the people here said: ‚No! You shouldn’t be doing that alone. We should do that together.’ That was a good feeling.
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The happiest moment in here for me was O.’s birthday party. And the worst moment was when O.’s Laptop disappeared. Even though she was so sad, she wouldn’t show it and instead laugh to us to we wouldn’t we sad too.
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In here I learned about humanity. I feel safe here. It is my family. We are free. We get education. I am happy. And I am so thankful for all the support during my health problems. I would never get this operation I needed if I wasn’t here.
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I wouldn’t change anything about Plaza, if you asked me.
B., Afghanistan / BEIGE
I love red colour, but I would paint the Hotel in fresh beige. It suits this Hotel and it this colour is all over it anyway
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The funniest thing was the day the Clown came, wearing this red nose and making jokes. I laughed a lot.
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I am tired of Athens, of all of Greece. I miss going to school.
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I wish to learn something and find a good job one day.
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In the six months since the opening what has changed most is the people. Many came and many
left. It is good that they left, because they went to better countries.
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In Plaza we have our own room. We don’t stay in a tent. We have running water. It’s much better than the tents in the camps.
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What I learned in Plaza is to wash dishes and to mix the food.
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Living all together is very good. There is a lot of humanity. It is like my mothers and fathers house. I feel at home. I cannot fall asleep elsewhere anymore. I have to go back to Plaza every night in order to sleep.
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The only thing that got worse over the months is the food. I wouldn’t change anything else.
S., Syria / YELLOW
Plaza reminds me of yellow colour. It has a lot of yellow colour and yellow is a positive colour.
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I spent good times sitting with my friends together in the bar and elsewhere in the Hotel but also outside.
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I work in the storage. I feed all people here. Since I am here I learned a lot and I started trusting myself more.
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The first day I was very scared. Everybody was a stranger to me. Now, when I enter it’s like my mothers and fathers home.
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If I could change something I would bring back all friends who left since we moved here and I would
make them wait until we can all leave together. I love Plaza. I love my friends and I miss them.
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My worst days in Greece I spent in Idomeni and the best in Athens.
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In Plaza I love my kitchen shifts. I laugh a lot during the work with my friends. I also love my room.
C., Chile
When I came to Plaza I had worked in many squats before. I arrived here and I said I am a professional cook and all were happy to hear this. Then I saw the big kitchen and it was really nice for me to see all this equipment. I had even mixed the food in other places with paddles before. I thought now these people will be able to eat in a human way.
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I was very happy the day I wanted to leave and more than 250 people surprised me with a goodbye party and they threw me in the air.
N., Afghanistan / BLACK-RED and MULTICOLOURED
The first day in Plaza I felt stress. Now I feel optimism.
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I love to be in the bar with the people.
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My wish for Plaza is that there shouldn’t be a need for Plaza.
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The worst thing here for me is to explain people who live in horrible conditions or who are even homeless, that we do not have anymore free space to host
them. There are so many needs, but so little space. It is hard to say no.
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I wish we would have more space. 7 floors more!
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I don’t remember what I did yesterday here, but I know it was many things and they were all important.
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The last six months what has changed is that conditions for people outside of Plaza have worsened.
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The worst thing in here is the permanent feeling of stress, not knowing what the end of each day will bring. It is a lot of responsibility.
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I feel we live all together in one house – 400 people sharing a home in equality and with plurality.
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‘Did you ever feel that you want to bang your head on the wall in here?’ No, I felt I want to bang many other heads on the wall sometimes though. (laughing)
L., Syria / YELLOW-WHITE
The first day I remember how we were many people entering together the Hotel and we held a plenary where we talked about what we will do in here. I felt little happy for the new home, and little sad. I was afraid that the police could come.
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We sit all together here. We are a family. …
The only thing I don’t like is the food sometimes. …
I will never forget when the old man danced. That was funny.
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I miss the people who left Plaza and travelled. I wish I could be with them again.
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In Plaza I improved my English.
E., Greece / RED
In each house one crazy, and in ours all! …
From the first day in Plaza I remember the dust on the furniture’s and the smiles of the people.
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What makes me smile is when I try to explain something again and again without any success. Then I have to laugh in the end.
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I am tired of knocking peoples doors and I wish everyone would come by herself to their shifts.
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The most touching moment for me was the birthday party for S. when she turned 1 year. It was my first invitation to a room and I noticed suddenly how happy people were in the Hotel, when they were dancing and laughing all together.
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My favourite place is the always filthy balcony towards Aharnon Street in the darkness. I like it being calm in the night, sitting and watching only migrants passing by on the street
Patata, Syria / BROWN
My favourite place is the bar, because all the children are kicked out from there only me not.
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Wow, if I was the Hotel director I would give all people orders like R. does.
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The first day of the Hotel me and O. were the first humans who entered the gate. Open the border!
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I do like Haido (O.s dog), but I don’t like people who fight with me.
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In my future I want to be a doctor, like Christina. …
In Plaza we live all together. All kinds of different people. We fight together; we eat together. We are all humans.
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The nicest day was O.s birthday party. …
Here it was the first time in all of my life I saw someone mix the food in the way Christian does. That was totally new for me.
G., Greece / BEIGE
When I think of Plaza I see beige colour, because everything here is beige.
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The first thing I remember from the Hotel is that I entered the building and I thought the reception was in a strange position.
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It is funny that the only way to bring peace and silence into the Hotel was to install WIFI and let the children watch movies on the mobile phones of their parents.
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The strangest thing I saw here was the fight over a peach.
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I want to upgrade the Plaza from 3 to 5 stars so that all residents get a Jacuzzi. I want passports for all and the cops to serve us meals and drinks in the kitchen and the bar.
* http://infomobile.w2eu.net/files/2016/11/City-Plaza-Birthday-12112016.pdf
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