F 2. Patras: From a Port of Transit to a Border City 8 or more than ten years, Patras has been the main port of exit to Italy, with a constant flow of undocumented migrants passing through the city on their way to Europe. The daily ferry connections between Patras and the Italian ports of Venice, Ancona, Bari and Brindisi attract those who want to leave Greece hidden inside or under trucks. Apart from Patras, the other main exit-ports to Italy are Igoumenitsa, Corfu and Corinth – though maritime traffic to Italy is less significant in the last two places. At the same time, Patras has always hosted the poorest migrants who have not been given any opportunity to access their basic rights in Greece, and therefore survive on the margins of society without resources, support and protection. As a reaction to the constant and persistent influx of migrants into Patras, the city was transformed from a transit point to a highly militarized border area. The Greek government and the local authorities have generally concentrated their efforts on combating migration in this city, rather than providing migrants with rights and protection. Thus, over the last years, the Greek authorities have managed to transform Patras into a fortified port city, but never really shown any willingness to deal with migration from the perspective of reception and integration. Both the city and the port are constantly patrolled and monitored by the police and the coast guard. Even though the improvised shelters in­­ha­bited by migrants have been raided and destroyed on numerous occasions during the last five years, and hundreds of migrants and refugees arrested, detained and even illegally deported to Turkey 10, the transient population continues to search for new temporary “homes” and new ways to go to Italy. During the last decade some have succeeded in leaving, some have failed and others have died trying. 11 The opening of the New (Southern) Port in the summer of 2011 has changed the geographical location of the city’s migrant population. Some migrants live scattered around the new city’s port in order to stay close to it. During the last five years, migrants and refugees have been expelled from the city centre. Nowadays, the few who stayed in Patras after “They want to force us out of Patras!” “In the moment of crisis, the wise build bridges and foolish build dams.” the fascist riots are even more marginalized and hidden than they were before, and live dispersed in remote areas all over the city. Almost all migrants and refugees in Patras are homeless. They live in the most wretched and inhumane conditions, without access to any sanitary infrastructure, electricity or protection, in abandoned houses, industrial areas, construction sites, olive fields, under bridges, in train wagons or simply in the streets. In most cases, they have no money or financial support from relatives and are therefore obliged to search for food in the garbage bins, or rely on support from local solidarity groups and the church. Until the recent fascist attacks, the industrial area of the Peiraiki Patraiki factory was been one of the main migrant settlements in 2012. The abandoned and rundown factory buildings have been home for hundreds of migrants and refugees. Over the past few months the authorities have been trying to clear the area of migrants, by initially cutting off the water supply (and consequently forcing them to drink from the sewage water), with daily raids and other forms of harassment in order to drive the transient population from the city. A private security company is patrolling the whole area, while police in motorcycles and cars arrest migrants and transfer them to detention centres. Since the beginning of 2012 most migrant detainees were transferred to Athens or other prisons, from where the majority seems to be then released after an undetermined period (varying on average from a few days to some months). Since most of them cannot find any other shelter or accommodations, most of them return to Patras on foot. As we have reported in several occasions, the police arresting them inside the factory often burn their few personal belongings and sometimes tear up their “pink cards” giving them legal permission to be in Greece. 10 Reports on push-backs from Greece to Turkey i.e.: ATIMA & NOAS 2009: Out the back door: The Dublin II Regulation and Illegal Deportations from Greece (p 26f). See: http://www.aitima.gr/aitima_files/Out%20the%20 Back%20Door.pdf 11 See: Press Release of the Solidarity Group in Patras (31.01.12) on the death of an Afghan (in Greek): http://www.kinisipatras.gr/index.php?option=com_ content&view=article&id=83%3A--3112012&catid=15%3A-2012&Itemid=8&lang=el 9