Street Roots • July 1-7, 2016
Commentary
Page 12
Street papers play vital
role in refugee relief
Papagiannakis’ small team co-ordinates
efforts between the city and NGOs to
support refugees in Athens. One such
ast year alone, more than 1.2 million
response is the Eleonas Refugee Camp.
refugees entered Germany, Austria
“The situation is not yet stable and will
and Switzerland. Many of them
get worse for all of us. You cannot stop
arrived to the doorstep of a street
people fleeing crisis. It is like trying to hold
newspaper or magazine just like Street
water. It overflows,” Papagiannakis said.
Roots. As a result, street papers are in a
“The way we are acting is a dead end. We
unique position to tell the human story of
need to be brave and open to discussing
Europe’s refugee crisis.
common and cohesive refugee-friendly
This was the consensus in Athens when
policies across Europe.”
delegates from street newspapers around
Lesvos Solidarity is a network of NGOs
the world discussed how the growing crisis
campaigning for better refugee living
could affect street papers - and how they can
conditions and support on Lesvos - the tiny
show solidarity with those already working
island destination for many who make the
on the front line in Greece. It was the focus
perilous boat journey across the
of a panel discussion during the
Mediterranean. Volunteer Effie Latsoudi
International Network of Street Papers
travelled from Lesvos especially to attend
global summit in June.
the INSP Summit
Given the scale and
She gave delegates
complexity of the
a harrowing account of
crisis, the topics raised
the suffering she
covered the subject on "We are responsible lo r Ibis.
witnessed when
a humanitarian,
As a netw ork o i jo urn alists
refugees began
management, political
and social organizations we
arriving in 2006.
and emotional level.
need prom ote the idea of wel
“We saw conditions
One of the main
you couldn’t imagine,”
conclusions was that
- USA BOLYOS
Latsoudi said. “You
E D IT O R O F A U G U S T IN , A U S T R IA N STREET
the current refugee
NEW SPAPER
BY LAURA SMITH
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R
L
had families who had
crisis is a global issue
that not one country -
or street paper - can
face alone. Street papers can also play a
vital role by putting a human face on the
issue to encourage solidarity and
understanding within communities.
“[In Athens] we are doing what we can,
but we cannot do it alone,” said Lefteris
Papagiannakis, Athens Deputy Mayor in
charge of Migration and Refugees.
“This, is a black and white issue. We
either move on together or we close up
shop. We are 28 countries and are facing a
very complex situation. Right now we are
failing.”
lost loved ones in the
sea. There was no
space in the cemetery
for the dead. We had to use a shipping
container at the hospital for a morgue. It
was obvious we had to help and do
something,” she said. “I think Europe has
two faces. It’s amazing the number of
people who want to help and show
solidarity. Then you See Europe politicians
saying ‘no we don’t want them, take them
back’.”
INSP board member Paola Gallo is the
managing director of Swiss street paper
Surprise. A quarter of Surprise’s vendors
Lefteris Papagiannakis, Athens Deputy Mayor in charge o f Migration and Refugees discusses
response to refugee crisis.
are refugees. She admitted her country is
one of many in Europe not doing enough to
help.
“Half of people applying for asylum in
Switzerland are turned away. We decided in
next five years want to accept 3,000 people
from Syria. It’s nothing to what is needed,”
she said. “We need to do more. We have to
care about the people, the human beings.
Integrate them as soon as possible and
make them part of society.”
This is a mission many street papers have
already embraced, including Austrian paper
Augustin. Editor Lisa Bolyos has
campaigned for the rights of refugees for
many years. She said roughly one third of
Augustin vendors are refugees, mainly from
Africa.
“I live right at the border between Austria
and Hungary, the border my father crossed
as a refugee 60 years ago. Every day we see
people crossing. We know there is a lot of
homelessness among these refugees,” said
Bolyos.
She added that street papers can help
rekindle the initially welcoming and
celebratory attitude Western Europe first
showed towards refugees. Positive editorials
and campaigns can help, such as Augustin’s
current collaboration with young refugees to
secure them free public transport in Vienna.
“We are responsible for this. As a network
of journalists and social organizations we
need promote the idea of welcoming and
inclusion,” Bolyos said.
Street papers have a long history of giving
the marginalized a voice, starting with their
own vendors. Greek vendor Mike Samolis
told the panel more must be done to inform
and put a human face on the escalating
refugee crisis. Samolis sells Shedia in ,
Athens. He was once mistrustful of refugees
coming to Greece, but living beside Syrian
refugees in an Athens homeless shelter has
changed his opinion.
“I have [refugee] friends who are scared
to go out because they will be attacked. We
have to explain to people all over Europe
that they are people like us. We have to tell
them why they risked their lives to come
here,” he said. “Three years ago I didn’t
want them here. Now I spend 24 hours a
day with them. When I meet them and hear
their stories, now I understand.”
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