Do Not Come to Europe: The Experience of Migration to Greece at the Height of the European Union’s Crisis

• In Event: Outside In: The European Refugee Crisis through the Prism of Risk

Abstract

2015 saw the worst migration crisis in Europe since World War II, when more than a million migrants and refugees entered the continent. Most migrants, by far, reach Europe via Turkey, through which over 850,000 individuals predominantly from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Eritrea fleeing war or violence entered Greece through the Mediterranean Sea. Those who survive the perilous journey usually travel north into Greece to the Western Balkans, where they hope to continue their journey to northern European countries and receive asylum. While members of the European Union (EU) have yet to agree on a coordinated response, many countries unilaterally acted to stop the flow of migrants into Europe by closing their borders. EU countries such as Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, along with non-EU members such as Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia abruptly shut their borders, leaving tens of thousands of migrants trapped in Greece, which continues to receive close to two thousand migrants daily via the Mediterranean. Greece, a country facing severe economic difficulties, is struggling to respond to the migration crisis while refraining from the xenophobic rhetoric of other EU countries. At the same time, migrants making the journey continuously risk abuse, corruption and neglect of their rights by various state and non-state actors along the way. This pilot study explores the experiences of migration and risk in Greece through interviews with migrants in central Athens. In this way, the study aims to understand the impacts of policies intended to stop migrants and refugees from coming to Europe.

Author

• Alexandra Hiropoulos, African Centre for Migration & Society, University of the Witwatersrand