By Melina Kalfandi & Dora Vangi 30 people were gathered in the offices of Generation 2.0 RED, a space within 30m2, to use computers and internet provided for free to communicate with the Asylum Agency and get that hot-shot interview for international protection. The procedure is this: for every language and country of origin, there are specific hours to make an appointment through skype, one […]
By Dora Vangi …And in Lifo we read “1st, LOL”. Where does this LOL come from? We can only feel sadness can we feel about what we just watched and it should be published, not for targeting this guy as a racist – we are sure that he expressed himself in that way due to ignorance – neither for the “irony” of this incident, but […]
An article by Vassilis Gerasopoulos, a Criminology postgraduate student in Utrecht From the moment the civil partnership was voted, I am experiencing – in lack of a more fitting term– internal conflict. A voice in my head (the most realistic – or, perhaps, the most pessimistic) tells me that there is no reason for celebrating a legislation that has been unreasonably delayed and which, when […]
By Dora Vangi Here in Greece, we tend to connect the word “immigrant” with the black people we see in the streets, the Pakistani who work by the traffic lights, the criminals, the people who do not speak Greek fluently, the refugees who were forced to leave their country, the ones who live in Viktoria or Patisia and those who work in construction. Let’s leave […]
Last Sunday was a colorful day! October 11th is the Coming Out day in the United States to support and encourage the LGBTQI+ people to “come out of the closet ” and publicly declare their sexual orientation and/or sexual identity. It started 27 years ago and every year, even though it is still not established as a World Day, more and more countries are celebrating […]
Ensuring that every child who was born and / or raised in Greece is considered a Greek Citizen is an ongoing goal for Generation 2.0 RED. Equal Citizens with access to the same rights and obligations, regardless of their parents’ origins. The amendment on Citizenship published Thursday, May 14th 2015, comes to fill the legal vacuum that has existed since February 2013, when the Council […]
On Sunday, 8 of March 2015, ROMANTSO along with Generation 2.0 RED invite you in an evening specially dedicated to the most unique creatures of this planet. To all of us who, even if we are different from each other, we are women first of all! Taking advantage of the International Women’s Day in 8th of March, we plan to have fun in an […]
By Andromachi Papaioannou In April 2013, the National Strategy for the integration of third-country citizens, which replaced the National Strategy of 2011, was published in the Ministry of Interior. Comparing the two strategies someone can easily understand the complete different perspective on the meaning of integration in an institutional level. “Integration is a dynamic, a two-way process of mutual adaptation of both immigrants and citizens […]
The Migration and Social Integration Code, which brings together the current existing legislation, will be submitted to the Parliament on the 11th of March. Although the above mentioned Code is an attempt to solve anachronistic issues faced by foreigners in Greece, there is an evident absence of any holistic approach or resolution of these issues. It introduces some innovations (gives access to the second generation […]
To support all together the “Equal Citizens” campaign in a different way! Yinka and the Fuzics Adedeji & The Neo Yoruba People Lady Faye The Tripping Joint Dj Santoner Rpz We will be waiting for you! *ROMANTSO will give part of the revenue of the bar for the cause of the organization* Find our event on Facebook here. View photos from the event here.
Following the fear-mongering statements by the Prime Minister Antonis Samaras in his pre-election speeches in Evros (05/01/2015) and Chalkida (07/01/2015) against “smuggled migrants” and granting Greek citizenship, we have discovered that: He refuses to comprehend the difference between the term “refugee” and “immigrant”, while deliberately using the derogatory term “smuggled migrant” rather than the correct terms “irregular migrant” or “undocumented migrant”. At the same time, […]
By Nataliya R. I was born in 1987 in Symi, Ukraine, to my mother, who was a social historian and my father, who was a taxman. A few years later the Soviet Union collapsed. All the academics lost their jobs because they were supposedly undermining the new regime. So, in 1993, my mother took me and my brother and moved far away from an abusive […]
Another child of immigrant origins that has gone to Greek school and graduated Greek University but still has no access to the labor market in her studies sector, not because she does not have the necessary skills, but because she does not have the Greek citizenship. “I am Anna from Thessaloniki, I come from Albania and I have been living in Greece for 18 years […]
My name is Yohana Bryan, I am Assyrian and Ι was born on the 10th of August, 1984, in Tehran. My parents took the decision to leave the country since it was involved in a conflict with Iraq, plus the regime was theocratic (Islamic),thus opposing “infidels”. On the 11th of March 1987 we acquired the much-desired visa and came to Greece. I was two-and-a half […]
What does Greek citizenship mean to you? To be Greek? For me, to have a Greek citizenship means that my rights are recognized as a citizen of the Greek society, not only because I was born and I live here, but because I have the Greek education. What does the country of your parents mean to you? I consider the country of my parents as […]
Come and share your Christmas spirit with us at our “Generation 2.0 Christmas Fundraiser Party” on Monday, December 23 2013, at 22:30! We are raising funds to support our campaign to gain equal rights for everyone of migrant descent who is born and raised in Greece. Join us for a night of dancing to live performances by MC Yinka Lady Faye Golden Stone Unique DJ […]
What does it mean for a person born and raised in Greece to not have Greek citizenship? No birth certificate. Only children of Greek citizens have the “right” of a birth certificate. No Greek Identity card. The official document proving his identity is the passport. No political rights. Meaning no right to vote and stand in local, national or European elections. One cannot study easily […]
On Tuesday the 5th of February 2013 the Council of State’s decision was published, which was first leaked to the press on the November 13th, 2012. The Council of State judged as unconstitutional the provisions of the law 3838. According to the Council of State’s provision, the majority of the Council’s members decided as a perquisite for the Greek citizenship acquisition the awareness of the […]
By Joan van Geel Last June, Samaras was proudly showing off his generosity. Although Giannis Adetokounbo was already granted citizenship behind the scenes, Samaras saw his chance for a classical political trick. While surrounded by cameras, Samaras pretended to give Giannis his desired citizenship from his hands personally. Meanwhile, he extensively complimented Giannis for his extraordinary basketball performances, a sport so popular throughout Greece. Samaras emphasized how proud Greeks should be […]
By Nikos Deji Odubitan & Andromacha Papaioannou * The artcicle was published at Protagon In the end, to become Greek, one needs more than just to be born or raised in Greece. What we all realized a month ago was that to become Greek, one needs to get (at least) in the NBA draft. Because, apparently, everything else is just not enough. Having finished school […]
About 200.000 young people were born and raised in Greece to migrant parents. This kids have no homeland since they remain unrecognized by the Greek state, which refuses to grant them citizenship. Generation 2.0 for Rights, Equality & Diversity is the answer to all those who believe that young people with migrant origins are not Greek or/and are very different from Greek kids. The organization […]
By Andriana Mardaki, Lawyer Many times, while searching information that interests me on the Internet, I see that what is more interesting, are the comments that accompany the articles or the opinion of the author. I also note that the more I read them the more I forget the original text, which was after all the main reason that attracted me to read them. The same […]
By Eleuteriou Olga & Fani K. The following thoughts are sincere and spontaneous, appropriate for each active and integral part of the Modern Greek society. However, it is about deeper personal speculations of a researcher and a philologist who both shared from a young age common moments, values and goals. The law of citizenship was held to be unconstitutional and since then much has been […]
By Joan van Geel In 2007, I visited Vietnam, accompanying my beloved friend Tuyet-Bang. We had been close for a long time and she invited me to join her on her annual visit to her family, which included her grandma and many aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. It was a unique chance to discover Vietnam in such an intimate sphere of this hospitable family. Seeing […]
By Nikos Odubitan My parents came in Greece from Lagos of Nigeria in the late 1970s to study. My father studied law and my mother economics. I was born in 1981 in Athens. I was brought up and went to school in Patisia. My parents thought school was of great importance. They wanted me to definitely go to university and study like they did. I […]
The Hellenic Council of State, “Hellenism” and the Second Generation By Andromahi Papaioannou Since November 2012 we know that the Hellenic Council of State considered the 3838 Law as unconstitutional. But I did not expect that the unconstitutionality would be based on the arguments that I read on the Decision. I really thought that the majority of the judges would be able to separate the […]
By Andromacha Papaioannou When I was asking “What is the biggest problem that second generation youngsters face in Greece?” most people would ask back “Who are these people? What does the term second generation mean?”. When I started explaining that this term concerns the children of immigrants who have been born or arrived in Greece at an early age, most of them were looking at […]
By Olga Eleftheriou For a few months now, through “leaks”, we heard that the law 3838/2010 was considered unconstitutional on the 2 innovations it proposed. The first one was the right to vote and be voted (for positions of municipal counselors) in the local elections for specific categories of third-country citizens, who live legally in the country, and their homogeneous. The second innovation was the […]
By Nikos Odubitan Sometimes I wonder how would my life be if my parents were not migrants. If I was not a “2nd generation” child, as they call us, like we are so different that a new special category was needed to be made for us. However, the point is, that even if I do not feel different, the world around me is constantly reminding […]
By Andromaca Papaioannou Τhe Greek Forum of Migrants in cooperation with the Refugees Integration Council of Athens Municipality, with the support of the Greek Branch of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR GREECE), on Thursday 20 of December 2012 organized a meeting entitled “Bridging the gap. From legal residence to citizenship”. The aim of the meeting was the presentation of a new integration model for […]
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