Nea Kios

Nea Kios (Argolida, Peloponese)
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The recent events in Phoenikas (Thessaloniki), Velo (Corinthia, Peloponese) and Nea Kios (Argolida, Peloponese) demonstrate that in today's Greece good intentions towards the Roma are the exceptions.
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In Nea Kios, a rather awkwardly parked car owned by the Roma, resulted in a municipal council decision of immediate expulsion of 300 Roma from the region, on the grounds that Roma increase the criminality rate in the area.
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The meeting was held at the Cultural Center of N. Kios on 19th May 2000.It was concluded that the competent authorities are unable and unwilling to uphold their obvious responsibility, which is to enforce the Law on everyone in all possibilities..

Due to the above reason, and as it was also surmised that this issue affects the very future of N. Kios, it was decided unanimously that more drastic action must be taken until concrete results are achieved.More specifically :.

1. We condemn the way the competent authorities handled the situation, their effort to avoid the problem and their way to evade responsibility.

2. We are asking for the immediate arrest of all the Tziganes who make public appearances on the media claiming their possession of firearms and their readiness to use them. . We are also asking for the arrest of all those who obstruct the free passage and movement of the people in N. Kios.

3. We are asking for the full protection and the security of the citizens living in the rural areas, of the farmers who cultivate their land and of the Municipality employees moving around in the area.We hold responsible for that the Police Commissioner of Argolida and the Prefect of Argolida, who also heads the Agrarian Police.

4. We are asking the police to evict the squatters from the respective properties within 48 hours, removing the tents and huts as well as all the other useless objects.

5. We are asking the Urban Planning Administration, the Prefecture and the Police to pull down immediately all the illegal buildings and structures.
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As a protest against this situation, we are inviting the people of N. Kios to withhold payment of their electricity bills.

7. We are asking for a meeting with the Ministers of Public Order and Interior.

8. We are declaring that we do not want the Tziganes to be present, transit through or stay in our Municipality until the issue is settled in principle.

9. We condemn those who have sold land to Tziganes so far and we regard them as instigators of the situation.Anyone who does likewise is condemned by the entire Municipality of N. Kios as well as by society.There is no room for more Tziganes in our town.

10. We are asking the Tziganes who have bought land in the area to return their property to the municipality since they cannot abide by the law but they upset the order in the area.We declare that we are willing to play a decisive part in this procedure.

11. We are asking the shopkeepers in our Municipality to take up their individual responsibilities towards the future of this area.
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14. As a protest, the Town Hall of N. Kios will be closed from Monday 22nd May 2000 onwards.

15. We have organized a protest at the waterfront of N. Kios (Inahos bridge).

16. In the same evening, at 9.00 p.m. there will be a People's Assembly at the square of N. Kios.

17. The Committee of action which up to now has consisted of the Town Council, is expanded to include the parish priest of N. Kios and representatives from all organizations in our Municipality.

Finally, we declare that we shall not allow anyone to undermine the future of our area and nullify the considerable efforts that have been made for the development of our municipality.

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TOPIC : RACIST ARSON OF A ROMA HUT IN NEA KIOSMUNICIPAL AUTHORITY AN ACCOMPLICE.GUILTY SILENCE.OF POLITICAL PARTIES.MINISTER OF JUSTICE.SHOULD INITIATE PROSECUTION OF PERPETRATORSGreek Helsinki Monitor and Minority Rights Group-Greece denounce the arson of a Roma hut in Nea Kios (Argolida, Peloponese) which happened two days ago, during the night.The two organizations hold the town municipal authority responsible for instigating this crime because, with its extremely racist decisions, the latter created an explosive atmosphere bound to lead to excesses like this.Taking into account the unanimous character of the decisions of the municipal council and the absence of any outspoken denunciation of the racist behavior of the municipal counselors by their parties, Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), New Democracy, Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and Progressive Left Coalition (Syn), the latter are sharing responsibility for a fact which exposes Greece internationally, reminiscent of «the American south» of another era.In addition, the organizations denounce the verbal and physical harassment of Panos Lambrou, journalist in the weekly «Epochi», also instigated by the municipal authority.Finally, Greek Helsinki Monitor and Minority Rights Group-Greece call upon the Minister of Justice to introduce immediate proceedings against all those responsible for these racist and criminal acts -as prescribed by Greek law and even more by the international covenants ; otherwise, the Greek state will be considered an accomplice because of inaction.

It is reminded that on May 20, 2000, the municipality of Nea Kios -with the Mayor (PASOK) and the President of the Municipal Council (Syn) as instigators- declared all Roma in the region undesirable, invoking high criminality rates, a charge though denied by the police authority.
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Lambrou was participating in a visit by forty members of an antiracist group, members of parties and other organisations, who came from Athens to Nea Kios, in solidarity with the local Roma community, which has been facing racist attacks by local citizens and authorities.The visitors were declared undesirable by the local municipal authority for lack of good intentions.Without any police interference, local citizens impeded the group's movement and harassed the journalist in front of the city hall.

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On 20 May 2000, the municipality of Nea Kios, led by the mayor (of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement party, PASOK) and the president of the municipal council (of the Progressive Left Coalition party, Syn), declared all Roma in the region undesirable, invoking high criminality rates, a charge denied by the police authority.
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On 11 June, GHM and Minority Rights Group-Greece denounced the setting on fire of the Roma hut in Nea Kios.The two organisations held the town's municipal authority responsible for instigating this crime.The organisations denounced the town's extremely racist decisions, accusing municipal leaders of having created an explosive atmosphere bound to lead to such excesses.

Taking into account the unanimous character of the decisions by the municipal council and the absence of any outspoken denunciation of the racist behavior of the municipal counsellors by their parties, PASOK, New Democracy, Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and Syn, the latter are sharing responsibility for a fact which exposes Greece internationally, reminiscent of the American south' of another era, according to the organisations.In addition, GHM and Minority Rights Group-Greece denounced the verbal and physical harassment of the journalist.Finally, the organisations called upon the minister of justice to immediately introduce proceedings against all those responsible for these racist and criminal acts, as prescribed by Greek law and by the international covenants.
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- denouncing the racist attacks against the Roma population of Nea Kios by local authorities
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Two unknown attackers shot at Christos Dimitopoulos in the town of Nea Kios, for no apparent reason, and the teenager was taken to hospital in nearby Argos but his condition was stable, police said.

The attack was strongly condemned by the Helsinki Watch human rights group which had written to Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis on Thursday warning him of rising violence against the gypsy community in Nea Kios.

The non-governmental organisation had already written to Greece's justice minister, Michalis Stathopoulos, calling on him to intervene to protect gypsies against the racist attitudes of local authorities.

On May 20, the authorities of Nea Kios declared they were against the gypsy presence in the town, and condemned all those who had sold land to the 500-strong gypsy community, demanding the gypsies hand back the land.

The authorities then set up surveillance groups and organised a series of demonstrations with several hundred local residents, calling on the state to provide protection against the gypsies.

On June 8, a Greek journalist was beaten up by residents when he arrived with 40 other anti-racist activists to provide moral support to the gypsy community.

On Friday, June 9, a gyspy shack was burned down.

The 3, 000 inhabitants of Nea Kios say the gypsies, who have lived in the town for several years, have anti-social attitudes and are impossible to integrate into the local community.

Greek press has condemned the local residents' action, saying racism in the Nea Kios area is targeting the gypsies.

Rights activists condemn racist' treatment of Gypsies.
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HUMAN rights groups and several left-wing political parties called a joint press conference in Athens yesterday to vehemently condemn the racist measures taken by the municipal council me