(The comments in italics are made by the GHM.)

4/9/97 Exousia [H. Kapsalis]

On 6/9/97 Prime Minister Simitis will visit the area of Menemeni in order to meet representatives of the Roma and discuss their problems. This visit aims to show that the government is sensitive to social issues.

7/9/97 Avgi of Sunday [Dimitra Kokotaki]

According to the social worker, Mrs. Maria Vassiliadou, who is a specialist on the Roma at the General Secretariat of Popular Education, Greek Roma make the least educated part of the Greek population, not only because they do not regard school as a basic condition for their success on a professional level, but also because the Greek educational system shows very often a negative attitude towards them. However, the Roma do not want to live marginalized. They actually want to be educated in compliance with the principles of "intercultural education." The Ministry of Education has not adopted such a program so far.

The report is very positive, because it emphasizes the reasons why Roma are uneducated in Greece.

8/9/97 Eleftherotypia

Prime Minister Simitis announced measures concerning the Roma who live in the Municipality of Menemeni. A medical center, a center for the protection of old persons and an infants’ center have been created recently. He promised again that, according to a new system which will be introduced, every Roma pupil who has to travel all over the country will be able to attend school lessons, with the help of the "pupil’s card." 700 mill drs. from the state budget will be granted to the Roma.

8/9/97 Adesmeftos Typos

The Prime Minister inaugurated the Medical Center of Dendropotamos in Thessaloniki. The Roma of the area were holding plastic flags of the ruling Socialist Party (PASOK) and cheering. He also promised that a special Youth Center would be constructed for the Roma and that the Roma who live in settlements will be transferred to special places.

8/9/97 Exousia

Prime Minister Simitis announced that an important aspect of the policy of his administration concerns the improvement of life of the citizens in undeveloped areas such as Dendropotamos, where many Roma live. He assured the residents of Menemeni that the "pupil’s card" would be implemented and that the creation of a Center for Support of young Roma would contribute to their professional education.

9/9/97 Adesmeftos Typos [Panayotis Hatzis]

The situation in the Roma settlement in Kato Ahaia is horrible. Twenty eight Roma children were bitten by huge rats. This happened some hundred meters away from the Municipality Office. "I watch my grandchildren dying without being able to help them," said Panayotis Bassilaris, a Roma who lives in the area. Nobody cares about vaccination or garbage collection. The authorities refuse even to issue a permit for constructing of a sewage system.

10/9/97 Eleftherotypia

Three young Roma, who are accused of assaulting couples and raping women, were arrested in Alexandroupoli. A 16-year-old student said that she had been raped by them in a parking lot near the sea and that they took away 100,000 drs from her boyfriend. One of these Roma had participated in the past in a gang which used to steal cars and motorbikes.

10/9/97 Eleftheros Typos [D. Petrovich]

A gang of young Muslims used to rape young girls in the city of Alexandroupoli. The police did not publicize this, so that the rapiers could be arrested more easily. Their last act of violence concerned the rape of a 16-year-old girl, whose boyfriend was robbed. The three Muslims confessed that they had committed two rapes and had attempted a few rapes.

10/9/97 Apogevmatini

After a lot of investigation, the police of Alexandroupolis arrested three Roma Muslims. Two policemen who pretended to be a couple managed to "trap" the three Roma, who were accused of having raped women in the past. The defendants made an unsuccessful attempt to escape.

10/9/97 Exousia [Dimitris Stamatakis]

Three young Roma [Moustafa Ibraimoglou (21), Haki Ismailoglou (22), and E.A. (15)] were arrested in Alexandroupoli after a 16-year-old student said that they had threatened her and her boyfriend by holding a knife. They raped her in an isolated place and stole 100,000 drs. from her boyfriend. "In general, they used to attack young couples, especially near the beach."

10/9/97 Adesmeftos Typos

Three dangerous Roma rapists, who had terrified the area of Alexandroupoli, were arrested by the police. During the last few months, the young couples of the city have been living under constant fear. The arrest took place when the rapists were "trapped" by a disguised couple which consisted of policemen.

11/9/97 Eleftherotypia [Panayotis Georgondis]

The attitude of the Municipal Council of Nea Alikarnassos towards the Roma is inhuman and racist. On the other hand, the president of the Pedagogical Department of the University of Crete claims that students could be provided with special knowledge and be able to help the Roma on a professional level in the near future. "Although a special committee has found several places for the transfer of the Roma, no progress has been made because of the strong massive reaction of the local communities." It is worthwhile to mention that in Souda, near the town of Hania, there is no discriminative policy against the Roma, because all the children - Roma and non-Roma - are accepted by schools and treated equally. According to University professors, the most tragic thing is that all these people who nowadays react in a racist way are descendants of Greek refugees. Finally, SYNASPISMOS MP Danellis denounced the existence of such an awful situation, and said that these conditions of life (infectious diseases, lack of water, toilettes and electricity) are totally unacceptable. As a result of the above, it is possible that the Romani school in the area remains closed.

12/9/97 Eleftherotypia

There is a quite different school in Metaxourgion, in the center of Athens. Various victims of social exclusion and children who have to deal with racist problems or live in the social margin, and especially Roma children, attend this school. The Center for Children and Family Support and the volunteer group Children’s Friends provide children with education by introducing special programs about arts and science and by organizing lectures and seminars. Mrs. Mystro Lemon is the "soul" of all of these activities.

12/9/97 Kathimerini

The beginning of the school period does not seem to concern the poor Roma children who keep on wandering in the streets. Their future is rather different compared to the one of the rest of the children.

17/9/97 Adesmeftos Typos

What is happening in Kato Ahaia is really shameful. The Roma children who live in this settlement are victims of a cruel state, which is totally indifferent to their life. "The fact that people have to sleep with dangerous huge rats is unacceptable." Thirty children were bitten by rats, which means that it is possible for the children to be infected by various viruses, and especially by Leptospirossis. There is only one water spring for the whole settlement. Moreover, the Municipality does not allow them to construct a toilet, and nobody collects the garbage. "We have been abandoned by everyone," said Panayotis Bassilaris. Not only do the children have wounded hands and legs, but they also have wounded souls.

21/9/97 To Paron

Roma, Pakistanis, Turks and Albanians are used to living in the area of Metaxourgion, in the center of Athens, because rents are very low there. According to the residents of the area, Muslims tend to become the majority. "The whole place looks like Turkey." "Every Friday they pray on carpets in the street." "We are afraid of them, because there are many robbers," said Mrs. Filippatou, owner of a building. "The co-existence between Christians and Muslims is difficult," said Ibrahim , who came from Egypt. Very few of the Roma and Turkish children attend school lessons, since poverty forces them to work day and night selling flowers or washing car windows. The point is that both Christians and Muslims deserve care on behalf of the government in order not to feel "second class" citizens.

23/9/97 Avgi

The Network of Movements for Political and Social Rights denounces the racist decision of the Municipality of Spata ordering the expulsion of 15 Roma families, which have lived in the settlement for 30 years now. The Municipality is planning to transfer the Roma to a ghetto without any infrastructure which is some 5 km away from the city. The Network suggested that the Municipality provides the Roma with pre-school education, a medical center, a sewage system, water, electricity and sites for temporary housing inside the inhabited areas of the city.

24/9/97 Avgi [Fotini Sianou]

Two social workers from the Center for Social Support show great sensitivity as far as the problems of the Roma are concerned. In particular, they now try to find a job for a divorced Roma woman, who lives in poverty together with her child in Zefyri. Their big ambition is to find a permanent house. Roma unemployment amounts to 60%. Nevertheless, most of the Roma continue to fight for their social incorporation and for the maintenance of their cultural identity. The European Roma Rights Center points out the abuses against the Roma which take place in Greece.

25/9/97 Eleftherotypia [Adonis Calanopoulos]

It is very characteristic that the authorities constructed a wall outside the new kindergarten of Spata, so that the non-Roma pupils could not communicate with the Roma ones. 120 Roma live in an area near the future airport of Athens. Although there is no water or electricity in their settlement, the Roma managed to make the place more beautiful by painting their huts, planting flowers and cleaning the area. The Municipality of Spata intends to expel them far away, on a piece of land among rocks. "We would like to go to a permanent settlement," said Mr. Vassilis Konstantinou, one of the Roma. On the other hand, the Mayor of Spata claimed that the new place would be much better and that nobody would disturb them.

25/9/97 Eleftherotypia [Makis Nodaros]

The 800 Roma of Gastouni feel despised because of the delivery of two miserable trucks on behalf of the Prefecture. These trucks were supposed to be used as school rooms for the Roma children. The Mayor of Gastouni, Mr. Kostas Lourbas, said that these two trucks were not suitable for the education of the children, and that a decent primary school is required for the 180 Roma children who live in the area. At this moment, only 40 Roma children have access to school lessons, whereas there is no place for the rest 140. On the other hand, the Assistant Prefect said that these trucks would be used only in order to relieve the life of the Roma in general, and not as school rooms for the children.

The reports informs the readers in an objective way.

28/9/97 Epohi [Panos Lambrou]

The municipal authorities of Spata proceeded in a final attempt to expel the Romani population. "The whole operation failed thanks to the initiatives of human rights organizations." A while ago, the prefecture’s authorities asked the police to help them, so that the Roma could be expelled and transferred to another place. However, the attitude of the authorities is considered to be hypocritical, because if they really cared about the Roma they would not have "granted" them an isolated piece of land among rocks in the mountain. According to the Roma who live there, the Mayor of Spata Mr. Loukas Liggos is a racist. Although Roma are regarded as dirty in general, all the children of the settlement wear clean clothes and most of the huts are painted and nice. "There is no hatred on the side of Roma." They only express their complaint about discrimination. Recently, the non-Roma raised a wall near a kindergarten, so that Roma and non-Roma people could not see each other. The Committee of Lawyers for Social Rights and Civil Liberties denounced the Mayor of Spata, whose behavior towards the Roma was outrageous and rude.

The report takes a very clear position in favor of the Roma by denouncing the persecutions and the unacceptable situation which exists in the area of Spata.

27/9/97 Eleftherotypia [Antonis Galanopoulos]

The representative of the Judiciary, who arrived with policemen in the Roma settlement in Spata in order to be present during the destruction of their huts, was looking at the Roma children of the area. Finally, the district attorney’s order for the destruction of the huts was not applied. The Mayor of Spata was the person who took the initiative to expel the 120 Roma from the settlement. "The Roma should leave this place," say the non-Roma residents, "because they do not respect us." "If they find us a good piece of land, we agree to be transferred," reply the Roma. There is no infrastructure in the new place. So, the huts remain there for the present, but racism is also there.

The report provides objective information, and also points out the problem of racism.

28/9/97 Apogevmatini of Sunday

Twenty two arrested underage persons have bought hashish in Roma settlements.