Presentation of Antiracist Initiative of Thessaloniki

Antiracist Initiative of Thessaloniki is a local network for the coordination of numerous groups of Thessaloniki (NGOs, political organizations, trade unions and especially migrants associations).

It was founded at '98 by a successful antiracist – migrant's concert in the center of the city, which has been the first organized public antiracist rally in Thessaloniki. After that, we helped at the foundation of the Albanians Association. Some months later, as a response to a racist crime, dozens of migrants demonstrated for the first time in Thessaloniki.

Since then, our action was systematically organized in seven fields:

a) Supporting work: helping to the foundation of migrants unions,  fighting for social rights (at labor, health, education, paper issues) - working together with trade unions, so encouraging their participation at the antiracist movement. We also organize supporting  actions like legal aid, teaching Greeks and mother languages etc.

b) Fighting against any kind of racist appearance: dozens of manifestations, press conferences, condemnations to state authorities and direct actions have been organized. The antiracist manifestation against the EU Summit in Thessaloniki 2003 has been the biggest European – wide.

c) Organizing political campaign for the legalization of all migrants, the right of political asylum for all asylum seekers, the end of all discrimination and social exclusion, the political rights of migrants, especially their suffrage at local elections.

d) Participating in direct actions of solidarity, against detention camps and places of illegal concentration of asylum seekers (having as a result the abandonment of one detention camp and the liberation of hundreds asylum seekers).

e) Fighting against nationalism (for example our campaign against school / military parades), and expressing our solidarity with national, language and religion minorities in Greece, most of whom are oppressed or not even recognized.

f) Fighting against "social" racism and defending the right of handicaps, lgbt and all people who belong to particular social groups.

g) Coordinating our action with the global "movement of movements" against capitalist globalization, participating in European – wide networks (like Frassanito and No Border) and of course taking active part in all European Social Forums.

Our action is concluded every year with the Antiracist Festival, which is the main antiracist event in Thessaloniki, with the participation of more than 80 groups, hundreds of migrants and thousands of young people.

Lately, our efforts have been concentrated at the support of Social Center – Migrants Place , in which take place lessons for Greeks and mother languages, multicultural events, legal aid, meetings of migrants groups. A place of active solidarity, where "no one is illegal".

Antiracist Initiative of Thessaloniki
Migrants Place, Filippou 51
www.socialcenter.gr
antiratsistiki_protovoulia@yahoo.gr

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