The Greek police have begun a massive programme of deporting immigrants.

Between Thursday (2nd) and Friday (3rd) Greek police apprehended 1,500 immigrants in Central Athens. Detainment figures sky rocketed by Saturday, when they hit an all time record of 4,900 people locked up. This disturbing evidence of the rise in right wing  values in Greece took place in Athens and in Evros, near the Turkish border.

Some of the detainees were released but a staggering 1,630 people are still in custody arrested and  face forcible deportation. Ironically the operation has been code-named “Zeus Xenios”- after the ancient god of travellers and hospitality. Xenia is the Greek word for the concept of hospitality, or generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home. The Greek state have increased the presence of guards at the border with Turkey as the state of Syria continues to deteriorate. There are worries of Syrian refugees entering Greek turf as the slaughter there continues. 

As this racist undertaking hit day 4 on Sunday(5th) it concentrated in areas of Central Athens, such as Omonoia Square, Monastiraki, Mars Fields and Vathis Square. On the same day eighty-eight migrants were sent back to Pakistan. The Occupied London site gives reports of police constantly stopping, searching and detaining all migrants whether they are carrying documents or not.

Public Order Minister, Nikos Dendias, defended the bigoted crackdown saying “Greece's economic plight meant it could not afford an invasion of immigrants. The immigration issue is a bomb at the foundations of the society and of the state”.  As the country hits an ultimate low in terms of recession the far-right vultures are swooping in. They are calling for harder measures on immigration arguing the country bears an excessive influx of people gaining entry compared to the rest of the EU.

Members of the far-right Golden Dawn party, who recently won enough votes to enter parliament, last week were standing outside it giving free food to the impoverished populace of Greece. With one stipulation, they had to prove they were Greek citizens through personal documentation including their blood type according to the newspaper Kathimerini (a conservative broadsheet). Amnesty International has condemned the Greek State for treating asylum seekers the same as criminals, under  abominable conditions and holding them in detention centres without due cause.