NIKO AGO THANKS GREECE WHEN FACING THE THREAT OF DEPORTATION
We are all refugees somehow, sometime
Greece is supposedly giving citizenship to foreigners after they have lived at least 10 years in the country, hold a blue and green card, and have never committed any type of crime. However, this is only on papers. In reality, almost nobody gets citizenship. People from all over the world, who have bought houses here, work legally, pay taxes, use the Greek NHS, study here and bring up their children in Greece, cannot get citizenship.
Bureaucracy, corruption, court delays, national and religious inhibitions are used as fake saving clauses to prevent people who love Greece and have made it their home, to become officially Greek citizens. The problem is huge since there are more than 100,000 people waiting for their citizenship, according to official reports; this means many more are waiting but were never listed. UK gives citizenship at 7 years of residency, USA and Canada after 3 years, France 5 years, Germany 8 years, Ireland only 1 year and so on.
Niko Ago, is a journalist of Albanian origin who came to Greece 22 years ago. He studied literature and journalism here, and has two adult daughters. He is a Philhellene, well-known journalist working for the Greek media, and has interviewed all the Greek Prime Ministers plus innumerable Greek MPs of all the parties. Niko is also a novelist and a member in the leading committee of the Hellenic League for Human Rights.
Even now that he faces the threat of deportation, Niko says, “THANK YOU GREECE” and cries for being forced to leave the country he loves.
On 17th May 2012 he was informed that he must leave Greece within 30 days because during 2007-2008 he hadnʼt paid enough money to the NHS, the reason being his illness and inability to work full time. Now Niko faces the courts when he should simply have got the Greek citizenship and nationality ten years ago. The same goes for his daughters. The same goes for so many good honest foreigners in Greece. During the second elections 15 days ago, some politicians afraid of the public outcry, agreed to stop the court procedure and ordered the Bureau for Foreigners to give him permanent residence but not nationality! However, when Nikos accepted the compromise and asked for this type of paper, the Athens municipality told him they have no governmental order to issue it!
This means, that the politicians played another atrocious game on Niko. If Niko cannot get any legal paper he might be arrested by the Police, he wonʼt be able to work as a journalist and he will have to hide or leave immediately. He will be separated from his family and his two daughters who again have no Greek nationality though they were born in Greece and donʼt even speak Albanian.
Niko Ago is a typical case. He is a man who has every right to become a Greek on paper but not in reality.
Soon Greeks will face similar problems since many will try to relocate to foreign countries due to the crisis. During the first three months of 2012, 24,000 graduates have already left Greece seeking a better future elsewhere.
If you think that every man has the right to put in action his legal rights, if you have ever felt exiled, if you have ever lived abroad, if you have ever experienced hostility or invisibility simply because you are of different colour, or language, or religion, please distribute/share this.
From ancestry Greece was the cradle of hospitality and respect to those in need.
Letʼs not abolish this now.
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Ο NIKO AGO ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΕΝΩ ΑΝΤΙΜΕΤΩΠΙΖΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΑΠΕΙΛΗ ΤΗΣ ΑΠΕΛΑΣΗΣ
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Διαβάστε περισσότερα
(1884-1939) ο οποίος το μεγαλύτερο μέρος της ζωής του πάλευε με τη φυματίωσε, στην οποία τελικά υπέκυψε. Έγραψε καλά γι’ αυτό τον αγώνα, Πετσί με πετσί (Skin for Skin, 1925) και για τα ταξίδια του, Έβενος και φίλντισι (Ebony and Ivory, 1924), υπήρξε επίσης ικανός βιογράφος. Πάντως δημιουργικός συγγραφέας δεν ήταν, και τα δυο του μυθιστορήματα είναι αμελητέα.
