User:A symmetrics/sandbox

PE org

Embros Theater. Athens, Greece. I will be assisting in the organization and execution of community events and maintenance.

Area

Draft:Athens refugee squats <-- Please see drafting here

This is a new article, which I will be building with the assistance of Czar, and will serve as my area and sector!

Squatting#Greece

Will be including information about the existence of refugee squats in Greece as a response to the need generated by the crisis and linking to the articles below! Also finding a lot of cool sources on squatting in other places, could add a new heading and link to Refugee crisis#Political Responses

Refugee crisis#Political Responses

the political responses section lists only NGOs and UN projects with no mention of community organizing I have just discovered there is no Wikipedia page related to Refugee or Migrant Solidarity Activism, but I found some cool sources! This might make an even more interesting Area article?

Sector

Draft:Athens refugee squats

This is a new article, which I will be building with the assistance of Czar, and will serve as my area and sector!

Exarcheia#Migrant communities

There is nothing about the relationship between the anarchist and arts community and the refugee squats, though they are quite synergistic! Here I will talk about the day to day activities and organizing forms they"re engaged in! Possibly linking to Participatory democracy

Anarchism in Greece

There is very little here about the activities of anarchists in Greece from 2010 - Present, but they have been very active and have a lot of exciting projects going!

Article Evaluation

Anarchism in Greece

There are a number of places in the article where citations are needed, and many of the claims not backed up by citation are fairly general, so perhaps more specific information with reliable sources could be added.

"At that time he met Maria Pantazi(her existence is highly disputed), a former prostitute, who became his lifelong companion" is a strange sort of thing to see on Wikipedia..

The sub-heading "After 1920" doesn't really make sense, since all the other sub-headings have beginning and end dates and many come after 1920. It seems to me that this information should be included in the previous section or expanded a bit more and titled "1920s-1967"

Much of the article would benefit from deeper research and a more academic tone, I'm sure that many of the more recent (mid-20th century and on) sections would have international news sources available

There is a bunch of stuff that could and should be added under the "2010-Present" heading! This is a place I could contribute a lot! During the years of austerity, the anarchist community in Athens has really stepped it up with mutual aid programs and community organization

The banner at the top of the article suggests some bias. The links from the citations work, but I wouldn't say that all the sources are unbiased. Though I might agree with them, several are to websites or published works that are specifically written from anarchist or libertarian communist viewpoints. Again, this may be a challenge related to the subject. It's important to bear in mind that we're dealing with a historically oppressed political group, and as history is written by those in power, there is a long historical tradition of vilifying anarchists. Much of the available information comes from first-hand sources on the ground, likely writing for members of the community, as information on anarchists and their organizing is often kept as private as possible as a matter of necessity. Not sure where to come down on individual points of contention being discussed, but it is simply a reality that much of the information about their activities comes from within the communities themselves. I can see that it would be helpful to have more information available, but it hasn't been my experience that they're well-studied or well-understood by the majority of academia beyond explicitly anarchist scholars, more of whose work I would love to bring into this space.

The talk page is kind of a messy fight. I'm not sure I want to get involved in this, to be honest...

This article is part of Wiki-Projects:

WikiProject Greece / Politics	show(Rated Start-class, Mid-importance)

WikiProject Anarchism	show(Rated Start-class, Mid-importance)

WikiProject European history	show(Rated Start-class)

Academic Sources

Solidarity and the Refugee Crisis in Europe

I am basically going to have to read this entire book. Luckily it's a quick 113 pages and full of information about the relationship between the political left and migrants.

Agustín, Óscar García; Jørgensen, Martin Bak (2019), "Autonomous Solidarity: Hotel City Plaza", Solidarity and the 'Refugee Crisis' in Europe, Springer International Publishing, pp. 49–72, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-91848-8_3, ISBN 9783319918471, retrieved 2019-04-04

Outside the Doors: Refugee Accommodation Squats and Heterotopy Politics

This essay looks at the City Plaza Hotel, its restorative potential, and explores its relevance for community organizing and the refugee crisis at large.

Kotronaki, Loukia (2018-10). "Outside the Doors". South Atlantic Quarterly. 117 (4): 914–924. doi:10.1215/00382876-7166080. ISSN 0038-2876.

Homeplace Plaza: Challenging the Border between Host and Hosted

This essay is concerned with the day to day life of the migrants and activists at the City Plaza Hotel.

Lafazani, Olga (2018-10). "Homeplace Plaza". South Atlantic Quarterly. 117 (4): 896–904. doi:10.1215/00382876-7166043. ISSN 0038-2876.

From a Crisis of Management to Humanitarian Crisis Management

This essay looks at the failures of the institutional responses and contrasts that with the successes of the radical model put into practice at the squats.

Maniatis, Giorgos (2018-10). "From a Crisis of Management to Humanitarian Crisis Management". South Atlantic Quarterly. 117 (4): 905–913. doi:10.1215/00382876-7166068. ISSN 0038-2876

In the Wake of the Greek Spring and the Summer of Migration

This essay explores the establishment of the City Plaza Hotel within the context of the "Greek Spring."

Mezzadra, Sandro (2018-10). "In the Wake of the Greek Spring and the Summer of Migration". South Atlantic Quarterly. 117 (4): 925–933. doi:10.1215/00382876-7166092. ISSN 0038-2876

The Urban Roots of Anti-Neoliberal Social Movements: The Case of Athens, Greece

This piece explores the political opportunity structures in Athens directly preceding the refugee movement.

Arampatzi, Athina; Nicholls, Walter J (2012-11). "The Urban Roots of Anti-Neoliberal Social Movements: The Case of Athens, Greece". Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space. 44 (11): 2591–2610. doi:10.1068/a44416

Excessive Migration, Excessive Governance"

Stierl, Maurice, "Excessive Migration, Excessive Governance", The Borders of "Europe", Duke University Press, pp. 210–232, ISBN 9780822372660, retrieved 2019-05-11

The Refugees’ Right to the City: State-Run Camps vs Common Spaces in Athens And Thessaloniki

Tsavdaroglou, Charalampos. "The Refugees’ Right to the City: State-Run Camps vs Common Spaces in Athens And Thessaloniki." 707. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ayse_Ogretir_Ozcelik/publication/330258232_Ogretir_Ayse_Dilek_Gokhan_Sengun_ve_Sezai_Ozcelik_Arap_Baharinin_Savas_Cocuklari_Turkiye%27deki_Suriyeli_Cocuklarin_Sosyal_Uyumlarinin_Incelenmesi_Aralik_2018_Kocaeli_ss_371-435_ISBN_978-605-5116-67-5_I/links/5c35eb8292851c22a367369e/Oegretir-Ayse-Dilek-Goekhan-Senguen-ve-Sezai-Oezcelik-Arap-Baharinin-Savas-Cocuklari-Tuerkiyedeki-Suriyeli-Cocuklarin-Sosyal-Uyumlarinin-Incelenmesi-Aralik-2018-Kocaeli-ss-371-435-ISBN-978-605.pdf#page=707

The biopolitics of hospitality in Greece: Humanitarianism and the management of refugees

This scholarly article details a series of specific interactions between Greek activists and Syrian Kurds who have occupied a squat.

Rozakou, Katerina (2012-8). "The biopolitics of hospitality in Greece: Humanitarianism and the management of refugees". American Ethnologist. 39 (3): 562–577. doi:10.1111/j.1548-1425.2012.01381.x

Hotspot Geopolitics Versus Geosocial Solidarity

Mitchell, Katharyne; Sparke, Matthew (2018-08-21). "Hotspot geopolitics versus geosocial solidarity: Contending constructions of safe space for migrants in Europe". Environment and Planning D: Society and Space: 026377581879364. doi:10.1177/0263775818793647. ISSN 0263-7758

Introduction: The Politics of Squatting, Time Frames and Socio-Spatial Contexts

Martínez López, Miguel A. (2017-11-30), "Introduction: The Politics of Squatting, Time Frames and Socio-Spatial Contexts", The Urban Politics of Squatters' Movements, Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 1–21, ISBN 9781349953134

Frontex and its role in the European border regime

Colombeau, Sara Casella (2016-07-01), "Frontex and its role in the European border regime", Migration, Squatting and Radical Autonomy, Routledge, pp. 40–46, ISBN 9781315673301

Migrant squatters in the Greek territory

Makrygianni, Vasiliki (2016-07-01), "Migrant squatters in the Greek territory", Migration, Squatting and Radical Autonomy, Routledge, pp. 248–256, ISBN 9781315673301,

Solidarity in Transition: The Case of Greece

Oikonomakis, Leonidas (2018), "Solidarity in Transition: The Case of Greece", Solidarity Mobilizations in the ‘Refugee Crisis’, Springer International Publishing, pp. 65–98, ISBN 9783319717517

Mobilizing in Transnational Contentious Spaces

Steinhilper, Elias (2018-09-03). "Mobilizing in transnational contentious spaces: linking relations, emotions and space in migrant activism". Social Movement Studies. 17 (5): 574–591. doi:10.1080/14742837.2018.1499510. ISSN 1474-2837.

The Newcomers’ Right to the Common Space: The Case of Athens During the Refugee Crisis

Tsavdaroglou, Charalampos. 2018. “The Newcomers’ Right to the Common Space: The Case of Athens During the Refugee Crisis”. ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies 17 (2), 376-401. https://acme-journal.org/index.php/acme/article/view/1463.

Spaces of the Expelled as Spaces of the Urban Commons?

Di Feliciantonio, Cesare (2017-9). "Spaces of the Expelled as Spaces of the Urban Commons? Analysing the Re-emergence of Squatting Initiatives in Rome". International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. 41 (5): 708–725. doi:10.1111/1468-2427.12513.

Mobile Solidarities and Precariousness at City Plaza: Beyond Vulnerable and Disposable Lives

Squire, Vicki (2018-07-12). "Mobile Solidarities and Precariousness at City Plaza: Beyond Vulnerable and Disposable Lives". Studies in Social Justice. 12 (1): 111–132. doi:10.26522/ssj.v12i1.1592. ISSN 1911-4788.

Artists' Performative Interventions in the Refugee Houses on Alexandras Avenue, Athens.

Fotiadi, Eva (2017). "History—Past—Memory—Space—Body—Image: Artists' Performative Interventions in the Refugee Houses on Alexandras Avenue, Athens". Journal of Modern Greek Studies. 35 (1): 181–210. doi:10.1353/mgs.2017.0008. ISSN 1086-3265.

Tomorrow’s Neighbors: Strategies for Temporary Refugee Integration in Athens, Greece

Galgano, Annalisa. "Tomorrow’s Neighbors: Strategies for Temporary Refugee Integration in Athens, Greece."

Reluctant Refuge: An Activist Archaeological Approach to Alternative Refugee Shelter in Athens (Greece)

Kiddey, R.(2019-01-28). "Reluctant Refuge: An Activist Archaeological Approach to Alternative Refugee Shelter in Athens (Greece)". Journal of Refugee Studies. doi:10.1093/jrs/fey061. ISSN 0951-6328.

EU migratory challenge Possible responses to the refugee crisis (European Parliament Briefing 2015)

EU migratory challenge: Possible responses to the refugee crisis - Think Tank. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/568312/EPRS_BRI(2015)568312_EN.pdf

Summarizing and Synthesizing

Area

1. Giorgos Maniatis; From a Crisis of Management to Humanitarian Crisis Management. South Atlantic Quarterly 1 October 2018; 117 (4): 905–913. doi: https://doi-org.libproxy.berkeley.edu/10.1215/00382876-7166068
   1. With the influx of refugees arriving in Europe by way of the Eastern Aegean, the Balkan states with their weaker state institutions were unable to detain and restrict the influx of refugees, and thus became the route further into Europe. Greece opened its borders, decriminalizing migration and preventing a more massive European crisis, sending thousands of refugees flocking to the country, and triggering a massive solidarity movement, before reversing its position, closing the borders, and pursuing a strategy of containment and biopolitical management, criminalizing not only migration, but attempts to aid the migrants (now considered human trafficking). The framework of NGOization (defined as a “paradigm” that “combines charity and technocratic management by taking advantage of skills and knowledge developed within the solidarity movement”) as integral to the promotion of neoliberal policies and requiring the refugees be reclassified as victims in need of aid and management without agency, is introduced in this essay. In contrast, the City Plaza is presented as a model for an alternative paradigm, emerging as an international symbol of the struggle for migrant rights. This information will be of vital use in building the “Background” section of my article, and will assist me in preparations for healthy and respectful interactions with the people I will be struggling and working alongside in Athens. It is foundational that one understand the struggle one is walking into if one is to be of service.
2. Sandro Mezzadra; In the Wake of the Greek Spring and the Summer of Migration. South Atlantic Quarterly 1 October 2018; 117 (4): 925–933. Doi: https://doi-org.libproxy.berkeley.edu/10.1215/00382876-7166092
   1. Greece served as a central site of friction resulting from EU-imposed, neoliberal austerity policies in the face of global economic recession, motivating a broad and heterogenous coalition of radical actors to engage in social movements. This “Greek Spring” inspired and laid the foundation for the migrant solidarity movements to come, which would become central struggles on the field of human rights and command international attention. This essay focuses on placing the City Plaza Hotel in the context of the larger movements spawned by the economic and migration crises, positioning City Plaza as a model which inspires a new perspective on radical struggle for the modern world. This information will be useful in linking my article to the existing articles on the refugee crisis and political responses, and will help me in my time in Greece for the same reasons mentioned above.
3. Agustín, Óscar García; Jørgensen, Martin Bak (2019). "Autonomous Solidarity: Hotel City Plaza". Solidarity and the 'Refugee Crisis' in Europe. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 49–72. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-91848-8_3
   1. This piece explores the way that reframing the narrative surrounding migration changes the migrant from a subject in need of protection to a person with agency and autonomy. It is suggested that the work at the City Plaza contributes to this by creating a space of autonomous solidarity where residents are able to position themselves as political actors, proposing radical alternatives to dominant models and practicing a politics of space.
   2. Conditions in Greece preceding the refugee crisis were already impacted by the austerity that followed the 2008 financial crisis. Political conditions were unstable as a result of high poverty and unemployment, and high percentages of housing and storefronts have been unoccupied since the financial crisis began. 62,000 people have migrated to Greece, most of whom have ended up in the state-run camps, but still many more have settled in Athens.
   3. Squatting has been a form of prefigurative politics, focused on challenging private property and community structures, since before the refugee crisis. This chapter argues that migrant squatting is similarly inherently political, originating as a response to the need of migrants for space, life, and normalcy, but emerging as an alternative to and critique of EU policies and practices. Activists in Greece have been exploring alternative solutions to the crisis of poverty faced by Greek citizens, and have an established network of solidarity within the far-left movement that was activated in support of the migrants after the 2015 influx. Evictions of newly arrived migrants from public spaces around Victoria Square, an area where earlier migrants established themselves as residents, drew activists to organize in solidarity, providing food and supporting refugee-led protests and hunger strikes. Nearby Pedion tou Areos Park was also occupied by newly arrived migrants, and similarly cleared by police.
   4. Following the evictions of the public occupations, solidarity groups assisted in securing abandoned spaces as squats for refugee settlement. It is estimated that between 2500 and 3000 migrants were housed in squats in Athens as of mid-2017.

Sector

1. Loukia Kotronaki; Outside the Doors: Refugee Accommodation Squats and Heterotopy Politics. South Atlantic Quarterly (2018) 117 (4): 914-924. https://doi-org.libproxy.berkeley.edu/10.1215/00382876-7166080
   1. This piece details some of the achievements of the City Plaza project through an analytical lens, looking at the empowerment of the residents through the everyday activities in the squats, their integration into the broader existing community, and placing the project in its larger political and theoretical context as an incubation space for innovative social relationships. It also explains how repression by the reactionary neo-fascist group Golden Dawn took on an institutional character. Useful concepts engaged include heterotopia (“space of difference”) and “intermediate sphere” which corresponds to our discursive space from Fraser’s piece. Both these concepts relate to the active politicization of the refugee experience in the space between the “private” and the institutional-political. Some of the tactics explored were developing the agency of residents through organized collective management of their daily lives, the hosting of celebrations and participation in collective action, which created collective identity and aligned them with more permanent community members, the push for social inclusion of refugees via participation in formal education and healthcare institutions, and the engagement of vast local and international solidarity networks. This will help me understand the activities and goals I will be engaged with when I am there, and will allow me to provide clear a explanation of the significance of this project for Wikipedia.
2. Olga Lafazani; Homeplace Plaza: Challenging the Border between Host and Hosted. South Atlantic Quarterly 1 October 2018; 117 (4): 896–904. doi: https://doi-org.libproxy.berkeley.edu/10.1215/00382876-7166043
   1. This piece describes the initial occupation of the squat and some of the organizational challenges it has faced. While there have been many successes, it acknowledges that problems arose from the inherently unequal positions from which solidarity activists and various residents begin, and that barriers to full participation by residents have required novel solutions. A key framework in this piece was a breakdown of power relations inside the hotel. Some of these are the result of a divide perceived on the part of the residents between themselves and the solidarity activists, as they have been used to their assigned passive roles, some on the various legal positions of the refugees and migrants. This will help me prepare to address my own privilege in the space, as well as support efforts for increased egalitarianism. It is always essential to understand how power dynamics work between various peoples in any space that has a goal of horizontalism, so they can be effectively recognized and adjusted for. It will also be important for a balanced Wikipedia article that I address some challenges.
3. Tsavdaroglou, Charalampos. "The Refugees’ Right to the City: State-Run Camps vs Common Spaces in Athens And Thessaloniki." 707. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ayse_Ogretir_Ozcelik/publication/330258232_Ogretir_Ayse_Dilek_Gokhan_Sengun_ve_Sezai_Ozcelik_Arap_Baharinin_Savas_Cocuklari_Turkiye%27deki_Suriyeli_Cocuklarin_Sosyal_Uyumlarinin_Incelenmesi_Aralik_2018_Kocaeli_ss_371-435_ISBN_978-605-5116-67-5_I/links/5c35eb8292851c22a367369e/Oegretir-Ayse-Dilek-Goekhan-Senguen-ve-Sezai-Oezcelik-Arap-Baharinin-Savas-Cocuklari-Tuerkiyedeki-Suriyeli-Cocuklarin-Sosyal-Uyumlarinin-Incelenmesi-Aralik-2018-Kocaeli-ss-371-435-ISBN-978-605.pdf#page=707
   1. (Having a difficult time linking to this piece which was included in a conference journal which is mostly not in english)
   2. Using the framework of The Right to the City (Lefebvre), the author maps the current solidarity commons onto the historical concept of “citizenship” and compares the experience of a refugee in the state-run camps with that of a refugee in one of the participatory squats, offering a definition of the commons drawn from Harvey and building on post-colonial urban approaches. The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights is brought into the discussion, wherein adequate housing is part of the “right to an adequate standard of living,” and conditions in the state-run camps are shown not to meet UN requirements on a number of criteria. This will be very useful for my Wikipedia writing, allowing me to bring in more broadly-known criteria for assessing the success of the squat projects. This underlines the research I have been doing and provides me with additional opportunities to link to external articles. The conclusions reached reinforce the conclusions of the previous sources and better attune me to the goals of the project I will be working on.

Drafting

Since the 2015 spike in the European migrant crisis, Greece has been a destination for migrants seeking refuge on the European continent via the "Balkan Route."

Coalitions of solidarity groups and migrants have established squats throughout Athens to house refugees, demonstrating an alternative to solutions offered by the European Union and NGOs.

Background

Following the 2008 financial crisis, a Greek government-debt crisis prompted the European Troika to implement austerity policies in the form of three distinct memoranda, despite public protest. Widespread poverty and unemployment led to unstable political conditions, and high percentages of housing and storefronts sat unoccupied. Emerging as an alternative to and critique of EU policies and practices, activists in Greece have explored alternative solutions to the crisis of poverty faced by Greek citizens and have established networks of solidarity within the far-left movement.

Representing an unprecedented influx, upwards of one million migrants entered Greece seeking asylum in the European Union between 2015 and 2016, peaking with the arrival of over 200,000 refugees in October 2015. Contributing factors include the escalation of the Syrian civil war and the subsequent closing of the Jordanian and Turkish borders with Syria.

EU member states adopted a variety of policy responses. Balkan states were unable to control the migration via administrative mechanisms, opting to open a route deeper into Europe. In August 2015, German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the German border to asylum-seekers, voluntarily waiving the Dublin Regulation. The 2015 Paris attacks further polarized member state positions on the refugee situation. The Greek government lacked the capacity to process the arriving migrants, and under pressure from the European Commission, Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos allowed Frontex to assist with border management and established "hotspots" for processing refugees. It is proposed that this approach ensures the safety of local populations and migrants, by creating safer travel paths into Europe while tightly controlling where they can go. In practice, these administrative solutions have created new dangers for migrants, allowing deportation to unsafe countries and enabling their indefinite detention under poor and sometimes dangerous conditions in official camps.

Greek solidarity networks were activated in support of the migrants after the 2015 influx. Police evictions of newly arrived migrants from public spaces around Victoria Square drew activists to provide resources and support refugee-led protests and hunger strikes. Nearby Pedion tou Areos Park, occupied by newly arrived migrants, was similarly cleared by police. Following the evictions of the public occupations, solidarity groups assisted in securing abandoned spaces as squats for refugee settlement. It is estimated that between 2500 and 3000 migrants were housed in squats in Athens as of mid-2017.

City Plaza Hotel

The City Plaza Hotel closed its doors in 2010, sitting empty until it was reoccupied as a squat for refugees April 22, 2016. A coalition of migrant solidarity activists called The Solidarity Initiative to Economic and Political Refugees assisted in opening the squat. Activists and refugees have coordinated to organize and maintain the Hotel as an alternative to state-run camps, focused on promoting the autonomy and political agency of the residents. The City Plaza Hotel has also served to familiarize refugee-residents and Athens locals through everyday transactions in the local markets, and as a hub for radical activity, including mobilizations to integrate refugee children into existing education and healthcare institutions.

The Hotel houses an array of resident-run amenities, including a clinic, communal kitchen and cafeteria, a library, a kindergarten, Greek, English, and German language classes, workshops, computer classes, and basic services such as a dentist, pharmacy, and hairdresser. A working group of residents and activists convenes to select occupants for available rooms. Adult residents are required to work one shift cooking and cleaning weekly.

Other squats

City Plaza, Notara 26, Oniro, Spyrou Trikoupi, Arahovis, 5th School, Jasmin School and Acarchon 22 have banded together into an organization called the Coordination of Refugee Squats.