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AYS Weekend Digest 30–31/05/2020 Greece: Vagiachori camp occupied against planned evictions
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Balkan Route, Digest, Turkey Greece, Refugees, Pushback

GREECE: Vagiachori camp occupied in response to today’s planned evictions

The Vagiochori camp in northern Greece, was peacefully occupied by residents protesting against today’s planned evictions, asylum delays and the exclusion of children from education.

According to plans, today the Greek government will start evicting up to 8,300 recognised refugees from mainland camps and Estia houses. While this has been promoted as a way to accommodate people from the islands, no alternative support has been put in place for those who will remain without housing. Furthermore, at the same time, recognised refugees will also lose their cash support, facing homelessness with no help in sight.

The root cause of the problem is that there are very few integration programs available for asylum seekers and recognised refugees: how can you integrate in society and become a productive member of it if you don’t have access to language classes? If nobody explains to you how to get a tax number or how to access the job market? If your children don’t have access to Greek school? (Refugees to Refugees R2R Solidarity Call Centre)

A joint letter has been written by more than 60 organisation to EU and Greek officials. Read it HERE.

In Vagiachori, which during the last months hosted around 770 people, this will mean that around 150 people could be evicted today, EFSYN report.

The remaining 620 say they are very angry because the delay in the asylum application review procedures is such that for many the appointment has been set for… 2022! There are also many complaints about the behavior of the relevant asylum services.

Schooling and healthcare are also key points among the protestors’ demands. Of the more than 200 minors in the camp, around 120 children cannot attend primary school, while local authorities could agree to provide a building and resources for compulsory education.

The national health organisation, despite many calls, is also abstaining from vaccinating children in the camps.
Weekly Digest: End of Google Home, Beginning of Voice-Powered Google Assistant Payments
By: Dasha Fomina
Tags: Voice Assistant, Digest, Voice Technology, Conversational Ai, Alexa

This week in Conversational AI

Image Credit: Victor Seleykov/Just AI

Microsoft patent hints there might be a Surface-branded smart speaker coming

A Microsoft patent that surfaced recently shows that the tech giant may be working on its own smart speaker. This is particularly surprising in the lieu of Microsoft’s efforts to make its Cortana voice assistant part of its enterprise offering. In this patent for Smart Speaker System with Microphone Room Calibration, we see a standard smart speaker, featuring internet access, Bluetooth, and six microphones connecting to a built-in voice assistant along with the audio playing hardware. Find out more here.

Amazon’s Alexa now offers ‘Thought of the Day’ from Marshmello and Halsey Team

More celebrities choose Alexa as a way to reach their fanbase. So, voice assistants’ customers can say “Alexa, what’s Halsey’s thought of the day?” and “Alexa, what’s Marshmello’s thought of the day?” and get a glimpse into the random musings from both artists. Marshmello shares his thoughts on pretty much everything while Halsey muses on topics like learning to waltz and penguin courtship rituals. Find out more here.

Google Store no longer offers the original Google Home

Last week, Android Police has discovered that Google Home is “no longer available” in the company’s US and Japan Stores. At the same time, Canada’s store offers visitors to “join the waiting list.” Later, Google started offering free Nest Mini smart speakers to YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium, and Google Play Music subscribers in the U.S. While rumor has it, there is a successor underway, we have to wait and see. Find out more here.

Google is testing voice payments with Google Assistant

No matter what future holds for Google Home devices, Google is testing a new Voice Match feature for secure purchases made through its voice assistant. A company’s spokesperson confirmed to Android Police that “the functionality is new, and is designed to help secure purchases made on smart speakers and smart displays.” Currently, it only works for in-app digital purchases through Google Play and restaurant orders. Find out more here.
Save 5 minutes every morning. If you’re anything like me, the first…
Tags: Digest, Weather, Routine, Calendar, Productivity

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

If you’re anything like me, the first thing you do is reach for your phone, check your email, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, Snapchat… until before you know it 45 minutes have passed and you’re now running behind on your morning routine. Shit, you forgot to check your calendar, the weather and some other important news sources, all because you got caught in those social media traps. There goes at least another 5 minutes of context switching.

That was me (and to some extend still am) but there’s another simple hack to get the information you need for the day but don’t have the mental energy to go searching for it. It’s called an email digest, the tried and tested content that comes to you, when you want to consume it.

Services like IFTTT or Zapier are great ways to fetch information if you know what you’re looking for and know how to set it up. Here’s a glimpse of some of their “recipes”:

If you want what I wanted, an email that aggregates a few things really well, give Hiya a go. Full disclaimer; it’s the service I’ve created. Hiya will send you a daily email at 6AM with your calendar agenda, weather summary, top news headlines, Tweets from select people and more. Here’s a glimpse of the email you could be skimming over each morning:

In summary, try one small daily habit; replace at least some of your daily digital snacking with a healthy content email so you don’t miss out on the important things like Birthdays, meetings across town or the forecasted downpour when you’re on the golf course.
Weekly Digest: Microsoft Teams Smart Speakers and Hearing-Enhancement Earbuds From Google
By: Dasha Fomina
Tags: Amazon, Digest, Conversational UI, Grammys, Google

This week in Conversational AI.

Image Credit: Polina Pirogova/ Just AI

Amazon launches the new Fire TV platform for cars

Starting March 11, a version of the Amazon Fire TV platform for cars will be available in Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. Equipped with features designed for people riding in a vehicle, the new Fire TV for Auto enables passengers to access the smart TV platform, with all of its streaming services, and Alexa voice control. Via Voicebot.ai.

Microsoft Teams smart speakers are perfect for meetings

Microsoft teamed up with EPOS and Yealink to create two new Teams Intelligent Speakers. They can identify and differentiate the voices of up to 10 people speaking in a Microsoft Teams Room, transcribe what was said in a meeting, or capture actions to know exactly who in the room said what. Via Tech Radar.

IBM Watson is to moderate GRAMMY debates

The Recording Academy and IBM, the Academy’s Official Cloud, and AI partnered to launch GRAMMY Debates with Watson. Apart from the new digital fan experience powered by IBM Watson’s Natural Language Processing (NLP) capabilities and cloud technologies, the Recording Academy announced the transitioning of its consumer-facing online platform, GRAMMY Backstage, to a digital environment running on IBM Cloud. Via GRAMMY.

Google is reportedly working on hearing-enhancing earbuds

According to a report from Business Insider, Google’s parent company Alphabet is working on high-tech hearables that will be able to distinguish individual voices in a crowd. Via Voicebot.ai.
AYS Daily Digest 25/04/19: Postcard from the Balkans
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Balkans, Digest, Bosnia, Refugees, Libya

Number of children among those arriving to Europe is increasing / In 2018, the EU member states granted protection status to nearly 333,400 people / Amnesty International calls for war crimes investigation in Libya / IOM does not see a cage in Bosnia / Violent death of a child in a centre in Belgium

Samos. By Ruhi Loren

Pljevlja, Montenegro. By Bona Fide Pljevlja

Tuzla, Bosnia. By Samir Cupo

Velecevo, Bosnia. By Sanella Lepirica

These are all people who arrived to Europe this year looking for safety and the possibility to start an new life. During the first four months of 2019, 16,000 people arrived in Europe, among them over 3,800 children, or one in every four arrivals.

At the moment, UNICEF data shows there are 17,300 unaccompanied and separated children registered in Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

UNICEF reports also that many children on their way to Europe have experienced violence and abuse, while some are kept in detention.

In Greece — where during this year alone 2,077 children arrived — there are currently about 28,000 child asylum seekers (of whom 3,535 unaccompanied). The worst situation is for those kept in hot-spots.

UNICEF estimates that over half of the unaccompanied minors will turn 18 during this year, which will put them in even more dangerous situation, leaving them without some of the benefits they are entitled to as minors.

This is also the case for many children who came with their families, and whose parents saw their asylum claims rejected.

In Bosnia, which is turning into a hot-spot, over 3,600 people arrived (in Tuzla alone on Wednesday, over 200 people arrived) so far this year. It is estimated that some 6,500 people are in the country at the moment, and out of this number at least 19 per cent are children, and 7 per cent are unaccompanied children.

Living conditions for children, unaccompanied or not, pose serious safety and health risks. The number of children sleeping out in the open is high, though many are in temporary accommodation centres run by the IOM, but even there, basic care is limited.

At the same time, EUROSTAT published its latest data showing that during 2018, the EU member states granted protection status to nearly 333,400 asylum seekers, which is 40 per cent less than a year before.

Out of all the persons who were granted protection status in 2018 in the EU, 163,800 persons were granted refugee status (49% of all positive decisions), 100,300 were given subsidiary protection (30%) and 69,300 were given authorization to stay for humanitarian reasons (21%).

More than one-third of asylum decisions granted in the first instance made in the EU resulted in protection status.

In the same period of time, over 24,800 new asylum claims were filed in the member states.

Most of the people who were granted asylum in the EU are from Syria (96,100 persons, or 29% of the total number), followed by citizens of Afghanistan (53,500 or 16%) and those of Iraq (24,600 or 7%).

Most of the Syrians who got asylum are in Germany (67,000).
AYS Daily Digest 20/7/2020 Slovenia carried out collective expulsions and chain push-backs
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Digest, Slovenia, Search And Rescue, Refugeeswelcome, Pushback

FEATURED — Court finds Slovenian authorities guilty of Collective expulsion and Chain push-back

Border Violence Monitoring Network report about the landmark ruling of the Slovenian Administrative Court on July 16. The court found that the national police force carried out an illegal collective expulsion of a member of a persecuted English-speaking minority from Cameroon who wanted to apply for asylum in Slovenia. Even more, the court shed light on the diffusion of so-called chain push-backs, where people on the move are handed from one border authority to the next one and pushed-back through several countries.

The court heard the experience of the applicant, J.D., who was held in a Slovenian police station for two days and denied access to asylum, despite making three verbal requests. After this procedural gatekeeping, the applicant was readmitted to Croatia — under an agreement described by the Slovenian Ombudswoman as “against the European legal order”. From Croatia, J.D. was chain refouled to Bosnia-Herzegovina, a pattern analysed in a feature length report by InfoKolpa published in May 2019.

The court found that the Slovenian authorities violated the rights of J.D. in several ways:

the police did not inform him of his asylum rights, and effectively denied his right to apply for asylum.

The pushback breached the prohibition of collective expulsion. J.D. was not issued a removal order, nor given translation and legal aid prior to his readmission to Croatia.

In regards to the chain refoulement, the judgement found “sufficiently reliable reports on possible risks from the point of view of Article 3 of the ECHR” in both Croatia where the applicant was initially removed, and also in Bosnia-Herzegovina where he was subsequently pushed back. Just to be clear, Article 3 refers to the prohibition of torture: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

On this last point, BVMN conclude that the findings are in line with evidence collected in their extensive reporting in 2019 showing that 80% of recorded pushback cases from Croatia breached the law on torture or inhumane and degrading treatment.

On Monday, Lorena Fornasir published a photo of the leg of person who arrived in Trieste in the past few days. The person, it is reported in the post, was tortured by Croatian police with a scorching hot metal bar.

The Slovenian Ministry of Internal Affairs has already confirmed that they intend to appeal this judgment. However, If the court decision becomes final, Slovenian authorities will be forced to allow the applicant to enter the country and file an application for international protection without delay, as well as provide €5,000 in compensation.

Commenting on the outcome, the applicant stated:
AYS Daily Digest 01/06/20: 11,000 people in Greece at risk to lose their shelter
By: Ellen Elias-Bursac
Tags: Syria, Digest, France, Greece, Refugees

AYS Daily Digest 01/06/20: 11,000 people in Greece at risk to lose their shelter

Greece start largest equipment purchase for riot police since 2004 // Solidarity from Syria // Cyprus launches SMS campaign // French Activist Cedric Herrou faces another court case and more… Ellen Elias-Bursac Follow Jun 2, 2020 · 4 min read

Protests against the eviction. Photo: Twitter/@Refugees_Gr

Greece

As more than 11,000 people are at risk of losing their shelter in Greece, protests are organized from Tuesday on as the process of moving them out of state facilities began. According to Efsyn, even pro-government press started to criticize a lack of planning and financial mismanagement. Ekathimerini adds that it was unclear how long this will take and how many of these people received asylum or have been rejected and therefore may face deportation. “Those who have been granted asylum will be able to join job training programs and claim social benefits”, the Migration Ministry said. However it is not clear whether the people will receive cash assistance.

The Khora Asylum Support Team reminds us that all white cards which have expired between 13 March and 31 May are automatically extended for six months. Hence, it is not necessary for now to renew this document until the new deadline. It may be helpful to take a copy of this decision to show to police in case of a control.

After more than one week of quarantine in a bus, 16 people on Lesvos were transferred to the camp of Kara Tepe. A new site for quarantine was opened there , writes Ekathimerini. Additionally, 213 new arrivals from May on the island were quarantined in Megala Therma in the north of Lesvos.

On 29 and 30 May, 99 people were prevented from crossing the Mediterranean and pushed back to the mainland by the Turkish Coast Guard.

Meanwhile, Greece introduced the highest equipment purchase for its riot police since the Olympic Games in 2004. As the country intends to prepare for another attempt by Turkey to open its border towards the EU, “shields, helmets, uniforms, bullet-proof vests and other supplies, including large quantities of tear gas” worth 20–34 million euros were bought, Ekathimerini reports. The EU Commission promised 700 million euros to the country to secure its border.
AYS Daily Digest 12/6/20: 53 people drown in the Mediterranean
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Digest, Migrants, Europe, Greece, Refugees

Update on the shipwreck off the coast of Tunisia // Harassment of Journalist in Bosnia // Ongoing confusion at the Greek port of Mytilene // Open letter to the EU Commission

Feature

Since yesterday’s coverage of the tragic shipwrecks that occurred between the 4th and the 5th of June, it has now been confirmed that the death-toll is 53. 53 vulnerable people died. This could have been avoided if safe and legal routes of migration were established.

In light of these tragic events, it is welcome news to hear that after months of waiting, two rescue ships have returned to the Mediterranean to carry out the vital work of search and rescue. Italian NGO Mediterranean Saving Human and German NGO Sea Watch will both be deploying ships to the region

The growing death toll of this tragedy has again shone a light on the perilous journey that many are forced to take. Save the children have renewed a call for a change in European migration policy stating that: “A coordinated rescue and protection mechanism must be activated as soon as possible between member states, creating legal and safe access routes from areas of crisis or transit to protect those who, every day, risk and too often lose their lives,”.

Allegations have also been made that the European coast guard agency, Frontex, is assisting in the forced returns back to Libya and thereby they are complicit in not only enabling a breach of international law on behalf of the EU, but also in the deaths of dozens of innocent people who are forced back to war-torn Libya.

Bosnia

Journalist Aydin Kamber published a report detailing the continued difficulties of covering refugees in transit in Bosnia, and the ongoing police harassment that he faces as a result.

Within the report, he speaks about multiple encounters with the Bosnian police:
AYS Daily Digest 10/11/2020 — Breaking Point in Saint-Denis Camp
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Saint Denis, Digest, Migrants, France, Refugees

AYS Daily Digest 10/11/2020 — Breaking Point in Saint-Denis Camp

Conditions in Saint-Denis, where people are living in a crowded tent city with no ways to stay safe from the pandemic. Source: Mortaza Behboudi

FEATURE

Horrible Conditions in Saint-Denis Camp on the Outskirts of Paris

France has entered another lockdown to protect public health as coronavirus cases increase. However, concern for public health does not extend to people on the move.

On the outskirts of Paris, over 2,000 people are sleeping in the tent city of Saint-Denis, some of them families with young children. Conditions in the Saint-Denis camp were unbearable even before the lockdown. Some people do not even have tents to sleep in and are forced to sleep in tarps on the ground. People are going hungry and cannot access regular food distribution points so they rely on the work of organizations like Solidarité Migrants Wilson.

Life in the informal camp is even harder now that there is a lockdown and coronavirus cases are rising in the city. The people do not have access to soap, masks, or regular showers. Even though the camp has been there for months, washroom cubicles and urinals were only recently installed and there are not enough facilities to serve the thousands housed there. Under France’s strict lockdown rules, people are only allowed to move around with a permission form for a few accepted reasons, most of which do not apply to people sleeping rough. Thus, people on the move could face heavy fines if they attempt to access regular food distribution points in other neighborhoods.

“Without masks, soap, showers, etc. Over 1500 exiled people are abandoned to their own devices at the gateway to Paris, Saint-Denis. And us, we live in warmth with our books, Wi-Fi and TV.”

It’s no surprise that under these conditions, tensions are rising. The people and their allies are demanding that the government do something after months of inaction. Already, one person has needed emergency medical attention after suffering a cardiac arrest. How many more people will suffer?

Most galling is that this situation is completely preventable. Most of these people wound up in Saint-Denis due to the French police’s practice of pushing people out of the center of the city and into the poorer suburbs using aggressive evictions, often at night. The goal is to push people out of sight and out of mind. If people were provided with dignified housing from day one, there would be no need for any of this to happen.
AYS Daily Digest 21/05/19: Report shows that 1,007 children went missing in Greece between 2018 and 2019
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Digest, Children Rights, Greece, Refugees, Missing Children

AYS Daily Digest 21/05/19: Report shows that 1,007 children went missing in Greece between 2018 and 2019

Four unconscious people found in a tanker in Serbia//Italy transforming former prison in pre deportation centre//More deaths and violence in France//Pregnant women in Morocco denied access to doctors//Updates from Zintan//Deportations from Germany and Sweden.. Are You Syrious? Follow May 22, 2019 · 7 min read

Lesvos, Greece, 1 April 2019.

A refugee girl holds a puppy in the Moria refugee camp in the island of Lesvos. Credit: Aris Messinis -Art Against

FEATURED STORIES

According to a report presented by the Hellenic Police, 299 children went missing in Greece during the course of 2018.

The report also underlines that 257 of these children were eventually found.

From the 299 children who went missing last year, 123 were boys and 176 were girls. Of these, 96 boys and 161 girls were found, leaving 27 boys and 15 girls still missing. […] In the first four months of 2019, 45 boys and 71 girls went missing, of whom 39 boys and 58 girls were found, leaving 6 boys and 13 girls still missing.

These data, though, refers to children who could, most probably, return to a family. But when it comes to unaccompanied minors, the data are extremely worrying, giving that:

as 1,110 children went missing in Greece in 2018 with only 421 found, while in the first four months of 2019 some 404 children went missing, of whom only 137 were found.

This means that a total of 1.007 children (both accompanied and unaccompanied) disappeared between 2018 and the end of April 2019!

The reasons to disappear could be multiple: lack of trust in authorities, “the threat of bureaucratic procedures and the fact that reception hospitality facilities are often inadequate or unsuitable for children”.

Children disappearing were mostly Greek, Albanian and Pakistani, of an age range between 13 and 18, according to officials.
AYS Daily Digest 09/09/21 — Home Office Announces Intention To Carry Out Pushbacks
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Digest, Migrants, Home Office, Refugees, Pushbacks

Who Is Really “Instrumentalizing” Migration?//Dramatic Rescue Off Lampedusa Coast//Briançon 7 Win Appeal

Remnants of the Moria fire, one year ago. Photo credit: Petros Giannakouris/AP Photos

FEATURE

Priti Patel Announces Intention to Carry Out Pushbacks

Most European governments at least attempt to deny that they are carrying out pushbacks while secretly violating international law. The UK has openly announced its intention to do so.

Priti Patel’s Home Office announced that it was training Border Force officers in “turn-around” tactics, which are just illegal pushbacks by another name. The Ministry, supported by many Conservative MPs, would send people crossing in small boats back to France without allowing them to apply for asylum, although it claims that this still complies with international law and safety standards. The government also said that “turn-around” tactics would only be deployed in situations where it was deemed safe, but did not reveal which criteria would be used to determine if it was safe or not.

The plan has already been met with harsh criticism by France, a state that is hardly a bastion of human rights at the borders. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that France would not accept any violation of international maritime law, particularly breaches that would endanger human lives, and said that the ongoing cooperation between the two governments might end if the Home Office went ahead with this plan. (This is not the first time that another country has stopped the Home Office’s excesses, as Ghana recently said that it is not interested in participating in the Home Office’s plans to outsource asylum).

People inside the UK, including representatives from Care4Calais and Channel Rescue, have already criticized the plan. Even some Conservative MPs have said that there is no way to carry out pushbacks while keeping human lives in consideration.

Since France has already announced that it does not intend to cooperate with the UK on this policy, it is possible that it will never be deployed. However, there is no guarantee, and the question always stands that if the Home Office is willing to so blatantly violate international law in public, what is it doing in private?

In the meantime, follow and support organizations helping people on one of the most dangerous crossings in the world such as Channel Rescue.
AYS Daily Digest 19/05/21 — 8,000 people used as ping pong balls between Spain and Morocco
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Spain, Digest, Morocco, Refugees, Immigration

No Name Kitchen reports:

→“As we published yesterday, more than 200 people got evicted by the SFA (Service of Foreign Affairs) yesterday from a big Squat localted in the city. People was sent to Lipa Camp, also managed by SFA. Many told us that they were rejected by the security at the dorr for lack of space.

→We estimate that at least 150 returned to Bihać through the day walking. So we did distributions of snack bags to dozens of people. At the same time we have been receiving since then many more message than usual on our messenger. As you can see, people were left with nothing.

→The squat was cleaned after the eviction and many people had no chance to take their food, backpacks, clothes, blankets and other belongings. Even lots of food was thrown away!!!

→We were warned by local groups that are also helping here to the people on the move that more evictions will happen in Bihać this week, especially in the city center.

→With this fear, many people that came back to the city from Lipa Camp (more than 20 kilometres) went to the jungle areas south of Bihać. So we distributed a lot of tents, mattresses, tarps etc.. The forest is humid and not so convenient to live in. Yesterday it rained.

→We combined efforts with another group yesterday and packed a lot of food and got food boxes from a Pakistani restaurant as well. In total, we could prepare bags for 750 people. As well, pakistani meals for 400 people were distributed. Everything was distributed all day long until very late night.

→Appart from the people evicted, we estimate that there might be around 1,500 people in general living in this north part of Bosnia and Herzegovina out of camps and relying on this support that independent organizations can bring.

→This time we especially want to thanks Lorena Fornasir and Gian Andrea Franchi and their group of support; and also OpetBosna. Their last donation was very helpful to keep the activities and face these new emergencies, that mean more needs, more food to buy, and more expenses for us.

→Please, help us to help: https://donorbox.org/emergency-in-northern-bosnia

→Information: Angelo Brahms”
Weekly Digest: Smart Speaker for Oncologists and Alexa for Better Energy Consumption
By: Dasha Fomina
Tags: Digest, Automotive, Conversational Ai, Alexa, Voice Tech

Weekly Digest: Smart Speaker for Oncologists and Alexa for Better Energy Consumption Dasha Fomina Jan 25·2 min read

This week in Conversational AI.

Image Credit: Victor Seleykov/Just AI

Amazon’s Alexa can track and reduce smart home device energy usage

Amazon’s voice assistant can now track the energy used by smart home devices, informing users to where energy is consumed. The information is accumulated on the new energy dashboard, which the Alexa can also use as a data source to switch off devices that aren’t being used to save energy and money. Via Voicebot.ai.

Tempus launches smart speaker for oncologists

Chicago-based startup Tempus created Tempus ONE, a smart device somewhat like Amazon Alexa or Google Home, enabling physicians to access the company’s database and health insights at any time, and thus spend less time on their computers. The new device is designed specifically for oncologists and allows doctors to receive real-time information on Tempus’ clinical insights and data. Via Biz Journals.

Cerence expands its solutions for motorcycles, e-bikes, and scooters

The new 2-Wheeler Mobility Platform from Cerence can now help transform the riding experience for the two-wheeler category, which includes motorcycles, e-bikes, and scooters. Via Yahoo Finance.

The Southeast Michigan Ford Dealers Association debuted a radio ad campaign for smart speakers

The Association launched a campaign on the smart speaker, a new AM/FM radio platform. So when consumers asked their smart speakers to play one of the Cumulus Detroit radio stations, a 15-second pre-roll ad ran before the online audio stream of the AM/FM radio station launched. Via Westwood One.
AYS Weekend Digest 23–24/01/2021: UK — The Home Office VS the Law
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Mawda, Digest, Refugees, Priti Patel, Eu Turkey Deal

Featured: UK — The Home Office vs the Law

The repressive nature of the British Home Office policies and statements regarding migrants has a long history, but the arrival of Priti Patel has added a cruel and quasi-despotic nuance to it.

We’ve reported in the past weeks on the rushed procedures to deport as many people as possible to other European countries before Brexit, the statements against ‘activist’ lawyers for appealing unlawful decisions, the indiscriminate selection of people to be deported to Jamaica on the #Jamaica50 flight, the brutal consequences of the No Recourse to Public Funding policy (check HERE for a crowdfunder supporting a court challenge against it), etc.

In the last few days, the Home Office, in line with the actions of other countries like Italy and Greece, has been bragging about having arrested 5 people for assisting illegal immigration, among those ‘piloting’ small boats across the Channel. Not only has the Home Office published faces and photos of people that have not been prosecuted yet, but smugglers don’t put themselves at risk in the small boats they send towards the UK. As refugee rights campaigner Gulwali Passarlay states:

You [are] jailing asylum seekers, who wanted to protect and save themselves and their fellow refugees. This is so immoral and wrong to blame them for helping get out of the sea

Also, media report that the Home Office and the Government have criticised the state prosecutors’ office for simply applying the law, instead of falling in line with Patel’s and Johnson’s repressive and criminalising intents.

In the last few weeks the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) has dropped charges in two immigration cases, triggering the ire of Priti Patel’s office.

In one case, charges were dismissed against 69 people from Albania, initially accused of entering the UK illegally, but they had never made it to the country.

In the second case, charges were dropped against 7 people who had hidden in an oil tanker heading to the UK. They had been charged with attempted hijacking, but the CPS ruled that this never happened and that, in fact, they had been found by the crew and supported with food and clothing.

Private contractors hired by the Home Office to manage the refugee camps in the country — like Clearsprings or G4S, long-time favourite for detention subcontracts — also have a record of abuse and mismanagement. Lately they have been threatening asylum seekers with blacklisting or halting their application if they speak to the media, complain about conditions or go on hunger strike, media report. Organisations working in the sectors have described the use of this kind of threats as ‘systemic’.

Sign the Free From Torture petition to ‘empty the barracks / close the camps/ save lives’ HERE.
DeFi Digest: Main Stories This Week
Tags: Digest, Ampt Defi, Blockchain, Defi, Cryptocurrency

DeFi Digest: Main Stories This Week

AMPLIFY continues publishing a weekly DeFi news digest. The last week was great! DeFi’s total value locked (TVL) hit a new all-time high of $25B on Wednesday.

In the meantime, per individual TVLs the lending protocols Maker ($4.23B) and Aave ($3.22B) remain DeFi’s largest dapps. However, in recent days we saw Uniswap ($2.98B) overtake Compound ($2.88B) for 3rd place and Curve Finance ($2.26B) replace SushiSwap ($1.88B) in 5th place.

And of course we will share last DeFi stories with you:

Kyber 3.0: Architecture Revamp, Dynamic MM, and KNC Migration Proposal

The Kyber Network outlines its plans for the Kyber 3.0 upgrade, which among other things will transition the project from a single liquidity protocol into a hub of such protocols.

The Kyber Network outlines its plans for the Kyber 3.0 upgrade, which among other things will transition the project from a single liquidity protocol into a hub of such protocols. GHST Token Live on Matic

Aave’s Aavegotchi game hosts an incentivized liquidity migration event around its GHST governance token.

Aave’s Aavegotchi game hosts an incentivized liquidity migration event around its GHST governance token. Last Week for ibETH/ALPHA Trading Volume Mining on Uniswap Before Migrating to SushiSwap

Alpha Homora prepares to migrate its ibETH/ALPHA pool to the SushiSwap AMM.

Alpha Homora prepares to migrate its ibETH/ALPHA pool to the SushiSwap AMM. The State of 1559

Ethereum core dev Tim Beiko explains the current status of EIP-1559, an upgrade that will optimize how Ethereum fees are handled and pave the way to ETH becoming deflationary.

Ethereum core dev Tim Beiko explains the current status of EIP-1559, an upgrade that will optimize how Ethereum fees are handled and pave the way to ETH becoming deflationary. Update on Saddle’s Launch

TLDR: New pegged-value token exchange Saddle releases an update noting how its team responded to some of the protocol’s early high-slippage transactions.

TLDR: New pegged-value token exchange Saddle releases an update noting how its team responded to some of the protocol’s early high-slippage transactions. dYdX — 2020 Review

Decentralized derivatives project dYdX walks through its major growth metrics from last year.

The DeFi market continues growing and we will continue watching it for you! AMPLIFY believes in keeping track of the market.and staying up to date with trends.
AYS Daily Digest 04/05/21: 286 testimonies of torture along the Balkans
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Balkans, Digest, Turkey, Refugee, Greece

Syria

The rate of suicide attempts in North West Syria is increasing, Save the Children warns. In the first three months of 2021, the overall rate of suicide attempts rose by 86 percent compared to 2020. Now, one in five suicide attempts for the whole region is made by a child.

Of those who attempted suicide, at least 42 are 15 years old or younger, while 18% are adolescents and young people between the ages of 16 and 20.

A mental health worker states in the report that 15 percent of their patients had suicidal thoughts. Most of the suicides, 187, were among displaced people.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights reports on raids on Eqerbat town by regime forces. “SNHR documented that four civilians from the same family, including a retired colonel, were arrested and taken to an undisclosed location”, it is stated. There were no legal warrants for the arrest, the families were not informed, and phones were confiscated: “SNHR fears that they will be subjected to torture and ultimately classified as forcibly ‘disappeared’, like approximately 85 percent of all detained persons in Syria.” According to SNHR, at least 131,000 people are detained or forcibly disappeared in such detention centers.

Lebanon

Syrian students are effectively being blocked from taking school examinations in Lebanon, Human Rights Watch and the Center for Lebanese Studies has revealed. By requiring them to provide documents like legal residence permits, which only few Syrians have, the Education Ministry makes it almost impossible for Syrian students to gain qualifications. “Lebanon is undermining the hundreds of millions of dollars donors provide to educate refugee children by blocking them from taking school exams,” said Maha Shuayb, director of the Center for Lebanese Studies, a research institute. 80 percent of Syrians in Lebanon do not have such legal residency. Both organisations documented the cases of 18 Syrian children whom authorities have blocked from registering for their Grade 9 exams during the current school year, and 10 cases of students ages 18 or older who are unable to provide documents needed to apply for their Grade 12 exams.
AYS Daily Digest 05/10/20 Torturous attacks at port of Patras
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Digest, Greece, Violence, Refugees, Racism

Serious defeats for UK Immigration Bill // changes to Salvini’s decrees // more crossings and deaths from Yemen // fewer refugees in Germany now over past 9 years // over 20,000 deaths in Med since 2013 // and more…

Photo of the attack by tetartopress.gr

FEATURE: TORTURE AT PORT OF PATRAS

These reports are according to testimony by dozens of people about incidents starting from September 25, 2019 to September 8, 2020. The testimonies were taken by volunteers of the organization No Name Kitchen and the Movement for the Defense of the Rights of Refugees and Immigrants/Women and published on tetartopress.gr . Here are some of the horrible accounts:

“The three men entered the port of Patras and hid under a truck. Eventually they were caught by two men, who were not wearing uniforms but had a dog with them and were riding in a patrol car. The Afghans escaped but the two men stopped them after chasing them with the patrol car. Then they started hitting them on the body with fists. Then they took one of the three Afghans, immobilized his leg and one of them drove over the leg. Then one of the two men turned the Afghan’s arm and tried to press it with the car. “The Afghan managed to free himself and left limping.”

This is a common phenomenon apparently:

“The majority of the testimonies concern incidents of physical and verbal violence, as well as the destruction of the personal belongings of immigrants . Reading them, one can easily find that all the violent incidents have nothing to do with preventing the entry of migrants into the port of Patras, as most of them took place when the migrants had already been arrested or were immobilized. Of the incidents recorded, more than 35 took place inside the port, 8 outside it (in places where migrants live or on the road), in two of them tasers were used while in at least 7 of them there is an attack and dog bites. Typical are the photos included in the testimonies that show the signs of the dogs’ attacks.”

Drownings were even reported:

“Also noteworthy is the complaint about the drowning of two Afghans, 21 and 22 years old, while their hands were handcuffed, which allegedly happened on July 7. According to the interviewed volunteers, the report is the result of indirect testimony collected a week after the incident. However, it could be considered credible as it was confirmed by different interviewees.”

Awful…something must be done to stop the violence at Patras and bring justice!
AYS Daily Digest 25/6/19: The European Court has ruled against Sea-Watch 3’s emergency
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Syria, Digest, Greece, Refugees, Lebanon

Sea

The European Court has ruled against Sea-Watch 3’s emergency disembarkment, since they hold 42 people who have escaped from Libya detention prisons. BUT the court still finds it acceptable to say that they Italian Government:

“is relying on the Italian authorities to continue to provide all necessary assistance to those persons on board Sea-Watch 3 who are in a vulnerable situation on account of their age or state of health.”

The captain of Sea-Watch 3 (which has been stranded at sea for 12 days without any government's permission to come to a port) said this on Tuesday:

“I will enter Italian waters and bring them to safety on Lampedusa,” Carola Rackete said in an interview with La Repubblica daily, in reference to Italy’s southernmost island.

“‘I am responsible for the 42 people I have recovered at sea and who can’t take it anymore. How many more abuses have to endure? Their life comes before any political game or incrimination ‘. Our Commander on @ repubblica . We are with her whatever happens.” Photo by Sea-Watch Italy

The 42 people on board Sea-Watch 3 deserve a safe harbor. Find video of them here.
AYS Daily Digest 07/10/2020 — Golden Dawn a Criminal Organization, Court Rules
By: Ellen Elias-Bursac
Tags: Digest, Migrants, Greece, Refugees, Golden Dawn

Nigerian Man Burned Alive in Tripoli///Tunisian Civil Society Protests Agreement With Italy///Shipping Union Pens Open Letter to EU///& More

Are You Syrious?

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Oct 7 · 9 min read

A crowd waits for the verdict. Photo credit: Orestis Panagiotou/EPA via The Guardian

FEATURE — Golden Dawn Ruled a Criminal Organization

Thousands of people erupted into cheers in the streets of Athens as a court ruled that the Golden Dawn party was a criminal organization, after five years of trials.

The court also ruled on several crimes committed by Golden Dawn members, cases that demonstrate the extent of their terrorist acts. Ten defendants were found guilty of the murder of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas. The court also handed down guilty verdicts in the attempted murders of several Egyptian fishermen and assault on trade unionists.

Magda Fyssas, mother of Pavlos Fyssas cheers after leaving court. Photo credit: Keep Talking Greece

While this is a wonderful verdict for Greece, this does not mean that the country is automatically a safer place for people on the move, leftists, and others who may run afoul of Nazis. Immediately after the verdict, police violently dispersed the celebrating crowd with tear gas and water cannons (the links between Greek police and far-right extremists have been well-documented in the past).

While the party may be outlawed, the environment that helped it thrive is still rampant. As Keep Talking Greece put it, “The snake’s head is cut but its eggs are still here and some have already hatched.” Politicians may publicly praise the verdict while remaining cozy with Golden Dawn figures, including the speaker of parliament who granted one of the defendants a job in parliament just six days ago. One of the defendants is a sitting member of the European Parliament. They also continue to enact fascist policies, such as illegal border pushbacks.

The constant fear that the Golden Dawn provoked as it terrorized the people it hated, especially minorities and people on the move, will not go away overnight, nor will its followers slink away quietly.

Even though the Golden Dawn is officially recognized as a criminal organization, the government policies that dehumanize people on the move and shove them into unlivable camps are in action. The mainstream media still routinely dehumanize people on the move. There are still many cases of vigilante violence against people on the move, even if the perpetrators are not openly affiliated with Golden Dawn.

This verdict is a wonderful turning point and should be celebrated. However, there is still work to be done to eradicate Golden Dawn’s beliefs entirely, especially as so many people on the move face violence from the state and their neighbors.
AYS Daily Digest 07/10/2020 — Golden Dawn a Criminal Organization, Court Rules
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Digest, Migrants, Greece, Refugees, Golden Dawn

AYS Daily Digest 07/10/2020 — Golden Dawn a Criminal Organization, Court Rules

A crowd waits for the verdict. Photo credit: Orestis Panagiotou/EPA via The Guardian

FEATURE — Golden Dawn Ruled a Criminal Organization

Thousands of people erupted into cheers in the streets of Athens as a court ruled that the Golden Dawn party was a criminal organization, after five years of trials.

The court also ruled on several crimes committed by Golden Dawn members, cases that demonstrate the extent of their terrorist acts. Ten defendants were found guilty of the murder of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas. The court also handed down guilty verdicts in the attempted murders of several Egyptian fishermen and assault on trade unionists.

Magda Fyssas, mother of Pavlos Fyssas cheers after leaving court. Photo credit: Keep Talking Greece

While this is a wonderful verdict for Greece, this does not mean that the country is automatically a safer place for people on the move, leftists, and others who may run afoul of Nazis. Immediately after the verdict, police violently dispersed the celebrating crowd with tear gas and water cannons (the links between Greek police and far-right extremists have been well-documented in the past).

While the party may be outlawed, the environment that helped it thrive is still rampant. As Keep Talking Greece put it, “The snake’s head is cut but its eggs are still here and some have already hatched.” Politicians may publicly praise the verdict while remaining cozy with Golden Dawn figures, including the speaker of parliament who granted one of the defendants a job in parliament just six days ago. One of the defendants is a sitting member of the European Parliament. They also continue to enact fascist policies, such as illegal border pushbacks.

The constant fear that the Golden Dawn provoked as it terrorized the people it hated, especially minorities and people on the move, will not go away overnight, nor will its followers slink away quietly.

Even though the Golden Dawn is officially recognized as a criminal organization, the government policies that dehumanize people on the move and shove them into unlivable camps are in action. The mainstream media still routinely dehumanize people on the move. There are still many cases of vigilante violence against people on the move, even if the perpetrators are not openly affiliated with Golden Dawn.

This verdict is a wonderful turning point and should be celebrated. However, there is still work to be done to eradicate Golden Dawn’s beliefs entirely, especially as so many people on the move face violence from the state and their neighbors.