Give and get…let’s change the way we live!

Exploring Solidarity in Thessaloniki

by Filippo Massariol

Have you ever wondered how you can be helpful to someone else? Where is the thin line that divides normal from abnormal? Oxfam says the wealth of the richest 1 % is equal to the other 99%.

The capitalistic system has created an enormous gap, never seen before, between the wealthiest and poorest members of this society. What we’ve thought to accept as normality for years, it’s now finally revealing itself as a big lie. One century of innovation and unstoppable consumerism has in part destroyed our planet and negatively impacted on our lives. But in this madness, many people think against the tide. People with small changes, fight hard every day to get this world a better place. Today we met Verena and Dimitris, two members of Oikopolis, which is a social space part of the Ecological Movement Thessaloniki.

@Oikopolis

Food distribution

What is the aim of Oikopolis?

In a society that makes us strive to receive and not to give, we love to share our idea with people to give and get. There is a difference between charity and solidarity, and the aim here is not only to help out but also to get the people involved. For example, the refugees: we’ve tried all these years to make them part of our activities, making them cook for the local people and distribute the food. We’ve created an interaction, so also Greeks can understand how refugees want to be part of our society and not just to take, as the politicians or the media try to convince us for their propaganda. Everyone gives what they can give, and everyone gets what they can get.

So what are the main activities you carry on?

Twice a week, we have the distribution of primary needs to people in need. On Saturday, we collect food from a market and cook for up to 300 homeless people. We provide furniture to support folks that are looking for a house or need health assistance but don’t have enough money to pay for. Further, Oikopolis organizes language courses for refugees. We try to involve them also in environmental activities. More often nowadays, people are obliged to migrate because of climate change, and it’s a serious issue we need to tackle.

What is the background of the people you help out in the street?

“Trash Art” one of Oikopolis’projects © Oikopolis

They are mostly refugees, and the number keeps changing since they don’t want to stay in Greece, but they’re trying to go to Northern Europe through the Balkan Route. Their number has reduced during the covid-19 pandemic, so somehow they found a way to leave the country. Many of them are still illegal without papers though as they haven’t had their asylum request approved during the lockdown, and Greece’s new laws about refugees haven’t helped much.

How is the government responding to the refugee crisis?

© Hugo Veron

The new government, elected at the beginning of July 2019, implemented different laws that made things difficult for migrants; now, it’s tough to get asylum. The procedure is quicker, but for fewer people. Before, the precedent legislation was certainly more open. Back then, once the request was approved, it was possible to move to an apartment paid by the government to integrate and find a job. And still, it’s not simple to get employed even for greek people, and if you don’t speak the language, it’s quite hard. So also with the previous government, nothing concrete was done to help the migrants, but now there is no kind of support.

[For more details on the new law read the next article of this magazine “Thougts on Migration” ED.]

What do you think about it personally?

In the last years, we’ve seen that Greece, in one line with European Union, is showing people from all the countries of the “unlucky part of the world” that Europe is not a good place: “Don’t come to Europe you will stay in camps like Moria, you will not have support or find work.” They want to show this. On the other side, the government tries to get asylum and documents quicker. The applications are not t aken into account with all the appropriate details, and many people are obliged to return to their countries, which most of times means to remain in the islands. But I want to add this is just my personal thought, even though what’s been happening recently in Moria and all around Greece is showing us that this is not the solution.