Syrian refugees have been protesting in Syntagma square in downtown Athens, Greece, for 20 days. Despite the bad weather, they remain firm on their demands and refuse to leave. They have set up makeshift tents in order to protect themselves from the constant rain and wind.
For the past 14 days all the refugees, apart from women and children, have been on a hunger strike. They have made their demands clear. They are requesting travel documents so that they can leave Greece and move on to other European countries where their friends and families are waiting for them.
Greek Interior Ministry Secretary General Angelos Syrigos visited the refugees on Monday morning in order to inform them that a space has been made available where at least 30 people can be housed, especially women and children. However, the Syrians refugees were not quick to accept his offer since a temporary housing area will not permanently solve their problem.
Meanwhile, SYRIZA MP Yiannis Michelogiannakis has shown his support to the refugees by staying with them in Syntagma square and participating in their hunger strike.
Since the war began in Syria, more than 46,500 people have arrived in Greece in order to seek refuge, 30,000 of which arrived since the beginning of 2014.
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