By Valeria Raimondi
From May 12 to 25, 2024, Claudio Minca, Dragan Umek and I conducted a field trip to several key locations pertinent to the arrival and transit of migrants in Greece and Turkey. In the latter half of the trip, in mainland Greece, we were joined by Alexandra Rijke and Yolanda Weima. The objective of this research trip was to understand the role of these critical sites in shaping the temporalities and spatialities of migrant movements upon entering Greece and along the Balkan route.
Our trip commenced on the northern Aegean islands, specifically Samos and Chios, after which we took a ferry to Turkey, passing through Ayvalik and Gallipoli. From there, we proceeded to Edirne, crossed the border at Kastanies, and re-entered Greece.
In Samos and Chios, we visited the Closed Controlled Access Centres (CCAC) and the sites of former camps, now dismantled. We also met with various individuals involved in the reception of migrants, including institutional representatives from the municipalities, NGO and UN workers, lawyers, activists, and residents.
In northern mainland Greece, we traveled along the road adjacent to the Turkish border, following the Evros River, where fences have been extended for approximately 37.5 kilometers. On the same day, we arrived in Thessaloniki, where we were joined by Yolanda Weima and Alexandra Rijke.
The following day, we continued our journey to Ioannina, in northwestern Greece. There, we met with Professor Efstathios Papastathopoulos from the University of Ioannina and long-term activists supporting individuals in transit. Additionally, we visited the Habibi Works workshop and had the opportunity to speak with various residents of the Katsika camp, thanks to the kind cooperation of Juliette Capoulade-Murphy from the NGO Second Tree.
On Saturday, May 25, during our return trip to Athens, we made two brief stops. The first was in Patras, where we visited the abandoned paper mill opposite the new port, which has been used as a shelter by migrants since the early 2000s. Subsequently, we made a detour to Corinth to view, from the outside, the site of the camp and the pre-removal detention center, both located near the city centre.
