Dear Friends,
This past summer the War Resisters League gave me an opportunity I will always cherish: along with seven others, I traveled to Greece as part of WRL’s Diaspora Delegation to work with different refugee communities there. This delegation was unique in many ways. We were a group representing six diasporas, allowing us to learn about the various issues facing our communities. While many groups are doing humanitarian work in Greece, we aimed to provide politicized service to not only help with basic survival needs, but also work alongside refugees in order to better our collective organizing.
First, hear from three fellow delegates about their experience:
Samira Shifteh
During my time in Athens, as part of this delegation, and as a Farsi speaking Iranian American, I got to be involved in many kinds of politicized service work as well as community organizing. From doing language interpretation with Afghan women in a legal rights workshop on asylum, to supporting Afghan refugees organizing a political action to demand their rights from the European Union and Greek Ministry of Migration Office (photo above). It was a very meaningful experience, where I learned a lot about the issues Afghan refugees are facing in Greece, both inside and outside of camps. I got to witness the resilience of refugee activists not only struggling to survive but also in building power in their fight for their rights. I built many connections that I know will last as we strengthen a diasporic and transnational movement for refugee rights based in antiwar activism. Check out this Op-Ed I wrote with Urooj Rahman and Suraia Sahar!
Rooj Alwazir
“Life is very beautiful and hard." Ahmed Zitouny, a young Palestinian from Yarmouk camp now living in Athens, told me. I met Ahmed on my second day there, taking part in WRL's Diaspora Delegation. After visiting Jafra Foundation for Relief & Youth Development, a community group led by refugees seeking to support other refugees across Greece. At Jafra, they wanted to learn how to document and tell a story, which I could help with as a student filmmaker. Because time was tight, we started with two of their members, Ali and Fahaa going out into the field and playing with the camera. For a few hours everyday, Ali and Fahaa, created a shot list and a goal for the day’s shoot. The duo collaborated as a team and quickly learned visual style and vision. I’d like to believe that our work did not end there. I am still in contact with Ali, Ahmed, Fahaa, and other members of Jafra and continue to support from abroad. My last night in Greece, Moutaz, Rami and Ahmed took us on top of the mountain where a view of Athens can almost make all your worries go away. Moutaz busted out tunes with Ahmed later joining in. It’s hard to imagine this just as a “volunteer trip” when you've built friendships like these.
Urooj Rahman
My time in Athens was spent doing a variety of solidarity work with asylum-seekers and refugees. One memorable experience was conducting legal advisory clinics with Syrians and Palestinian refugees at the Jafra foundation. There were many individuals who had questions about their international protection claims and were left in limbo by the Greek and EU asylum system. I also met a Turkish conscientious-objector (C.O.) and hunger striker, who gave us permission to interview him. He explained that his reasons for fleeing Turkey were largely due to an unjust and oppressive government in Turkey. Many of the people who I was privileged enough to meet continue to persist in the face of severe and difficult circumstances. I am grateful that this WRL delegation trip provided me an opportunity to build solidarity with these resilient people in a short amount of time. I look forward to continuing to work in solidarity with the many people fighting to empower refugee communities in the EU and around the world.
With delegates working on a range of projects like those described above, I left Greece knowing we need to do more as an antiwar movement. The two largest refugee communities in Greece are Syrians and Afghans. Within a few hours after I returned, Trump announced that the 16 year long US occupation of Afghanistan was going to continue. Since Trump came to power, he has ramped up the War on Terror in Syria, dramatically increasing the number of airstrikes and killing thousands. What really stood out to me from my time in Greece was how much we need to rebuild our antiwar commitment and ensure that we are doing all we can to end the conditions refugees are escaping whether they be airwars, brutal regimes, or famines. That is why we need you to continue to support the work of WRL. With all the horrible policies the Trump regime is pursuing, his ramping up of US wars abroad and the fact that the War on Terror is now used by all states to oppress people demanding freedom and dignity gets very little attention.
WRL is uniquely positioned to ensure that the anti-Trump agenda includes a fierce antiwar and antimilitarism component. But we need your help to make this happen. Please consider donating today to make more of this critical work possible.
In community,
Ramah Kudaimi & the Diaspora Delegation to Greece
Photos by Samira Shifteh
