The declaration demands accountability and an end to what it describes as “murderous policies of profit and racism” that led to these tragedies. It accuses authorities of negligence and calls for trials to be expedited, survivors of the Pylos shipwreck to be granted asylum, and those responsible to face justice.

“We lost our people to greed and hate”

“We lost our people,” the statement begins, alleging that border racism led to the deaths of refugees in the Pylos shipwreck through Coast Guard pushbacks. It claims profit-driven neglect caused the Tempe train crash, while systemic brutality took the life of Mohamed Kamran at the Agios Panteleimon Police Station.

The signatories denounce the state’s failure to protect vulnerable populations, saying: “Instead of asylum and hospitality, they found death.”

Justice demands

The declaration outlines specific calls to action, including:

  • Immediate trials at the Piraeus Maritime Court for the Pylos shipwreck, with no cover-ups.
  • Punishment for those responsible for the tragedies.
  • Asylum for all Pylos shipwreck survivors.
  • Justice for the victims of systemic racism and neglect, including Nikos Sampanis, Costas Fragoulis, Christos Michalopoulos, Zak Kostopoulos, Vassilis Maggos, and Costas Manioudakis.

The declaration also honours victims of past hate crimes, including Pavlos Fyssas and Shahzat Luqman, murdered by members of the now-disbanded Golden Dawn party.

Global solidarity

The signatories pledge solidarity with families of the victims in Pakistan, Egypt, Syria, and Palestine, as well as the relatives of those who perished in the Tempe train disaster. “We will move Earth and Heaven for justice for the victims of the destructive politics of profit and racism,” they state.

Prominent signatories

The statement is signed by figures from diverse sectors, including:

  • Yiannis Maggos, father of Vassilis Maggos
  • Ali Ahmed, brother of a Pylos shipwreck victim
  • Imran Kamran, brother of Mohamed Kamran
  • Academics including Prokopis Papastratis (emeritus professor, Panteion University), Kyrkos Doxiadis (emeritus professor, EKPA), and others
  • Journalists such as Tasos Tsakiroglou (editor-in-chief, efsyn.gr) and Aris Chatzistefanou
  • Activists including Javed Aslam, president of the Pakistani Community of Greece, and Petros Constantinou, KEERFA coordinator

The group concludes with a call for an end to systemic racism and negligence, urging accountability and a commitment to human rights.

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