Imported fears
Those who live in the periphery (the politically correct term for country folk) experience the problems and anxiety of small farmers, small business owners and owners of summer homes to find workers for odd jobs. The Albanians, who in the 1990s built half of Greece and greatly contributed to the miracle of economic development in the 20 years before Greece’s debt crisis, have left the country: the younger ones for other Western countries, where they earn more money and live better lives, while the older ones have returned to their homeland.
The images of a man in a pickup truck driving to a local square to choose from a group of workers waiting patiently for a job in the fields or construction are now a thing of the past. Now everyone is begging the migrants who are left to “come over when they can.” Competition drives up wages, wages drive up the prices of (primarily) agricultural produce, and in the end everyone is complaining on TV channels about the damn inflation.
It seems the residents of the wealthy northern suburbs of Athens and the representatives of the small far-right parties in Parliament do not know these things. We are referring to those who raged against the government’s new amendment which gives permission to illegal migrants to stay and work in Greece, under strict conditions: Their employer in Greece has to declare them, they must have been living in the country for at least three years, and more.
The images of a man in a pickup truck driving to a local square to choose from a group of workers waiting patiently for a job in the fields or construction are now a thing of the past
Some of them entered Greece illegally. They are “illegals,” say those with a clear intention of insulting them. Others – and probably most migrants – had residence permits but did not renew them, primarily because every such effort is an exhaustive procedure without guaranteed results. Considering what Greek citizens go through when they fall into the clutches of the state, we can only imagine what a foreigner who may not even speak the language well goes through.
However, there is one thing we should certainly not worry about. That “with this amendment, our country becomes, in essence, a beacon for attracting illegal immigrants,” as former conservative premier Antonis Samaras claimed on December 15, when it was discussed in Parliament. The reality is very different: We beg them to stay and yet they leave.
It is typical of politicians to try to “sell” patriotism in exchange for votes. Everyone does it. The bad thing is that some of them go beyond that.
They import fears, either from the past or from the experience of other countries, without considering the damage they cause to the economy and ultimately to the very country, which theoretically and very hypocritically they want to protect – at least that’s what they claim.
