Refugees in Greece protest for family reunification

ATHENS

A group of refugees stranded in Greece started a hunger strike in the capital Athens on Wednesday, in a protest against delays in reuniting with relatives, mainly in Germany.

"We will wait here until an official comes here and gives us a clear answer. We are out of patience," Mouhamed Salih, a 56 year-old Syrian sitting in his tent at Syntagma Square across the Greek Parliament, said.

More than one hundred refugees, including many children, staged a protest in the center of the city. Some of them were holding the banners, which read "Borders destroy families" or "I want to go to Germany."

Salih, who stays in a camp outside Athens with his wife and 17 year-old kid, has been expecting to reach Germany for the last two years, where his three daughters and a son live.

"I am worried about them. What if something happens to them while we are here," he said. "We just to be one family together, not divided into two halves like this."

The family reunification process among EU countries is taking months.

Greece's Migration Policies Minister Giannis Mouzalas said that there has been a 27 percent increase in family reunification this year comparing to the last year.

However, Mouzalas did not take blame for the slow process. "We asked for two charter planes from Germany but we did not get a reply,” he said.

Salih, on the other hand, said he is tired of the blame game since his application has been approved almost 7 months ago. "We just demand our rights." he urged.

Hanadi Halo, a 34-year-old Syrian mother of three is also hoping to rejoin her husband and 13 year-old son in Germany for the last two years.

"We will continue our hunger strike until the end. We won't leave here without getting answers from the authorities." she said.

"I am here with my two daughters. But my son is there alone without his mother. This is so difficult," she added.

Over 60 thousand refugees mainly from war-torn countries Syria and Iraq have been stranded in Greece as the Balkan route has been shut down. Many of them still aim to reach wealthy European countries.