Author: thenational.ae | 9 November 2019
or two years Iranian refugee Arash Hampay and other volunteers with the Our House humanitarian project would distribute food and clothes to homeless refugees nearly every day in Athens.
In September, however, the group stopped holding soup kitchens after police in the Greek capital started showing up and detaining people waiting in line.
“I want to help homeless people and I want to help refugees, but now, because of this situation, it is not helping,” Mr Hampay, 34, told The National. Our House now hopes move the soup kitchen to a safer indoor location where they are less likely to attract police attention.
Since the right-wing New Democracy party won snap legislative elections and ousted the left-wing Syriza in July, Mr Hampay says the situation has been worsening by the day, a criticism echoed by human rights groups and watchdogs.
Just three months old, the New Democracy-led government is facing a resurgent refugee crisis, with arrivals at their highest since 2015.