Over 200 Syrian refugees to Greece held large banners in Arabic, Greek and English during their protest in Athens on Sunday. Their main demands are humane living conditions and to be given asylum. EU immigration policy, specivically the Dublin II, does not allow them to migrate to other member states unless on a tourist visa and they can only stay for a maximum of three months every six months. These laws make it impossible for them to leave Greece.

“We want full refugee rights here in Greece, not only passports,” said one refugee speaking to Press TV. “Because if I take this passport, I should give my fingerprings and if I go to other countries in Europe they will return me here.” Traffickers are asking for up to 10,000 euros to smuggle people from Turkey to the center of Europe, they are falling victim to unscrupulous landlords who overcharge them as the are unable to sign rental contracts, and the police routinely refuse to accept complaints from migrants.

The people protesting are the survivors of deadly violence that has gripped their own country since 2011 in which over 200,000 people have died. Millions of Syrians fled their homes. Their neighbours, Lebanon and Jordan, warned that they have reached their threshold for accomodating displaced Syrians.

Their protest includes sleeping out on cold Syntagma Square in order to protest against the atrocious conditions they face in Greece.