It is my first time in Mytilene. My friend Selinia told me to come to be part of the gathering. They have relations to CCR and nothing to do with the government. I was very happy when she asked me to come here as I will make new friends and because I will get to see the island that I have heard is very nice. It was the opportunity to leave Athens, a city that is packed with racism and problems with the police.

When the ferry was on its way to Mytilene I swam with my thoughts. I thought how nice the island will be. But suddenly, when we arrived in Mytilene, the police disturbed us at the exit of the ferry. And all the thoughts that I had disappeared. They controlled us. We are not criminals, the only problem is that we are refugees. There is a law here in Mytilene that refugees are being kept until they can prove that they are free to go. Here the rule that one is innocent until proven guilty never exists. In this country it is normal to treat refugees badly because there are no controls of those who do bad things to refugees. These forms of racist behavior against us are similar to those that we have experienced in our country, they only wear different clothes now!

I came here to think about what one can do to change the things with which refugees are confronted. And to inform the new refugees and to start stopping racism. And I was very happy when I saw the new refugees because in their hearts they do not carry (yet) the word racism and have only seen faces with happy smiles. And these are the best people to lead us to a better situation, to challenge the law and to do away with racism.

They did nice things here in this gathering for the refugees. And great parties! During these parties I could not do anything but say thank you. And my thoughts cannot collect all the ideas and my pen cannot show all the good things that I found here. Welcome to my heart when you told me ‘welcome in Europe’.

Nour Nawar