"Welcome to the civilization of fear." The pervasive feeling among immigrants in Greece is one of being caught up in a broken society. Everyday life for them is an unsavory mix of violence, discrimination and poverty.
Two immigrants without documents who have just been arrested and charged as illegal immigrants await their fate. Everyday, the Greek police fills up 10-15 buses with foreigners who are living in Greece without documents. A common picture in Athens, these men are waiting for a bus that will take them to a detention center.
The economic crisis has hit the people of Greece hard and exacerbated the plight of the many homeless people on the streets. Current estimates put the number of homeless at around 20,000, a 25-percent increase compared to 2009.
Anaz Tasawi is a Syrian refugee living illegally without documents in Athens. He spends most of his time locked up in his friends apartment - too great is his fear of being arrested by the police or attacked by right-wing thugs. A return to his home country is also too dangerous.
An immigrant woman and her child stand outside the detention center in Athens. After being arrested as illegal immigrants they face months in prison.
The economic crisis in Greece has created a deep mistrust of the government and the role it plays in a globalized world.
Immigrants gather outside the foreign office in Athens to try and get documents that will allow them to stay in Greece. From early in the morning to late at night they wait but only a few will secure a six-month permit to stay in Greece.
"To live in Athens is very hard and as an immigrant it is almost impossible. I fled to get a better future but here there is no future," an immigrant, who doesn't want to reveal her name, told DW.
People from Africa and the Middle East come to Greece as their first stop in Europe. Very often they end up fleeing from one desperate situation to the next.
In the central part of Athens, Graffiti is ubiquitous and a reflection of how many locals feel about present-day Greece.
More and more immigrants in Greece are encountering harsh realities. Their future looks bleak without any job opportunities and many of them end up begging and living on the streets.
As the Greek economy struggles to get back on its feet, the situation is exacerbated by the influx of illegal immigrants who face further hostility and poverty.
As the Greek economy struggles to get back on its feet, the situation is exacerbated by the influx of illegal immigrants who face further hostility and poverty.
