On Sunday 12 April 2020, the national coordinator of JUSTROM Greece, Mr Christos Iliadis, together with the legal consultant, Ms Alexandra Karagianni, participated in a radio programme run by the Hellenic League of Human Rights, the oldest and most prestigious human rights organisation in Greece, and hosted in the municipal radio station of Athens that covers the entire Attica region.

 

The discussion took place on the occasion of the International Roma day, and developments regarding COVID-19 and the Roma were discussed.

I had the chance to describe in brief lines the intervention of JUSTROM, to talk about the main problems Roma face during the pandemic based on our experience and to highlight the fact that there is a small Roma “civic society” that has taken the lead inside the Roma settlements during this time and has provided guidance and hope to the rest of the Roma, says Mr Christos Iliadis.

 

Shares and reactions in social media by the president of EllanPasse prove that several Roma heard the interview. It was the most listened programme among all series available via mixcloud after the live programme. The interview can be heard here.

Another action towards raising awareness concerning the situation of Roma during COVID-19 pandemic is the interview Mr Christos Iliadis gave in a newspaper that is amongst the 8 top-selling nationwide for its edition of 18 April 2020. The interview appeared on the main page, together with the one granted by Ms Alexandra Karagianni and the president of the Panhellenic Confederation of Greek Roma, Mr Vassilis Pantzos.

"I took this opportunity to refer to the special challenges Roma without a proper home face during a time governed by a policy of “staying home”, the need to develop policies that secure access of Roma to basic needs, and the responsibility local authorities have. Finally, the fact that this pandemic shows that access to rights and equal opportunities should be again at the center of the agenda."