Erstellt am: 9. 6. 2015 - 15:43 Uhr
Gemeinsam nie einsam
Medizin in der Krise
Weiterlesen:
nytimes.com: "With money drying up, Greece is all but bankrupt"
Im griechischen Thessaloniki hat die dortige Vereinigung für Nephrologie gerade bekanntgegeben, dass seit Beginn der Sparpolitik mehr als elf nierenkranke Personen gestorben sind, weil sie keine medizinische Hilfe erhielten. Drei Millionen Menschen hatten zuletzt mit dem Job auch ihre Krankenversicherung verloren. Unmittelbar lebensnotwendige Behandlungen sollten trotz großer Einschnitte ins Gesundheitssystem auch ihnen weiterhin zugänglich sein, hatte es geheißen. Doch die Realität in Griechenlands zweitgrößter Stadt spricht eine andere Sprache und fordert schließlich Menschenleben.
#Greece 6 uninsured Kidney patients have died, 18 wandering like ghosts from hospital to hospital for dialysis http://t.co/bEKDh8Z3Mq
— Keep Talking Greece (@keeptalkingGR) 8. Juni 2015Weitermachen
Neben den Solidaritätskliniken, die die klaffenden Wunden im Sozialsystem notdürftig verarzten und wo Freiwillige kostenlose Behandlungen für Bedürftige anbieten, gibt es in ganz Griechenland auch Nachbarschaftsnetzwerke, wo man gegen den Hunger kämpft. Eines davon ist "To Mirmigi", seit drei Jahren nicht mehr wegzudenken aus Athen.
Martin Konecny
"To Mirmigi" bedeutet auf Deutsch "Die Ameise". Der Name des Kollektivs ist Programm: Gemeinsam hat eine Gruppe NachbarInnen der um sich greifenden Armut im Arbeiterviertel Kypseli nicht mehr zusehen wollen: Sie haben Erspartes zusammengelegt und ein kleines Gassenlokal für die "Ameise" gemietet. Ihre ersten Aktionen haben sie vor Supermärkten gestartet und die KundInnen um Lebensmittelspenden gebeten. Mittlerweile ist das Netzwerk fixer Bestandteil des umliegenden Viertels, wo viele MigrantInnen leben. Viele hier haben keine Papiere und daher nicht einmal Zugang zu den niederschwelligsten staatlichen Hilfsangeboten.
Bei "To Mirmigi" werden Lebensmittel gesammelt und alle zwei Wochen in Form von Essenspaketen abgegeben. Das System ist über eine Mitgliedskarte für ganze Familien (derzeit zwischen 500 und 600) organisiert. Die Essenspakete enthalten Grundnahrungsmittel wie Haltbarmilch, Zucker, Spaghetti, Reis, Gemüse und/oder Olivenöl, je nach Lagerbestand. Außerdem fungiert "To Mirmigi" als sozialer Raum für die Nachbarschaft, als Kleidersammelstelle und Stützpunkt für die "Märkte ohne Mittelsmann" (mehr dazu hier), wo Bauern und Kooperativen direkt (und daher zu niedrigeren Preisen) an ihre KundInnen verkaufen.
Martin Konecny
Interview mit "To Mirmigi"-Mitbegründerin Lina Sipitanou
How long have you been engaged in this network?
Lina Sipitanou: Since the beginning. Around September/October 2012 we started talking about it and finally opened in November.
And the year after that, there was an attack by Neonazi thugs...
It was a Neonazi group. They even wrote on Facebook that they did it. That was because they were planning a demonstration here in the public square and some antifascist groups stopped it. So they did that as a kind of retaliation. But it seemed that they didn't want to burn the place down – it was "just" to scare us.
What did they actually do?
They threw a plastic container with gas and fire at the door. The neighbours called us – some engaged in putting it out with water and the damage was very little.
But I guess it was shocking anyway!?
Yes, it was shocking.
"They sounded like the mainstream"
Die Neonazipartei "Goldene Morgenröte" hat Griechenlands Bevölkerung jahrelang terrorisiert. Jetzt steht die Parteiführung vor Gericht. Woher kommen "Chrysi Avgi" und was erwarten sich Beobachter vom Prozess?
Was that something that you had expected that could happen – something that felt like a real danger before?
Yes, since the beginning. Because fascist Golden Dawn movement is very strong in another part of this neighbourhood. So, one of the things that made us go quicker with this project was the wish to stop them to come to "our side", let's say. We also had this in the back of our minds.
When showing us around the place, you said that although you as an organization and as a solidarity movement in general are clearly anti-fascist and anti-racist, you never rejected people who used to seek help at Golden Dawn's soup kitchens as well, right?
If they are in need, yes. We never put limits to anybody. We say that if you really need it, you can go, but we tried to change their minds. Because these people who go there, they are not readymade fascists. They are people who are hungry, they are Greeks and they think it is their right to get (help) by showing their identity card. We tried to change this in their mind, let's say.
Does that sometimes work?
Yes, and on the other hand, Golden Dawn neither do it regularly and I even don't think that they do it anymore so openly. They now "help" old people in another way.
In January, a SYRIZA advisor told me that a big challenge for a possible SYRIZA-led government would be to keep good relations to the solidarity movements but not overrule them. How did this develop – judging from the perspective of someone who works here as well as in the Deputy Minister of Social Solidarity's office!?
We never had any open problems with the former government. We may have had disguised ones, let's say... In the beginning, we often had the police outside our door – maybe controlling people who come or just watching. (After the elections,) we immediately felt that the climate has changed – you could see this even in the way that people move, in the way that immigrants move. It's too soon to say what our relationship with this government is, but from what I know the intention on both sides is that the movements (can) guard their independence, but now maybe our approach would be more creative than while resisting, that's a fact.
And very practically speaking – with the police formerly having kept an eye on you here – that has changed?
Yes. Very soon they disappeared. But we don't have to care about this anymore. We also had had problems with the municipiality, which is not in SYRIZA hands, let's say, who tried to stop us from doing this open markets. So we fought. We had to cancel one, collect signatures, show that so many people in the neighbourhood want it so that they stopped.
- Blog von "To Mirmigi" (Griechisch)
German speaking media have been very hostile against Greece and Greeks in general lately...
You should know that Greek media is as hostile as European media. That's why people are getting intimidated; but most of the people here are following things very closely. Of course we do have some stress and anxiety, but at the same time of course we have to continue what we are doing because..
... there is no other option?
Yes.