Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration, Volume 3, Number 1

Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration Vol. 3, No. 1his burden. Almost every day Janis discovers migrants in cars, trucks and the ocean andbrings them back beyond the front. Sometimes, he explains, they ‘obviously’ have to applyforce in order to handle the situation. ‘What would you do?’, he asks us, shrugging hisshoulders, ‘I am only acting my part’. He looks defenceless at this moment, despite the bigweapon around his shoulders. He has seen many of the migrants often, he recognises them,they greet each other, fear each other. He did not choose to be stuck there. Neither did themigrants.It is an ironic front, beingin the middle of Europe,and a desperate one: it isin Patras that theincongruities of thecommon Europeanasylum system becomepainfully obvious. EUlaw, namely the Dublin IIregulation makes Greecethe responsible MemberState for all migrantsentering Europe at theGreek-Turkish border,which has recently been themost popular entry point toA border policeman at the newly built port of Patras looking over to the old factory of PeiraikiPetraiki. Almost every day he discovers immigrants trying to leave Greece by ferry.the Schengen zone for migrants, the vast majority of whom do not intend to remain inGreece. The presence of the EU agency Frontex as an ‘observer’ and a means to allow forDublin II by registering migrants further augments the pressure on the Greek government.Greece, however, does not have a functioning asylum system and international criticism ofthe Greek asylum system recently grew stronger. At the same time, Greece is fighting withthe financial and economic crisis; more precisely a very high and increasing unemploymentrate, an instable government, severe cost cuts, increasing xenophobia amongst the populationand a growing popularity of the extremist right-wing parties. To establish a functioningasylum system under these conditions is a huge challenge for the Greek government.In this impasse, instead of tackling the actual sources of the situation and contributing to aholistic solution, Xenios Zeus fights the symptoms. By rounding up migrants and transferringthose who are unable to provide proof of legal residence to detention centres far away fromAthens, the government can demonstrate force and public order. Xenios Zeus can thus beunderstood as a rashly conducted and desperate operation aiming mainly at showing theability to take action.In this sense, Patras represents the clash between a unified Europe and national interests, aclash that is played out ‘on the back of 1500 Greek policemen’ (int. Pantelidis 2012) who are12