Harassment at Athens Airport

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Harassment at Athens Airport
by irannostalgia.com
18-Nov-2008
 

If you were born in Iran but have a non-iranian passport, as it is my case, you may want to reconsider any flight transfers or travel through Greece.

 I had been to Greece 3 times in the past without any problem. This was the fourth time, and I went to see the beautiful Island of Rhodes ( Rodos / Rodi ).

 Here's my picture in Rhodes:

//www.irannostalgia.com/dariointernetinrodos.jpg

On the way back I had an Aegean Airlines flight to Rome, but without telling you anything when they sell you the ticket, one finds out that the flight makes a stop in Athens ( Atena ). So it's first a local flight, locals exit in Athens, you stay on board, and then the flight continues to Rome.

During the stop in Athens I had to remain in the airplane. First a very stupid police woman comes to check the documents. Me being a European (EU) country citizen, I only have to show my EU ID card. That is the rule. Whell the bimbo looks at it, turns it around and see's I'm born in Iran and then spends 20 minutes looking at the document. She leaves the plane and another police woman that was a fucking bitch comes in. She asks for my passport, which the rules say that I do not need to carry with me, as both my country of citizenship and Greece are part of EU. However, I had my EU passport with me, so I showed it to her. Then the bimbo says: Your passport is fake!!! Can you believe that? The bitch sticks her nail beneath the plastic that covers the photo page and ruins my European passport. Then she shouts at me, and treats me like a criminal.  Then with the plane full of passangers, they force me to leave the airplane. I am taken in the back of a police car to the airport police station, rudly.

Finally, there they are able to check that the document was correct and I'm sent back to the plane.

So anyway, be very careful, particularly with these type of flights making connection stops, because they send bimbo police women inside, just because they look more like flight attendants, but they are stupider than hell and do not carry proper passport checking equipment on them, so they might make you leave the airplane like it happened to me.

I will complain tommorow, now that I'm back home.

 

Dario

//www.irannostalgia.com

 

 

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You have fallen for lies hook and sinker

by Alborzi (not verified) on

My father who is like 94 and has Parkinson, gets
the harassment each time he comes for a visit. Its really a harassment, first of all its inconsistent, it totally depends on sadism of the agent. The guy barely stands and has a cane. They use the harassment as a tool, just like Indians who have thousands of years of civilization, were harassed by British, for the reason to dehumanize them in their own perception so they would put up with ridiculous conditions. You are given inalienable rights by God and you should not be mistreated based on excuses. In fact if the guy was faking his EU card, he would not write that he was born in Iran, that is certificate of authenticity. OO


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That´s the way it is

by Reza Roshan (not verified) on

You say:² the rule is that an EU ID is enough.
"
Really? what rule? There is no rule! The border patrol is the first and last line of defence and they are given wide discretion to stop anybody and possibly hold them temporarily. This is true for any country.ANY COUNTRY!
These ´days any idiot has an EU ID. So what? you could have had explosives with you, you could have forged the ID, or you could have been transporting cocaine in your anal cavity. The rule is not for you to flash the card and walk in!
Who is more likely to forge an ID card? An Iranian born, a Pakistani born, or a native born German? They are all German citizens with EU ID, but statistics show the Iranian born, or the Pakistani born are far more likely to forge or abuse their card, by loaning it to a cousin or brother, and then reporting it stolen.( When you can become secretary of interior using a forged Ph.D, why not be suspicious of them all?!)
Who is more likely to bent the rules, and not follow what the authorities tell them? An average German, or French, or this Souri with her Canadian passport, who feels she can break the rules by helping someone to get into a line that they don´t belong to?
The minority ends up paying the price for the sins of the majority. You paid the price because there are too many "Souris" amongst us.
You are treated the way you deserve to be treated.


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> talking about stereotypes on Iranians (NPR link)

by Another Lost Iranian in western Paris (not verified) on


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You do not get it

by Alborzi (not verified) on

Of course Chinese Americans were not sent to concentration camps only Japanese, so we should conclude the Americans were good they did not do it all orientals, no that act was racial profiling and it was despicable and thats that.


jamshid

Re: Alex Trebek fan

by jamshid on

Turkey didn't commit any terrorist act either, but they don't get profiled as often as Iranians or Arabs.

When I was living in Los Angeles, my job brought me close to many Turks (as in Turkey, not Azari). When talking with them about this and other issues, I never heard them once complaining about being mistreated, even when using their Turkish passports.

I know people do get mistreated no matter where they come from. I am sure that even a few Americans may have gotten mistreated somewhere.

But are you saying that the IRI's behavior has nothing to do with Iranians being mistreated in the world's airports more frequently? Not at all?

And good luck trying to ask an Iranian embassy to file a protest against a host country.


I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek

jamshid what are you talking about? iran never did terrorist act

by I Have a Crush on Alex Trebek on

This is just stupid profiling. Iranians have never hijacked a plane or done any western terrorism. Greeks don't have a pretty history either, and yes, we used to rule them bla bla. 

In general, in USA, Iran, Europe, people with these little powers abuse them sometimes. I doubt it happens often if your name is Cindy Laura Smith. 


IRANdokht

LOL Desi

by IRANdokht on

You said it girl! 

Hell hath no fury like an Iranian woman scorned...with an American passport.

:0)

IRANdokht


desi

Not by my race but by my

by desi on

Not by my race but by my gender.  I've only been harassed for being a woman by a Sri Lanka man at the airport in Amsterdam.  He cut me off in line.  I asked him to get behind me.  He said he doesn't stand behind a "woman" (while looking up at me, I was a foot taller) and got belligerent.  I told him I'm not just any woman, I'm an Iranian woman and I'll make life utter hell for him.  He was escorted out by some very nice Dutch security guards to the applause of many Europeans standing next to me.  Who started chanting "Hooray for Iranian women"  Hell hath no fury like an Iranian woman scorned...with an American passport.


Souri

Not an IRI story though....

by Souri on

A case of racism like this happened also last year when I was in Paris airport.

We were in the lines of custom check for getting in the land or a transit check for taking another flight. Those with EU passport were all in two lines, and the rest of us (including myself with a Canadian pass) in another long long line. 

There appears a young lady (Algerian, with her hejab) who was obviously pregnant and had a baby in a stroller too. She had an EU passport, but the lady policeman of the airport, pushed her to our line in a very disrespectful manner and ignored her objection.

I was there, right before her in the line. First, I told that police woman: but Madame, the lady has a EU passport, so she had to stand in the other line. She replied : I know. It doesn't matter !

What ? Why ?

Fozoul as I am (you know me:D)) I picked up the black band between the lines and open the space for the Algerian pregnant lady and pushed her to the EU liners !! 

The police woman came to me screaming : May I ask what are you doing ? I replied : but she is pregnant with a baby and can't stand this line waiting. She has a right to go to the other line for the EU  pass holders. 

Then the police lady got so angry. She pushed the Algerian back to the foreign pass's line, and she told me to get out of the line !!

Many people then objected, to whom she said to be quiet !! She made me wait a lot, saying that she has to give me a "warning" because I tried to disturb the " security !!!" of the airport and its rules. I said: It would be interesting to see how you will speak about the rules, then I will explain to the police, how you did break the same rules...

The Algerian young lady was feeling so sad for me, she came and apologized (made me so sad) to the police lady and told her that she will be ok in the foreign pass line, but asked for not sanctining me for that !! 

It ended peacefully finally, with me of course missing my other flight for Italy !! But the incident didn't go unnoticed for many people there.

Racism ? Yes, you can talk about that in France.


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IRI had nothing to do with it

by alborzi (not verified) on

To blame IRI for inhumane behavior is like blaming
the Jews for NAZI actions, or throwing Gandhi out of train in South Africa because Indians were uncivilized. You may have any sort of issue with IRI, but call spade a spade.


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RE: sadly we deserve it

by Kablammad (not verified) on

MRX1 dirt on your head! you deserve it!


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"Don't forget to send a

by Lefty Lap Poodle (not verified) on

"Don't forget to send a thank you note to the IRI for having so completely destroyed Iran's reputation."

How many notes have you sent to IRI? any?! I thought so. Why don't you just come out and say you are ashamed of being an Iranian? The IRI part doesn't count.

When you are ashamed of being Iranian it doesn't matter if you tell them afterwards that you hate IRI. How many times have you used that "defense"? Too many to remember?! I thought so!


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sadly we deserve it

by MRX1 (not verified) on

As long as we have IRI we will go through this kind of treatment. Did we go through any of this stuff before 1979? send a complain letter to Majles khobregan, I am sure they listen!


irannostalgia.com

For the person who claimed

by irannostalgia.com on

For the person who claimed this is "the police's normal job" I have this to say:

1. First of all, if the police in this case knew their job, they would not have asked me for the passport, because the rule is  that an EU ID is  enough.

2. The flight was fully boarded. If I lost the airplane the police would  not pay for another flight and hotel accomodation and taxi. Therefor to me it is a big deal, because I don't have an extra thousand dollars to spend just because Greek police does not know the EU rules.

3. Some poeple do not understand that the country of birth is not the same as the country of citizenship.  It should be the police's "job" to at least understand and know this basic rule.

4. Shouting at someone who has not commited any crime is not part of the police job.

5. Greece is very beautiful. so it is a pitty that an idiot at the police department can mess up one's nice memories about the place.

It is NOT their job.  I have travelled so much and the only trouble I've had was this one and another one in Holland, that apart from the Akhundi Republic that wont even give me a visa. But nowhere else.

 

 

//www.irannostalgia.com

irannostalgia.com

 


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"harrassment"!

by Reza Roshan (not verified) on

Velemoon kon baba...
Where was the harrassment?

They checked you out and then let you go.
Police does it all over the world every day.
Millions of innocent people are stopped, questioned, and 99% of the time, let go.

That's their job!


Khar

It may makes you...

by Khar on

Feel better to remember that we used to rule them for a while and we burned down Athens.

PS. But seriously JavadAgha is right they're every where!


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I think each one of us

by Anonymous9999 (not verified) on

I think each one of us represent IRI and don't forget the fact that "the mullahs are not from Mars"


jamshid

Don't forget to send a

by jamshid on

Don't forget to send a thank you note to the IRI for having so completely destroyed Iran's reputation.


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The most ignorant

by Iva (not verified) on

The most ignorant bimbo was in Mehrabad airport by name of Esmaeeli or Esmaeeli-pour. She gave me the most difficult time because I couldn't present my boarding pass right away as it had in my pants pocket instead of inside my passport .. she actually, told me that I need to leave the airport if I had lost the boarding pass! Later on, she came to few of us standing in line to leave the terminal that if have picked up 4 passports that doesn't belong to us. Apparently she has lost passports of 4 poor souls ... such a low life.

By the way, I have actually lost boarding passes, once in Japan and the other time in another Asian country, and guess how they (they as not my country people) treated me?! Inspected my documents, checked airplane roster and printed new boarding passes within minutes.


Javadagha

Thanks

by Javadagha on

Thanks for this report.

I travel a lot.  It does not matter where you go, there are bimbo every where.  The worst people are in the Western countries.