The once historic center of Athens, has slowly but steadily turned into a region of
poverty, race conflict, drug use and trafficking. This report that lasted almost a month
walking among some of the poorest and disreputable neighborhoods in Athens,
portrays the harsh life of Greeks and foreigners alike, be it in line at the kitchen soup
that is funded by the municipality of Athens and the church, or down in the streets
where the cartons that accommodate the homeless multiply day by day.
Meanwhile, the unprecedented influx of illegal immigrants continues to flood the
city center with people, who are essentially trapped because the state cannot or will
not accommodate, legalize or formally absorb them into the workforce, forcing them
to lead a life in squalor, either by sharing a small space in an old industrial building
that�s been turned into an illegal hotel, by working illegally for Greeks or other
foreigners for a petty wage, or by being engulfed by the gangs that swarm the city.
In this ill environment, delinquency is in constant rise, with drug trafficking
happening in every corner, followed by prostitution, theft and violence. The local
and foreign criminal networks that have spread in the city streets plague almost
every activity and illegal trade is a common sight in certain spots. The police, while
retaining a strong presence in the city center, seem unable to control the situation.
Attacks on citizens with the intent of theft and incidents of burglary in shops around
the center are an everyday theme of the daily life, discouraging from people walking
the streets especially at night, automatically turning the region slowly but steadily
into a ghetto swarmed by gangs and drug traffickers. Extremist groups of the far right
take advantage of the situation to portray their racist ideas by attacking immigrants
and sparking social distress. In May, the violent murder of a Greek man to steal his
camera, triggered an unprecedented outrage from extremists who patrol the streets
day and night to spot and hunt down illegal immigrants, as revenge. The murder of a
Bangladeshi man a few days later is suspected to be linked to the immigrant pogrom.
laif/for stern and Kappa magazine
Nikos Pilos is an award-winning photojournalist and one of Europe’s noted feature photographers. He has traveled extensively to document war, natural disasters, poverty, socioeconomic struggle and cultural shifts. His work regularly appears in leading international newspapers and magazines and has been exhibited throughout Europe and U.S.Since his first assignment in Lebanon in 1988, he has covered almost all the major historical events at Balkans, Middle East, Maghreb and Eastern Europe. The last two years he is dedicated into the realization of the cross media interactive platform THE REFUGE
Awards LATEST AWARDS
POYi. 2020 Award of Excellence in category, Documentary News Reporting, with the short doc The Refuge.
Global Migration Film Festival 2019, 3rd place at the category Shor film ,with documentary“Dying For Europe
PriMed 2018 International Festival of Mediterranean Documentary and Reportage France.
Public Award with the documentary Dying for Europe.
World Press photo 2017. Category: short film, second place with the documentary Trapped.
POYi ,2016 Category: Exodus, second place with the story The Road Of Tears.
POYi, 2016 Category: Multimedia News Story, third palce with the story, Dying to enter Europe.
Px3 Paris Photography 2015, Bronze metal for the story “Alevi, The Unknown People”.
Fotovisura Grand 2014, Finalist for the story “Seven Years of Recession”.
Px3 Paris Photography 2014, Gold medal for the story “Dying for Electricity” and Silver medal for the story “Turkey Reacts”.
NPPA 2014, Honorable mention for the story “Turkey Reacts”.
POYi 2014, Finalist in the World Understanding category for the story “Greece, Seven Years of Recession”.
Lucie Awards, 2013, Finalist for the story “Greece, Seven Years of Recession”.
PX3-Prix De la Photographie 2013, Gold medal in the Portraits category for a photograph of a member of the Golden Dawn.
CHIPP - China International Press Photo Contest 2012, Award in the Economy Science & Technology category for the story “The coal mines”.
