For immigrants, Greece is no longer the land of opportunity it once was.
Here in Athens , they are being rounded up by police: the authorities response to a wave of popular anger...
Unable to find work or move on, immigrants are stuck and now facing a xenophobic backlash from many Greeks angry at the lack of jobs and rising crime.
UPSOT Man
Go out. Go out
You want them to leave?
Yes because this is my country.
I had joined one of thousands of police patrols in this part of the capital - looking to detain immigrants suspected of being in Greece illegally.
SOT police officer
"We see it every day. They are given a date by which they must leave voluntarily. If they overstay this date we will catch them. There are many who do not have documents. Many."
Of the thousands like Rauf whove been rounded up, most have been released. The system is chaotic and its still easy to obtain temporary papers. Off camera, some police officers told me they were deeply frustrated.
PTC
Those who are held and face deportation end up in detentions camps like this one, a former police training base on the edge of Athens .
Last month the European Court of human rights condemned Greece over the conditions at these detentions centres, where immigrants can be held for up to a year…
Human rights groups have documented massive overcrowding, with young children dumped together with adults. Medical help is rare and toilet and washing facillities almost nonexistent. The stench at some facilities is so bad that Greek guards wear masks. According to reports beatings are common.
In the push to round-up illegal immigrants, genuine asylum seekers are also suffering. I met a group of Syrians who'd come to escape the fighting in their country but had been welcomed by fire bombs from local thugs. They now live like virtual prisoners, too afraid to go out. 15 people are sharing just two rooms. A defector from the Syrian army, Malik fled to Greece thinking it was a safe haven, only to be arrested here at gunpoint..
SOT Malik Al-Ibrahimi
"They gave us our expulsion documents. I understood from what they were saying - if we still find you here in five days, the Syrians wont have a chance to kill you, because we will kill you first..."
SOT Woman
They said Greece is democratic, civilised, the cradle of civilisation and European. This is why we came here. If we knew what we knew now, we would have stayed in Syria . It would've been better for us
The police told me any complaints against individual officers would be fully investigated, but that their overall round-up has international backing...
SOT Christos Manouras Police Spokesman
There was an action plan approved by the EU in 2010 relating to the handling of illegal immigration. Our operation is part of that plan.
Mr Manouras also defended the conditions in the immigrant detention camps...
SOT
We try to do our best. In these centres we used to house trainee policeman. Now after the immigrants have moved in is it really possible that conditions can suddenly become so inhumane?
The treatment of immigrants Athens may seem harsh but in these overcrowded neighbourhoods, there's little sympathy from many Greeks pushed to the edge by the economic crisis.
Christina's flower business has recently seen its earnings cut in half. She blames a dramatic surge in crime in the area, which she puts down to immigrants.
SOT
People are afraid to go out after 5 in the evening. This is not the Greece we knew. We were supposed to be free citizens, free to move about and we can't do that anymore.
In the flat above I met Emmanuella who documents immigrant crime in the area. As we talked, drug dealers appeared to be operating in clear view on the street below.
Emmanuella says the police often tell her they're too overstretched to deal with every crime...She said they've suggested she should look elsewhere for help...
SOT
I went to the police station and said what am I supposed to do - go to Golden Dawn? And she said maybe madam you should..
These are the people Emmanuella was told to go and see...Golden Dawn. The neo-Nazi party's popularity has surged since the crisis, returning 18 MPs at the last election. This video shows the group acting like the police, checking the permits of immigrant traders in a market. After deeming one man to be trading illegally, the group trash his stall. George Germenis, one of two MPs involved in the attack tells the camera, Golden Dawn did what it had to do.
This video went viral in Greece where it has been greeted by a mix of praise and disgust.
Nobody has been arrested
Called racist thugs by many, Golden Dawn has been blamed for a surge in attacks on immigrants and their businesses. But to their swelling base of supporters, Golden Dawn are vigilante heroes, filling a vacuum left by the police.
This footage, shot by an immigrant, allegedly shows Golden Dawn supporters attacking an African cultural centre.
Just down the road on the same night, a bar was also smashed up. I met the owner, Patrice from Cameroon . He told me when he made a complaint to the police he was threatened by a group of men.
UPSOT
"like they wre going to kill me"
Terrified, he withdrew his complaint.
SOT
The police can protect me but until when? They can't protect me all of the time.."
I went to see one of Golden Dawn's highest profile MPs to ask about the attacks and claims that they are being carried out in their name....
SOT
He admitted he and other Golden Dawn MPs go to police stations to help Greeks accused of being involved in attacks..
SOT
i'M NOT unhappy this is happening wtih this if you ask me.
That night there's more violence. A group of anarchists arrive claiming to be here to defend the area's immigrants.
UPSOT
'We're going to lynch the facists' they chant.
UPSOT man on corner
Within minutes there's a warning that Golden Dawn supporters are out on the streets too...a fight has apparently broken out.
UPSOT
The police move in and its broken up. But injured men lie in the road.
These troubled neighbourhoods have become explosive...
Here in Athens , they are being rounded up by police: the authorities response to a wave of popular anger...
Unable to find work or move on, immigrants are stuck and now facing a xenophobic backlash from many Greeks angry at the lack of jobs and rising crime.
UPSOT Man
Go out. Go out
You want them to leave?
Yes because this is my country.
I had joined one of thousands of police patrols in this part of the capital - looking to detain immigrants suspected of being in Greece illegally.
SOT police officer
"We see it every day. They are given a date by which they must leave voluntarily. If they overstay this date we will catch them. There are many who do not have documents. Many."
Of the thousands like Rauf whove been rounded up, most have been released. The system is chaotic and its still easy to obtain temporary papers. Off camera, some police officers told me they were deeply frustrated.
PTC
Those who are held and face deportation end up in detentions camps like this one, a former police training base on the edge of Athens .
Last month the European Court of human rights condemned Greece over the conditions at these detentions centres, where immigrants can be held for up to a year…
Human rights groups have documented massive overcrowding, with young children dumped together with adults. Medical help is rare and toilet and washing facillities almost nonexistent. The stench at some facilities is so bad that Greek guards wear masks. According to reports beatings are common.
In the push to round-up illegal immigrants, genuine asylum seekers are also suffering. I met a group of Syrians who'd come to escape the fighting in their country but had been welcomed by fire bombs from local thugs. They now live like virtual prisoners, too afraid to go out. 15 people are sharing just two rooms. A defector from the Syrian army, Malik fled to Greece thinking it was a safe haven, only to be arrested here at gunpoint..
SOT Malik Al-Ibrahimi
"They gave us our expulsion documents. I understood from what they were saying - if we still find you here in five days, the Syrians wont have a chance to kill you, because we will kill you first..."
SOT Woman
They said Greece is democratic, civilised, the cradle of civilisation and European. This is why we came here. If we knew what we knew now, we would have stayed in Syria . It would've been better for us
The police told me any complaints against individual officers would be fully investigated, but that their overall round-up has international backing...
SOT Christos Manouras Police Spokesman
There was an action plan approved by the EU in 2010 relating to the handling of illegal immigration. Our operation is part of that plan.
Mr Manouras also defended the conditions in the immigrant detention camps...
SOT
We try to do our best. In these centres we used to house trainee policeman. Now after the immigrants have moved in is it really possible that conditions can suddenly become so inhumane?
The treatment of immigrants Athens may seem harsh but in these overcrowded neighbourhoods, there's little sympathy from many Greeks pushed to the edge by the economic crisis.
Christina's flower business has recently seen its earnings cut in half. She blames a dramatic surge in crime in the area, which she puts down to immigrants.
SOT
People are afraid to go out after 5 in the evening. This is not the Greece we knew. We were supposed to be free citizens, free to move about and we can't do that anymore.
In the flat above I met Emmanuella who documents immigrant crime in the area. As we talked, drug dealers appeared to be operating in clear view on the street below.
Emmanuella says the police often tell her they're too overstretched to deal with every crime...She said they've suggested she should look elsewhere for help...
SOT
I went to the police station and said what am I supposed to do - go to Golden Dawn? And she said maybe madam you should..
These are the people Emmanuella was told to go and see...Golden Dawn. The neo-Nazi party's popularity has surged since the crisis, returning 18 MPs at the last election. This video shows the group acting like the police, checking the permits of immigrant traders in a market. After deeming one man to be trading illegally, the group trash his stall. George Germenis, one of two MPs involved in the attack tells the camera, Golden Dawn did what it had to do.
This video went viral in Greece where it has been greeted by a mix of praise and disgust.
Nobody has been arrested
Called racist thugs by many, Golden Dawn has been blamed for a surge in attacks on immigrants and their businesses. But to their swelling base of supporters, Golden Dawn are vigilante heroes, filling a vacuum left by the police.
This footage, shot by an immigrant, allegedly shows Golden Dawn supporters attacking an African cultural centre.
Just down the road on the same night, a bar was also smashed up. I met the owner, Patrice from Cameroon . He told me when he made a complaint to the police he was threatened by a group of men.
UPSOT
"like they wre going to kill me"
Terrified, he withdrew his complaint.
SOT
The police can protect me but until when? They can't protect me all of the time.."
I went to see one of Golden Dawn's highest profile MPs to ask about the attacks and claims that they are being carried out in their name....
SOT
He admitted he and other Golden Dawn MPs go to police stations to help Greeks accused of being involved in attacks..
SOT
i'M NOT unhappy this is happening wtih this if you ask me.
That night there's more violence. A group of anarchists arrive claiming to be here to defend the area's immigrants.
UPSOT
'We're going to lynch the facists' they chant.
UPSOT man on corner
Within minutes there's a warning that Golden Dawn supporters are out on the streets too...a fight has apparently broken out.
UPSOT
The police move in and its broken up. But injured men lie in the road.
These troubled neighbourhoods have become explosive...