Page 29 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 11(2) (2023)

Table 1: Population of refugee numbers by country

Children Adults
Country and population
in 1950 -
0-7 8–17 Total 18–55 +55
HUNGARY 7.253 472 6,6 % 2.465 33,9% 2907 4.316 59,5% ?
BULGARIA 3.021 86 2,9% 586 19,4% 672 2.349 77,1% ?
ROUMANIA 9.100 225 2,4% 4.959 54,5% 5184 3.916 43,1% ?

POLAND 11.458 274 2,1% 2.875 24,8% 3149 8.409 73,1 ?
GDR 1.128 193 17,1% 935 82,9% 1128 - -
CZECHOSLOV. 11.941 846 7,1% 3.436 28,8% 4282 7.659 64, 1 ? 29
ti USSR 55.881 2 096 - - 15.256 - 33,9% - 38.629
11.980
11.980
TOTAL
Source: Central Committee of the KKE 2010, 329
ta Greeks by origin, were allowed to return to cross (passer in French); I suggest that to cross os-
Refugees from the civil war, proved to be
2
cillates between move away, which becomes ab-
Greece in 1982; some of them had already re-
sence – most of the refugees were repatriated –
di turned in 1975 after the fall of the military dic- and presence, for those who definitely decided to
tature which lasted 7 years, 1967–1974 (Anastas-
stay in the ex-host countries, but altered presenc-
sakis and Lagos 2021). Despite the repatriation
es, because those refugees who remained are no
of most of them, another part of them decided to
settle permanently in the host countries. longer recognized as such but designated under
3
another status (Greeks from...) . I use the verb
here status; on the other hand, in some countries, this term, (to cross the borders, such as lands, walls, remembering the former eastern bloc: who owns the legacy – the case of těchonín
In ex-Eastern Europe, the former refugee
‘to cross’, or ‘crossing’, in the spatial sense of the
population is no longer associated with refugee
seas, etc.) in the case of refugees from the civ-
population has been granted national minor-
il war, to move from northern Greece to neigh-
ity status by the state, as is the case in Hunga-
bouring countries, then to cross one Eastern
ry and the Czech Republic (Sarikoudi 2014, 237;
country to another, but also to cross, in the op-
Yupsanis 2019, 14). This allows them to claim a
‘lasting’ Greek presence in the country.
studiauniversitatis
I argue that although refugees of the Greek
country of origin. I also use to cross in the po-
civil war have remained in host countries for posite direction, from the host country to the
litical and social sense (Van Gennep 1981; Dubet
more than 30 years their life in former Eastern 2018); from banishment living to Greece, be-
Europe was characterized by a condition of to cause refugees were considered enemies of the
2 The law on repatriation (Joint Decision no. 106841/ nation by the Greek state, to be hosted as refu-
29.12.1982 of the Ministers of the Interior and of Public
Order 1982) had a double effect: on the one hand, it al- gee by Eastern countries; I understand to cross as
lowed the return to Greece of a large part of the refugees as a movement towards different social attributes
Greek citizens, and, on the other hand, the same law placed
outside the national body, and consequently outside the and legal status; from stateless and undocument-
nation-state, another part of refugee–the ‘non-Greeks of ed – because the refugees from Greece had been
origin’ –, in this case the Slavic speaking, or Macedonian
refugees, who were Greek citizens but, as they belonged to 3 In the former host countries, the refugees who remained
a linguistic minority that spoke other languages, they were after 1982 set up Greek associations. Such associations can
not considered to be Greeks by origin. be found in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, etc.