Dozens injured in Greek protests over new migrant centres
Islanders broke into hotel housing riot police and beat officers
More than 60 people have been hurt in clashes between riot police and anti-migrant protesters on the Greek islands of Lesbos and Chios.
More than 1,000 people attended a protest in Lesbos, while around 2,000 people took to the streets on Chios.
What are the protests about?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Greek authorities have pledged to build new migrant camps to replace overcrowded facilities on Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Leros and Kos.
The five islands lie off the coast of Turkey, on a route used by hundreds of thousands of migrants to cross to Europe in recent years.
Following weeks of talks with local people – who generally oppose the new centres – the government secretly shipped construction machinery and hundreds of riot police officers to Lesbos and Chios, reports the BBC.–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
What happened in Lesbos?
Large crowds gathered on Tuesday and Wednesday, attempting to approach a site earmarked for a migrant centre.
On Tuesday, protesters blocked roads leading to the construction site with rubbish trucks and cars. Among them were regional governor Kostas Moutzouris and West Lesbos’s mayor Taxiarchis Verros, say local reports.
On Wednesday, 43 police and 10 protesters were hurt. Local police said more than 1,000 people gathered at the site, throwing stones at officers.
Police attempted to disperse demonstrators with tear gas and stun grenades.
“It is a day of shame for all, and mostly for those who ordered these actions,” governor Moutzouris said of the police response. “It is a shame for the islanders to be beaten and to suffer from tear gas. Not even the military junta did these things,” Al Jazeera reports.
“Our great fear when passions are so high is that blood will be spilt,” said Efstratios Tzimis, the deputy mayor of Mytilene, Lesbos’s main town. “It’s a very bad turn of events when Greeks turn against Greeks,” says The Guardian.
What happened in Chios?
On Tuesday, hooded protesters pelted riot police with rocks.
On Wednesday, the situation escalated, with around 2,000 people taking to the streets in Chios to voice their opposition to the new centre.
A police spokesman said that one group broke into a hotel where riot officers from mainland Greece were staying, attacking and injuring eight of them.
Video footage posted online shows a group of people bursting into the hotel, beating police and throwing objects from windows.
At least 52 riot police officers and 10 protesters were hurt in Wednesday’s protests, according to local media.
What will happen next?
The Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for calm. He is set to meet the regional governor and local mayors of the islands to discuss the ongoing protests.
Despite the chaos, Mitsotakis has vowed to press ahead with the plans for new migrant camps.
Authorities on the Greek islands want refugees to be transported to the mainland and dispersed among other EU countries.
But the Greek migration minister, Notis Mitarachi, said that moving asylum seekers to the mainland would only be “a pull factor” for those making the journey and the traffickers exploiting them.
Dimitra Kalogeropoulou, Greece director of the International Rescue Committee, said the demonstrations were the result of overcrowding, which “is good for no one; local communities feel their islands have been transformed into giant prisons, while asylum seekers are forced to live in dangerous conditions”.
Around 19,000 people are currently at the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos, which was originally designed to accommodate fewer than 3,000.
Manos Logothetis, the general secretary of the Greek ministry of migration and asylum, said of Moria: “It is not an honour for any state to have such centres. It is critical that these [new] centres happen.”
Filippo Grandi, UN high commissioner for refugees, recently called for an end to the “shocking and shameful” conditions at the camps.
Meanwhile, the Greek government has reportedly dispatched more riot police to Lesbos in anticipation of further unrest, reports Al Jazeera.
Michael Trammer, a German journalist present at the protests in Lesbos, told the broadcaster he expected troubles to intensify.
“There are more police coming to the island, but also this means that there is also going to be more resistance by locals – because they feel like the central Athens government is overriding their decision on how this should be dealt with,” he said. “So I would expect more resistance and more police and an increasingly tense situation.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The history of Donald Trump's election conspiracy theories
The Explainer How the 2024 Republican nominee has consistently stoked baseless fears of a stolen election
By David Faris Published
-
Two ancient cities have been discovered along the Silk Road
Under the radar The discovery changed what was known about the old trade route
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
'People shouldn't have to share the road with impaired drivers'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The Vietnamese migrants crossing the Channel
The Explainer 2024 has seen a surge in the numbers of Vietnamese migrants making the illegal passage into the UK
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published