Greece hopes to defuse tensions after protests over plans for new migrant camps on two of its islands turned into violent clashes between police and locals
Protesters throw petrol bombs at riot police during clashes at the port of Mytilene, on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. February 26, 2020.
Hundreds of residents attacked police officers guarding the sites of the future detention camps on the islands of Lesvos and Chios on Wednesday. A large crowd later laid siege for hours to a Lesvos army camp where riot-control squads were billeted. Local authorities declared a 24-hour strike and staged large protest rallies that devolved into the violence Wednesday. Greek officials said 43 police officers were injured on Lesvos, which sees the most arrivals as migrants cross the sea from nearby Turkey.Another nine officers were injured on Chios, where an angry mob burst into a hotel used by riot police, beat up officers resting in their rooms and threw out their belongings.
“The plan will go ahead and we need to see how it can be done best. It’s the only plan we have on the table,” he said.Lesvos, and to a lesser extent Chios, annually receive tens of thousands of people fleeing war or poverty in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The migrants cross from the nearby Turkish coast in small, unseaworthy boats provided by smuggling gangs.
Island residents and local authorities say they want all asylum seekers to be moved to the mainland. They oppose the construction of the new facilities and want the old ones shut down.
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