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Violence flares at Greek island protest over migrants

Riot police clashed with protesters at a Lesbos rally against the EU's migration policy. Some groups have warned that the island is "reaching breaking point" with thousands of refugees stranded by the policy.

Protest on Lesbos island (picture-alliance/dpa/P. Giannakouris)

Riot police confronted protesters on the Greek island of Lesbos on Thursday who came out in opposition to the ongoing migrant crisis, which they say is disproportionately impacting their homelands.

Police formed a cordon and fired tear gas to block the protesters, after many of them tried to push over a police bus.

Clashes between officers and protesters lasted for more than an hour, although no injuries or arrests were reported.

Read more: UNHCR: Migrants in Greek camps at risk of sexual violence

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Refugees on Lesbos

One-day strike held

Thursday's protest was part of an island-wide general strike to condemn a 2016 agreement between the European Union and Turkey that was expected to see migrants who landed on Greece's shores returned to Turkey.

Instead, some 15,000 migrants remain on Greek islands, including Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos, while their asylum claims are processed. Most of them are stuck in overcrowded camps as conditions worsen.

Migrant support groups say a large backlog of applications has been created, leaving local residents frustrated as their islands are overwhelmed with newcomers.

"It has gone too far. Every day buses (with refugees) arrive, and they're full," protester Yannis Vaxevanis said.

"The (government) has to do something and take the people somewhere else."

Read more: On the edge of the EU, refugee flows flood the Evros River

Numbers rising again

Tension has surged again on the Greek islands as the number of migrants arriving from Turkey has risen sharply in recent weeks.

Earlier on Thursday, the aid agency Doctors without Borders warned that Lesbos was "reaching breaking point."

It said some 500 new people were entering the island every week, overstretching healthcare and other services laid on for the migrants, while leading some to resort to violence.

Last month, several people were hurt when far-right militants attacked migrants staging a sit-in protest at Lesbos' main square.

  • Young men at the sea on Lesbos

    What migrants face on Lesbos – and why it's getting worse

    Stuck on the Aegean

    European funding for NGOs responding to the migrant crisis on the Greek islands came to an end in August. Since then the Greek state alone has been responsible for dealing with the asylum-seekers. But there was no clear transition plan, and gaps in humanitarian services have become apparent throughout Lesbos.

  • Moria refugee camp seen through a makeshift shelter

    What migrants face on Lesbos – and why it's getting worse

    Neither here nor there

    Moria, the main reception facility in Lesbos, and other such camps are unable to cope with the continuing arrivals of small numbers of asylum-seekers. Tensions are high; frustration quickly turns into aggression, fights between individuals morph into fights between different ethnic groups.

  • Discarded plastic bottles on the ground outside Moria camp, Lesbos

    What migrants face on Lesbos – and why it's getting worse

    Fresh and clean

    Discarded shampoo and water bottles lie next to an improvised shower outside Moria. Due to a shortage of hygienic facilities in the camp, many people there look for other options. They see the failure to provide adequate facilities as a deliberate strategy to worsen living conditions.

  • An Ethiopian asylum-seekers peers out of a tent in Lesbos

    What migrants face on Lesbos – and why it's getting worse

    Waiting for a decision

    Aman from Eritrea apologizes for not being able to offer tea or water in his tent. He has been waiting for a decision on his asylum request since he arrived in Lesbos three months ago. "There are too many problems inside Moria." Overcrowded shelters and tensions between different groups often results into fights.

  • A man sits behind signs placed on the ground

    What migrants face on Lesbos – and why it's getting worse

    'We are human'

    An Afghan asylum-seeker prepares signs for a protest against the poor conditions in Moria. Most of the Afghans protesting have been on Lesbos for over a year and are still waiting for a response to their asylum bids. Lack of information, tough living conditions and the fear of being deported back to Afghanistan leave many of them in a constant state of anxiety.

  • Two Lesbos residents discuss a protest held by Afghan asylum-seekers

    What migrants face on Lesbos – and why it's getting worse

    The limits of generosity

    Residents of Lesbos discuss the Afghans' protest. The refugee crisis has led to a massive decline in tourism on Lesbos, down by almost 75 percent this year compared to 2015. Greece's ongoing economic crisis has also had a great impact on the island. Although many locals are sympathetic to the asylum-seekers's needs, they don't think Greece is capable of hosting them right now.

  • A doctor checks a man's pulse during a health clinic

    What migrants face on Lesbos – and why it's getting worse

    Two weeks against helplessness

    Volunteers have been filling gaps, such as providing health care, which is in great demand. German doctor Juta Meiwald came to Lesbos for two weeks to help. She says many of the health problems are a result of the living conditions at Moria. Those in the camps have complained that, regardless of their afflictions, doctors there generally just give them painkillers.

  • A woman works away at a sewing machine

    What migrants face on Lesbos – and why it's getting worse

    Reclaiming life

    At the Mosaik Support Center asylum-seekers transform life vests collected on the beach into bags and wallets. Activities like this are a welcome interruption to the monotony of life in the camps, in addition to giving those stuck here, like this Iranian woman, a small income.

  • Asylum-seekers stand in front of a statue and a Greek flag on Lesbos

    What migrants face on Lesbos – and why it's getting worse

    New arrivals every day

    Since early 2015, new arrivals have been obliged to stay on the island until their asylum claims are processed. But a backlog of applications and a lengthy appeals process have meant only a fraction of cases have been assessed. Over 14,000 migrants arrived in Greece this year, according to the UN refugee agency. Last year Greece granted asylum to around 12,500 people, while 173,000 came.

    Author: Vincent Haiges (Lesbos)


Read more: Looking to the future: Strong women of the Greek refugee camps

Tsipras visits Lesbos

During a visit to Lesbos on Thursday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras attempted to quell anger by saying that if the EU-Turkey deal had not been agreed, the situation would be "three times as bad."

"Three years ago we had 4,000-5,000 people arriving every day," he said, whilst conceding that conditions were still "very difficult for migrants and residents."

Tsipras promised that additional staff would be deployed to speed up procedures.

In the meantime, the number of daily arrivals continues to rise, including 53 people picked up on Thursday from a yacht that ran aground on a remote beach in northeastern Greece.

mm/aw (AP, AFP)

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