Groups of migrants clashed with Greek police on Saturday near the migrant camp of Moria on the island of Lesvos which was razed to the ground by a succession of fires earlier this week.
The clashes occurred when some angry migrants, left homeless by the blaze, attempted to march down a road leading to the island’s port of Mytilene.
Greek police fired teargas to prevent the march towards the town. Earlier, a protest took place where hundreds of migrants demanded to leave the island of Lesvos as authorities started building a new encampment for them.
Some carried handwritten signs carrying messages including “We don’t want to go to a hell like Moria again” and “Can you hear us Mrs Merkel?” in an appeal to the German chancellor.
#Greece #Lesbos #Moria #refugees
The protest was loud but peaceful.
At the end, some frustrated refugees threw stones, plastic bottles at police officers who answered with tear gas
Three were arrested
People fainted, some were evacuated by ambulanceHT@PaterAntonius pic.twitter.com/kc8K3Pjltl
— Iliana Mier-Lavin (@imlavin) September 12, 2020
More than 12,000 people, most from Africa and Afghanistan, have been sleeping rough since flames swept through the notoriously overcrowded camp earlier this week. Some residents had COVID-19, raising fears the outbreak could spread.