By: V4 Agency
“Neither in Lesbos, nor anywhere, we will not turn Greek islands into prisons,” hundreds of demonstrators chanted as they marched to the governor’s office to protest against the construction of new camps on the islands, with over a quarter of a billion euros in funding from the EU.
Paying a visit to Lesbos on Monday, Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson announced that the European Union is planning to provide 276 million euros for the construction and renovation of five migrant camps to be built on the Greek islands.
During her visit on Monday, the Commissioner urged the Greek government to speed up the construction of the new camps on the islands of Samos, Lesbos, Chios, and Kos and bring them to completion before winter. She also called on Turkey to take in migrants returned from Greece.
Residents of the Greek islands staged angry protests against plans to build new camps. “Neither in Lesbos, nor anywhere, we will not turn Greek islands into prisons,” the protesters chanted as they marched to the governor’s office, journalist Giorgos Christides wrote on social media.
The governor of the North Aegean region took the side of the protesters and cancelled his meeting with the EU Commissioner for Migration.
Locals protesting in the region against migrant camps are not a new phenomenon. Since the beginning of the migrant crisis, residents have suffered countless problems due to the influx of migrants.
Locals residents living on the islands have reported several lootings by immigrants around the camps. Migrants often slaughter and steal farmers’ livestock, even chopping down one farmer’s olive trees to be used as firewood.
Illegal immigrants in Greece are causing enormous damage. In addition to the vandalism of churches, now usual,…
A shepherd recently reported that he needed to keep a watchful eye on his cattle at all times. On one occasion, when he let his guard down for two hours, intruders managed to slaughter five of his sheep. The week before, he lost fifteen animals to migrant looters.