Lesbos

Violent outbreaks are a daily occurrence on the Greek island of Lesbos (Mytilene). New squabbles broke out on Sunday morning as passengers gathered for a seat on the ferry, Eleftherios Venizelos. Anger and scuffles broke out when only 2,500 people were able to secure a ticket to Athens and the police had to intervene.

Thousands of angry refugees trapped on the island of Lesbos clashed with police on Saturday. Many of the people on the island have been trapped there for two weeks in squalid conditions. They have repeatedly tried to exit by force, however are being kept there until they are registered – a long and grueling process for Greek authorities.

Thousands of migrants, mainly from Afghanistan, trapped at the port of Lesbos (Mytilene) for days revolted. Around a thousand refugees attempted forced entry on the Blue Star 1, yelling “Athens! Athens!” as they pushed their way forth. The ship lifted its passageway, closing off entry.

Five Greek islands in the eastern Aegean are bearing the brunt of the migration wave, according to data made public by the port authorities.

The police in the Greek city of Thessaloniki detained a Bulgarian citizen for illegal trafficking of immigrants with a truck carrying 103 people, 19 of whom children.

According to media reports, each of the refugees had paid EUR 2000 for being transported across the border.

The situation in the capital of Lesvos island, Mytilene, was explosive on Sunday morning after groups of third world nationals clashed between them exactly outside the coast guard headquarters.

Yet another mini riot was reported amongst a group of irregular migrants at the port of Mytilene, on the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos (Lesbos), as authorities struggle to process the thousands of third country nationals being smuggled onto Greece’s isles from neighboring Turkey.

Greek Coast Guard is being stretched to its limits with at least 1,728 illegal immigrants being rescued by over the past 3 days around the eastern Aegean islands of Samothrace, Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Agathonisi, Kos and Megisti. The ‘irregular’ immigrants were collected in 66 coast guard operations that took place between Friday- August 14 and Monday-August 17.

“We didn’t come to Greece to receive money or to create a problem; we want to leave and seek a better future in another country,” is the way the head of one family, who idenified themselves as refugees from Syria, told Proto Thema on Thursday.

A Turkish tourist on the Greek island of Lesbos on the Aegean Sea has filmed the landing of a boat-load of Syrian refugees.