Greek Protesters Turn Violent on Tiny Island Overwhelmed by Migrants
“Thousands of people are still living in appalling conditions with limited access to medical facilities”
The small Greek island of Lesbos is only six miles from Turkey, which has made it a popular destination for migrants. The island has been overwhelmed in recent years and a recent protest descended into violence.
Frank Miles reports at FOX News:
Greek island protest about migrant influx turns violent
A protest on Thursday over the influx of migrants in Greece ultimately turned violent.
Greek riot police fired tear gas at angry protesters on the island of Lesbos who had been trying to topple a police bus during a demonstration against a European Union migration policy.
“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.”
The protesters were among 2,500 demonstrators who gathered in Lesbos’ main port as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras arrived to speak at a conference. A large contingent of riot police formed a cordon to block the protesters from advancing, and scores of them then tried to push over a police bus in clashes that lasted more than an hour.
No arrests or injuries were reported.
Officers fired tear gas and earlier discharged several flash grenades.
Resources have been stretched to the limit:
More than 15,000 migrants and refugees remain stuck on Lesbos, Chios, and three other islands, most staying in severely overcrowded camps.
“Thousands of people are still living in appalling conditions with limited access to medical facilities,” the aid group Doctors Without Borders. Conditions at the largest refugee camp in Lesbos, the group said “were putting the health and lives of people stranded on the island at risk.”
The Guardian has more:
Lesbos to greet Greek PM’s visit with protests, shutters and strikes
When a Greek prime minister visits a far-flung corner of the country he is traditionally welcomed with open arms. But any hope that Alexis Tsipras will be given the same reception when he arrives on Lesbos – the Aegean island long on the frontline of Europe’s migrant crisis – has been firmly dispelled.
Instead of the red carpet, locals have rolled out protest banners, announced a mass protest, shuttered shops and staged a general strike. Far from its usually jovial self, the port capital of Mytilene resembled a ghost town, reinforced and ringed by riot police, ahead of the visit late on Thursday.
“The people of Lesbos are exhausted,” the island’s mayor, Spyros Galinos, said. “Kindness has turned to anger … and where there is anger there is room for all sorts of extremism.”
The New York Times video below is from 2015, which goes to show this situation has been brewing for years now. A woman from the Hellenic Rescue Team explains that migrants arrive in boats. When the boat is spotted by the Coast Guard, migrants puncture the rubber boat so that they have to be rescued.
The mayor of Mytilene says “At this particular moment, speaking metaphorically, we are being invaded. An invasion from oppressed people. An invasion of misery. And this has brought great turmoil.”
It’s also fascinating to hear most of the migrants are headed to wealthier countries like Germany. For many, Greece is just the front door to Europe.
Featured image via YouTube.
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Deplorable refugees, maybe Hillary can squander her tax haven foundation money on them?
There really is not much difference between people of S-hole inner cities and those from S-hole middle east countries.
People of this community need to fence the shores and put up guard towers with snipers. We have all seen both in Europe, and in Minnesota why none of these refugees should be allowed to spread their misery to other communities.
There is a huge difference. One are Muslims who’s religion demand that they conquer the world and because of that they will never integrate into the countries that welcome them. They are barbarians who will destroy the host country like the Vandals and Goths did to the Roman Empire.
I agree, but there are also many similarities.
This is what happens when you enact public policy based on virtue signaling rather than actual EFFECTIVE policy.
They have done no research and put no thought into how many alleged refugees they can accept and actually process, have no system in place to actually track them once they are inside the EU, and actually THREATEN countries that have already been overwhelmed and don’t want to take more.
But hey at least you got to make speeches about how much better you are than Trump right?
migrants puncture the rubber boat so that they have to be rescued.
The logical fallacy is obvious.
Personally, I support anyone’s right to scuttle his boat in international waters without let or hindrance. This puts no obligation on anyone else provided that the boat is no menace to navigation, .
“The duty to rescue persons in distress at sea is a fundamental rule of international law. It has been incorporated in international treaties and forms the content of a norm of customary international law.”
– https://www.icrc.org/en/download/file/56144/irc98_7.pdf
Therefore the passengers on the sunken boat should be returned to Turkey from whence they came, as they are not refugees from Turkish threats to life or freedom. The only two barriers left are to obtain Turkish approval for return of people who set off from their shores as well as armed guards to prevent piracy of the rescue vessels by the rescued.
Citing the UNCLOS invalidates your own position. We, the United States, are not signatories to that vile convention precisely because the UNCLOS violates traditional international law. We have legitimate objections.
And Greece is not a signatory but only a party due to its EU membership. Greece is now finally learning, after voting for Germany to keep its ATMs running, that the EU is more trouble than it’s worth.
Basically what I’m saying as a Sailor of 20 years serving a nation that is thankfully not a signatory to UNCLOS, and this may not be a point of disagreement, if we’re talking about a group of people with the cutlery and the will to sink their own boat, I’m not obligated to rescue them.
I once closely read the UNCLOS. Years ago. I’ve since forgotten about it as it was clearly irrelevant to my continued existence on this planet unlike the 25mm Bushmaster cannon, Ma Deuce, the F-14, and the M1911. But even if the UNCLOS was part of my life I can’t imagine “rescuing” a party that slashed the air bladders of their own life raft with their own knives.
We’re the United States f***ing Navy. We’re the 800lb gorilla everywhere we sail. And we sail everywhere we want (which is why we didn’t sign on to the UNCLOS as it was designed to handcuff us). Which means we rescue a s***load of people. We render them whatever aid they need. Medical, food, water, etc. What we don’t do is take them onboard. If their craft is seaworthy we send them on their way.
If they should deliberately destroy their craft so it’s not seaworthy, now it’s a whole different ball game.
“Take me to America, Joe. Buy me Honda.”
Ain’t happening.
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/02/21/us-navy-rescues-3-fishermen-adrift-in-pacific-for-8-days/
“…The U.S. Coast Guard based in Guam searched for the men for several days before calling in a Navy team from Japan, who used a Poseidon plane equipped with advanced radar to find the boat within three hours.
The Navy said they dropped a kit to the boat containing food, water, medicine and communications equipment before a nearby police boat picked up the fishermen a few hours later.”
Note: we didn’t take them onboard.
Link to the article because it has a beautiful pic of the P-8 Poseidon. Although I must admit that if you’ve seen a Boeing 737 you’ve seen a P-8. From the outside. Inside it’s a whole different plane. As much as it pains me to say given my loyalt to the VP and VQ squadrons that flew the P-3 Orion/EP-3 Aries, the P-8 is the better plane.
When I was stationed in Japan I was for a time seconded to CTF 72:
“CTF 72 leads patrol, reconnaissance and surveillance forces in support of U.S. SEVENTH fleet. We maintain readiness to support today’s maritime contingency and are ready for tomorrow’s adversaries. We promote regional security and enhancement of theater security operations through multilateral engagements to build, reconnaissance and surveillance capability within SEVENTH fleet and partner forces. We seek close interoperability with allied forces, friendly nations, and other U.S. military services in execution of this mission.”
The P-3 is one of the few Naval aircraft I think I can offer a valid opinion. In addition to having served with fighter squadron 111 I’m also an honorary Hormel Hawg (search on it, I’m not going to do your work).
But I digress. The point is that A) we have no obligation to fish you out of water if you’re in distress unless your boat is in danger of sinking and B) we double down on A if you deliberately put yourself in that situation.
In the photo I see only young males…
The Lesbians are outraged!
Refugees from Turkey? I was unaware that the conditions in Turkey were so bad people had to flee to safety. Oh, they’re just illegal aliens wanting the EU goodies? Never mind.
EU migration policy = Europe destruction policy…
It tugs at my better nature to accept people fleeing from true tyranny and violence, but it’s hard to believe the majority of the claims are legitimate, and when they pull actions like coming in and sabotaging their boats it speaks to a much darker plan.
Islamic people have talked about, even boasted about, using the laws of the west to bring about their undoing. These are invading hoards, looking to appeal to the Western sense of guilt and good hearts wanting to help others who are in need.
As with our borders and weak laws, it gets exploited. Greece is not in a healthy fiscal state either, so it has to be an incredible strain on them. Which again seems like design more than “just” seeking refuge.
Why is it these numerous Muslims are immigrating across Europe and to the US and Canada, yet don’t look to move into Islamic countries, Africa, or Central America to anything like the amounts the EU and North America have seen? Sure, there is wealth in these countries, but being that our way of life is condemned by Muslims, and their frequently expressed wish of “Death to America” and so on, why would they move to a lifestyle they hate?
World domination is the stated goal of many Islamic leaders, I think we should take them at their word.
Anything they can do to offend the Muslim hoards invading Greece is acceptable. I only suggest they not try to roast one and eat him, you never know what sort of parasite a Muslim might have. Spit on them, shoot them, feed them to the pigs…it’s all good.
Obama/Clinton/McCain/Merkel’s legacy.
“A protest on Thursday over the influx of migrants in Greece ultimately turned violent.”
We are reaching the end game now. Either the governments will go full fascist to prevent citizens from grabbing pitchforks and taking matters into their own hands,
or
they will vote in a Trump who attempts to do something about the problems
or
if history is an indicator, the pogroms will start. This incident is an early warning sigh. I would not want to be a politician when they begin. I suspect they will be first on the list.
This is predictable, of course. Citizens can only take so much before they revolt … violently. And I FULLY SUPPORT that.
When the government fails to protect citizens, it’s time to take the law in your hands. And using the politically incorrect term “INVASION” is correct … we are dealing with invasion, not lawful immigration.
Here in the US, we need drastic action, a revolution, actually, to stem the southern invasion. Or, we need the 3s Solution:
1. shoot
2. shovel
3. shut up
The country you are saving is your own …