Clashes broke out on Thursday (August 18th) when Greek police intervened to evacuate one of the last refugee camps in Athens, only managing to expel a few dozen people in the end, officials said.
The attempt to empty the Eleonas camp of its 670 occupants began at dawn, around five o’clock, when the police removed the barricades they had erected at its entrances.
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Migrants and activists defending their cause clashed with riot police, who used tear gas to repel them, according to videos made on the spot. “In cooperation with the Municipality of Athens, we are proceeding with the closure of the Eleonas camp, as the modernization of the area progresses and there are places available in other existing structures“explained the Minister of Migration Notis Mitarachi on Twitter. “Unfortunately, a small number of migrants and the groups that support them are trying to dynamite the movement“, he added. “All transferred migrants have signed a declaration of consent“, told AFP an official of the Ministry of Migration, assuring that the evacuation process will be completed by the end of the year.
Eleonas was the first refugee camp to open in mainland Greece in August 2015. Several officials from around the world, who wanted to get an insight into the migration problem in Greece, visited it, including former French President François Hollande and the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola. Most of the refugees and migrants from Eleonas, who are housed there in containers, will be transferred to Schisto, the last remaining camp in the Greek capital. Greece is one of the main gateways to Europe for people fleeing Africa and the Middle East in search of a better life in the EU. The number of arrivals has fallen considerably in recent years. Charities and the media accuse Athens of illegally deporting migrants, which Greece’s conservative government denies.
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