Greece arrests hundreds of migrants after imposing asylum freeze
The 190 migrants arrived in three groups south of the island of Crete, the coastguard told AFP. A fourth group of 11 people was found near the island of Agathonisi, opposite the Turkish coast. State TV ERT reported one of them was injured and later died in hospital.
The move marks a further hardening of Greece's stance towards migrants under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' centre-right government, which has built a fence at its northern land borders and boosted sea patrols since it came to power in 2019. Greece is experiencing a rise in migrant arrivals from Libya, mainly landing in Crete, the home island of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Over 2,000 people have landed just in July, sparking anger among local officials and tourism operators who have put pressure on the conservative government to take action to stop the flows. The government has declared a three-month suspension on asylum requests from any persons arriving by sea from North Africa.
Earlier this month, dozens of migrants were seen in shocking footage leaping off a boat and running onto a beach in front of tourists on a Greek holiday island. In one clip, recorded at Diskos beach in the south of Crete, a group of asylum seekers were seen crammed in to a small boat as it bobbed near the shoreline.
The concerning levels of sea arrivals prompted a visit by Greece's foreign minister George Gerapetritis to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar this month. Last month Athens also said it would deploy two frigates near Libyan territorial waters to help stem the flow.
It urged Libya to cooperate more closely with Greece and the EU to stop migrants sailing from there or turn them back before they exit Libyan territorial waters. The North African country has remained deeply divided since the 2011 NATO-backed revolt that toppled and killed longtime leader Moamer Kadhafi.
Human rights groups accuse Greece of forcefully turning back asylum-seekers on its sea and land borders. This year, the European Union border agency said it was reviewing 12 cases of potential human rights violations by Greece.
The government denies wrongdoing. Greece was on the front line of migration crisis in 2015-16 when hundreds of thousands of migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa passed through its islands and mainland.
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Daily Mail
4 hours ago
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Rings of steel placed around Canary Wharf and Epping asylum seeker hotels after second night of anti-migrant protests outside four-star venue
A ring of steel is being set up around a luxury four-star hotel that's been converted to house migrants, following sweeping protests this week. Large barriers have been installed outside The Britannia International Hotel in London 's Canary Wharf this morning. It comes after a second night of fiery scenes following a major rally by anti-migrant activists outside the swanky city centre venue - where rooms can go for up to £425 a night. Guards kitted out in black uniforms and wearing face masks were seen manning the barriers this morning, as security was tightened. Meanwhile, more than a dozen officers from the Metropolitan Police have gathered outside the building. The heightened protective measures come amid fresh fears of further protests exploding tomorrow and over the weekend. In Epping, Essex, the community is once against braced for fresh demonstrations this week following violent clashes by 'thugs' outside The Bell Hotel, which is also housing illegal asylum seekers. The mayhem erupted earlier this month after one of the hotel's Ethiopian residents was charged with sexually assaulting schoolgirls in the leafy Essex town. This afternoon, metal fencing was delivered to the hotel on the back of a flatbed truck, in a seeming drive to beef up the building's defences. Since the disorder earlier this month, protests have spread to other parts of the country, with more than 150 gathering outside The Park Hotel, in Diss, Norfolk on Monday after the Home Office announced plans to change it from housing asylum-seeker families to single men. The boss of the organisation representing rank-and-file police officers has chillingly warned the disorder in Epping's was the 'signal flare' which could spark an outbreak of violent protests. Police could now be dragged away from neighbourhood duties to keep the peace at rallies outside migrant hotels, said Tiff Lynch, head of the Police Federation. Ms Lynch said officers were being 'pulled in every direction' and commanders were 'forced to choose between keeping the peace at home or plugging national gaps'. She said if violent protests spread throughout the summer, it would be 'dangerous to assume' that police forces would be able to 'hold the line indefinitely' 'It would be comical if it weren't so serious - and so familiar. Local commanders are once again being forced to choose between keeping the peace at home or plugging national gaps,' she wrote in the Telegraph. She said Epping was 'not just a troubling one-off', adding: 'It was a signal flare. A reminder of how little it takes for tensions to erupt and how ill-prepared we remain to deal with it.' The hotel in Canary Wharf was the latest to be converted into asylum accommodation by the Home Office, as Britain braces itself for a potential surge in illegal migrants crossing the Channel in the summer. 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'This is one of the most luxurious hotels people can only dream of staying in, right in the heart of London's financial centre.' He continued: 'No wonder illegal immigrants are flooding across the Channel in record numbers,' adding: 'This is an insult to law-abiding citizens.' Workers spent yesterday hauling beds and mattresses into a four-star hotel in Canary Wharf after a night of protests in response to Government plans to house migrants there. Labourers dragging new furniture into the hotel were allowed through the metal fencing and police cordon in preparation for the arrival of 'hundreds' of asylum seekers. Today, workers inside the hotel appeared to be installing privacy tape on the main entrance doors at the site, which obscured views into the building. Protesters had gathered outside the hotel amid reports asylum seekers were being transferred from Epping, where trouble had previously broken out, to the capital, although the Home Office later clarified this was not the case. Tower Hamlets Council did, however, confirm the Government intends to use the hotel - which has around 500 rooms - for asylum seekers in a move which has angered anti-migrant protesters and guests whose bookings have been cancelled. Privacy tape has seemingly been installed at the hotel today on its main entrance doors The Met Police said it has officers at the scene and warned it wouldn't hesitate to clampdown on criminal thugs trying to create mayhem outside the hotel. A spokesman told MailOnline: 'We continue to have officers deployed in the vicinity of the Britannia International Hotel where protests have taken place over recent days. 'They are there to provide reassurance to local residents and businesses, to ensure that any further protest takes place peacefully and to respond to any incidents. 'We continue to encourage those exercising their lawful right to protest to do so responsibly and with consideration to the impact on those trying to go about their lives in the local area. 'Anyone who crosses the line from lawful protest into criminality can expect to face police action.' In Epping, Essex Police has issued a dispersal order, which is in place from 2pm on Thursday until 8am on Friday, covering an area including the town centre, transport hubs and networks such as the underground station. The order gives officers the power to tell anyone suspected of committing or planning antisocial behaviour to leave the area or face arrest. It comes as the force faces criticism over its handling of the display, which led to riot police being drafted in, as activists hurled bricks and other missiles at police vans. The Chief Constable for Essex Police has dismissed calls to resign over the force's handling of the Epping protests after footage emerged of officers escorting pro-migrant activists to an asylum seeker hotel where violent clashes erupted. Ben-Julian Harrington rejected calls from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to step down and firmly extinguished claims his officers had given a higher level of protection to pro-migrant protesters. Asked if he would resign, he told a press conference on Wednesday: 'No, I am not [resigning]. I am not going to do that. This is not about me, this is about the communities of Essex.' He added: 'The issue is not about my resignation. The issue is about an effective police operation that keeps the communities of Epping safe...' The Bell Hotel, in Epping, Essex, has been the centre of a string of violent demonstrations after an asylum seeker was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl in the town eight days after arriving in the UK. Essex Police had initially denied it had brought Stand Up to Racism activists to the hotel before ugly clashes broke out with anti-migrant protesters on Thursday. But after being shown footage of officers leading the group from a nearby station to outside the hotel, the force then backtracked and admitted it had provided a 'foot cordon'. Mr Farage called for Chief Constable Harrington to resign, saying the footage is 'absolutely disgraceful' and 'heads must roll'. The Reform UK leader later posted footage allegedly showing pro-migrant protesters being 'bussed' to the demonstration in police vans but Essex Police said this was 'categorically' untrue. The force explained that pro-migrant protesters were given a 'foot cordon' on their way to the protest and those who were 'clearly at risk of being hurt' later on were 'escorted by vehicle'. Facing a barrage of questions, Chief Constable Harrington rejected claims his officers had given a higher level of protection to pro-migrant protesters. 'No, I don't accept that,' he said. 'The only protection that officers are doing is to those lawful and law-abiding people, whether they are in that accommodation, whether they are the people of Epping or whether they are people who are standing there with placards and banners wishing to make a very important and legitimate view, whichever your views about it. 'Where officers have intervened that is because there has been are not being partial in any way, shape or form.' The chief constable also dismissed claims pro-migrants were 'bussed' to the hotel', explaining: 'There has been some accusations in the media that we drove people to the protest. That is not true. 'We have not driven anybody to that protest. People made their own way there... we did take people away for their safety and the safety of everyone there.' Five people have so far been charged with violent disorder following the protests in Epping. Stuart Williams, 36, of Thornwood, Epping, has been charged and remanded in custody alongside Dean Smith, 51, also of Epping. Jonathan Glover, 47, of Waltham Abbey, and Keith Silk, 33, of Loughton, have also been charged with violent disorder. They were given conditional bail. All four are due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on August 18. Joe McKenna, 34, of Wickford, is charged with failing to remove a face covering when directed to do so. He remains on bail ahead of a hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on September 24. The demonstrations followed a man living in the hotel being charged with sexual assault, harassment and inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity.
