Riot police clashed with protesters at a Lesbos rally against the EU's migration policy. Some groups have warned that the island is "reaching breaking point" with thousands of refugees stranded by the policy.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Giannakouris
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Riot police confronted protesters on the Greek island of Lesbos on Thursday who came out in opposition to the ongoing migrant crisis, which they say is disproportionately impacting their homelands.
Police formed a cordon and fired tear gas to block the protesters, after many of them tried to push over a police bus.
Clashes between officers and protesters lasted for more than an hour, although no injuries or arrests were reported.
Instead, some 15,000 migrants remain on Greek islands, including Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos, while their asylum claims are processed. Most of them are stuck in overcrowded camps as conditions worsen.
Migrant support groups say a large backlog of applications has been created, leaving local residents frustrated as their islands are overwhelmed with newcomers.
"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."
Earlier on Thursday, the aid agency Doctors without Borders warned that Lesbos was "reaching breaking point."
It said some 500 new people were entering the island every week, overstretching healthcare and other services laid on for the migrants, while leading some to resort to violence.
What migrants face on Lesbos – and why it's getting worse
Asylum-seekers stranded on the Greek island of Lesbos can expect things to deteriorate even more: Numerous NGOs that provide health, legal and other services are preparing to pull out or have already left.
Image: DW/V. Haiges
Stuck on the Aegean
European funding for NGOs responding to the migrant crisis on the Greek islands came to an end in August. Since then the Greek state alone has been responsible for dealing with the asylum-seekers. But there was no clear transition plan, and gaps in humanitarian services have become apparent throughout Lesbos.
Image: DW/V. Haiges
Neither here nor there
Moria, the main reception facility in Lesbos, and other such camps are unable to cope with the continuing arrivals of small numbers of asylum-seekers. Tensions are high; frustration quickly turns into aggression, fights between individuals morph into fights between different ethnic groups.
Image: DW/V. Haiges
Fresh and clean
Discarded shampoo and water bottles lie next to an improvised shower outside Moria. Due to a shortage of hygienic facilities in the camp, many people there look for other options. They see the failure to provide adequate facilities as a deliberate strategy to worsen living conditions.
Image: DW/V. Haiges
Waiting for a decision
Aman from Eritrea apologizes for not being able to offer tea or water in his tent. He has been waiting for a decision on his asylum request since he arrived in Lesbos three months ago. "There are too many problems inside Moria." Overcrowded shelters and tensions between different groups often results into fights.
Image: DW/V. Haiges
'We are human'
An Afghan asylum-seeker prepares signs for a protest against the poor conditions in Moria. Most of the Afghans protesting have been on Lesbos for over a year and are still waiting for a response to their asylum bids. Lack of information, tough living conditions and the fear of being deported back to Afghanistan leave many of them in a constant state of anxiety.
Image: DW/V. Haiges
The limits of generosity
Residents of Lesbos discuss the Afghans' protest. The refugee crisis has led to a massive decline in tourism on Lesbos, down by almost 75 percent this year compared to 2015. Greece's ongoing economic crisis has also had a great impact on the island. Although many locals are sympathetic to the asylum-seekers's needs, they don't think Greece is capable of hosting them right now.
Image: DW/V. Haiges
Two weeks against helplessness
Volunteers have been filling gaps, such as providing health care, which is in great demand. German doctor Juta Meiwald came to Lesbos for two weeks to help. She says many of the health problems are a result of the living conditions at Moria. Those in the camps have complained that, regardless of their afflictions, doctors there generally just give them painkillers.
Image: DW/V. Haiges
Reclaiming life
At the Mosaik Support Center asylum-seekers transform life vests collected on the beach into bags and wallets. Activities like this are a welcome interruption to the monotony of life in the camps, in addition to giving those stuck here, like this Iranian woman, a small income.
Image: DW/V. Haiges
New arrivals every day
Since early 2015, new arrivals have been obliged to stay on the island until their asylum claims are processed. But a backlog of applications and a lengthy appeals process have meant only a fraction of cases have been assessed. Over 14,000 migrants arrived in Greece this year, according to the UN refugee agency. Last year Greece granted asylum to around 12,500 people, while 173,000 came.
During a visit to Lesbos on Thursday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras attempted to quell anger by saying that if the EU-Turkey deal had not been agreed, the situation would be "three times as bad."
"Three years ago we had 4,000-5,000 people arriving every day," he said, whilst conceding that conditions were still "very difficult for migrants and residents."
Tsipras promised that additional staff would be deployed to speed up procedures.
In the meantime, the number of daily arrivals continues to rise, including 53 people picked up on Thursday from a yacht that ran aground on a remote beach in northeastern Greece.
