According to the report, dramatic footage was recorded last Saturday on the Greek Island of Gavdos, south of Crete. The footage reveals that the local sunbathers in the water were attempting to prevent a migrant boat from reaching the shore. The locals were pushing the boat back into the open sea.
As per the official data, a Frontex vessel was taking the migrants on board and shipping them to the port. The remote Greek Island is at a breaking point following a new wave of unofficial migrants who have reached the island by boat from Libya. The migrant boat Greece had sailed across from Libya, only to be met with fierce opposition. This migration is throwing a significant strain on the small island’s limited resources.
Over the weekend, hundreds of migrants reached the southern Greek Island of Crete. The Greek coast guard had to help around 800 migrants who approached to arrive at the nearby small island of Gavdos. The Greek Coast Guard said that the maximum migrants who reached the Island reportedly set off from the Libyan port, Tobruk. The coast guard reported that the migrants had set off in several fishing boats, traveling 300 kilometers in almost a straight line.
According to the Coast Guard’s statement, the majority of the migrants were young men from several North African countries.
While speaking to state broadcaster ERT, the Minister of Immigration and Asylum of Greece, Thanos Plevris, confirmed that the Greek government has initiated a plan to manage the present situation. He stated that the decongestion of the island has started, and all new arrivals will have left within two to three days.
Further, he clarified that under the present scenario of asylum producers who will cross the border illegally, the new arrivals will be placed under administrative detention. Plevris said that there are no accommodation structures, but places of confinement, as these illegal arrivals are considered prisoners.
The Minister of Immigration stated that while this new route to Crete has become a major concern, overall migrant flows in the eastern Aegean have reduced by 11%, and he attributed this trend to cooperation with the Turkish Coast Guard.
Plevris mentioned that surveillance and monitoring operations are underway in the Libyan maritime zone. He warned that if the arrivals continue, there will be an escalation in this area.
Migrant boat pushed back to sea by locals on the Greek Island
