This archive report was first published on 3 November 2019.
Published on November 3, 2019, as Greece grappled with a record influx of migrants and refugees, protests broke out in two towns against the transfer of asylum-seekers.
Residents of Yannitsa, a small town in northern Greece, clashed with police as they attempted to prevent the arrival of 60 asylum-seekers from the islands of Lesbos and Samos. The migrants had been relocated to Yannitsa, and local residents expressed frustration with the situation, stating, "We have had enough," and "We have had many problems," according to an inhabitant.
Similar protests were held in Serres, where around 20 migrants were scheduled to arrive. The government had relocated over 900 people from Greek islands to the mainland over the weekend, with plans to move 20,000 by the end of the year.
The country's migrant crisis has worsened in recent months, with 40,000 migrants and refugees arriving in the past four months, according to junior minister Georges Koumoutsakos. The influx has put a strain on the country's resources, with over 34,000 people living in miserable conditions on five islands that can only accommodate 6,300.
Lawmakers approved a law tightening asylum procedures, aimed at easing the crisis and clearing nearly 70,000 pending requests. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis blamed Turkey and the previous government for the spike in migrant arrivals.
