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Local residents protested Monday in the capital city of Mytilene on Lesvos island, which has received the bulk of refugee and immigrant arrivals in Greece since early 2015, asking for the immediate decongestion of the island from refugees.
They protest against the creation of a new Hot Spot on Lesvos. Among the protesters were residents of Moria, who were expecting the decongestion of the island and not the construction of new hosting centers.
Nikos Trakellis, the president of Moria village, told Xinhua they had complained for a long time about the problems the local community faces, but almost nothing has been done.
"Everything is in chaos. The sewage end up in the river once again. The (Moria) camp can host only 800 people and it has now 3, 000. What is going to happen now that winter is coming? Where are they going to go? They are trapped," said Trakellis.
"In the winter, they are going to vandalize our homes in order to get warm or find something to eat. We ask for compensations," Trakellis added.
Spiros Galinos, the mayor of Lesvos, told an urgent meeting of the town council last Saturday that the situation is extremely dangerous.
On the construction of a new Hot Spot in Kara Tepe, he said Lesvos cannot bear more burden than it has already done, adding that 3,000 refugees must immediately leave the island for mainland.
Galinos added that the facility in Kara Tepe has to be operated by the municipality itself and funded by either the greek public sector or the EU without the NGOs' involvement.
"We set the (central) government a deadline till the end of December to act accordingly. If this does not happen, the camp will be closed," he was quoted by local media as saying.
Stratis Kitelis, the vice regional officer of North Aegean, who met representatives of the protesters, told Xinhua that "under no circumstances should we allow the creation of more Hot Spots which are like prisons of human souls. I ask the (central) government to do something about Lesvos's immediate decongestion."
Evangelos Violatzis, the president of the village of Panagiouda near the Hot Spot of Moria, said the villagers are complaining because many refugees conduct inappropriate behaviors and have converted both the beach and the palm tree forest into a wasteland.
There are also concerns about possible structural damages and petty thefts, said Violatzis.
On Monday, Lesvos counted 93 refugee arrivals, while the Camp of Moria and the Camp of Kara Tepe host 5,264 refugees and immigrants, according to the police.
Meanwhile, a group of Palestinian refugees staged a silent protest in Moria on Monday, asking for the examination of their asylum requests which has not proceeded after five months.
(APD)
