After a few relatively calm months, there have been clashes between police and “migrants” in Greece, and now there are reports of mysterious masked gunmen intercepting refugee boats in Greek waters.
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Aid workers estimate there are 6,000 to 7,000 refugees and other foreigners from war-torn countries like Syria staying on Kos, the equivalent of about 20 percent of the island’s normal population.
While scores of tents remain standing outside the stadium, the situation is much better than at the beginning of the week, when thousands of people were sleeping rough in parks, along the seafront promenade, in the harbour and under the walls of a coastal mediaeval fort.
Later on in the video, the fishermen saw that the Greeks used implements which they said resembled spears to puncture the inflatable boat the migrants were in; the Greek boat then left the scene.
“We want to inform [the foreigners] that human smugglers will take their money most probably without being able to honor their pledges if they come toward Hungary”, Lazar said.
“They intend to cross mainland Greece, to the northern borders and into Europe; many people talking about the destination being Germany”. The ship is intended to provide temporary quarters for the migrants.
A statement from the Boards of Police Officers in the Northern and Southern Dodecanese said: “We are puzzled by the decision to berth the ship at Kos“. No water, no food.
The worst affected are Kos, Kalymnos, Leros and Tilos, according to Greek language publication The Rhodean.
A young Syrian child arrives in the night on a dinghy at a beach at Kos.
The coastguard intercepted and arrested the occupants of two rubber dinghies who were found in the water off the north coast of the island.
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The Greek coast guard said it rescued almost 600 refugees and migrants at sea from Thursday morning to Friday morning, in 21 separate incidents off Kos, and the islands of Rhodes, Chios, Samothraki and Lesbos – where most arrivals are recorded. Or other Europeans for having serious doubts about the numbers of refugees they can cope with?
