Migration Policy Minister Yiannis Mouzalas was temporarily locked out by migrants from entering their camp at Elliniko yesterday Monday, following some scuffles and tension.
Eventually the migrants removed the lock and allowed the minister to enter and met with their representatives whilst urging those who did not wish to stay in the camp to leave.
“They have rights, and we respect them. But they too ought to respect the laws of the state. Anyone who feels oppressed inside this facility can leave and be subject to the provisions of the law,” he said.
The protestors who were demanding better living conditions, had attempted to lock down the site and prevent supply trucks, doctors and school buses from entering the facility.
Reviewing Greece’s track record, Mouzalas noted that the government had succeeded in normalising the situation on the Greek mainland in the six months since the Idomeni camp was dismantled. It had got people off the streets, children into school and provided food, shelter, heating and even wifi connections for 80 pct of migrant facilities, he said. In France, by contrast, refugees evacuated from the “Jungle” at Calais were still sleeping in tents on town squares.
“They are not wrong to complain about the food but it’s there: people are not going hungry. It is hard to achieve a perfect balance,” Mouzalas noted. He also pointed out that anyone who felt “oppressed” at the facility was free to leave. “Refugees can move freely, as can all Greeks,” he noted.
The protest at Elliniko started on Sunday, when the Movement Against Racism and the Fascist Threat (KEERFA) issued an announcement complaining about conditions and reporting a hunger strike. Among others, it said that “mothers with babies and small children do not even have the bare essentials, such as baby formula and nappies. The food provided by the organisation DRC is unacceptable. There is no hot water or washing machines. There is no access to hospitals, since there are no interpreters.”
