Government spokesperson on migration Giorgos Kyritsis said Greece is preparing for violent riots when the mass deportation of refugees and migrants goes in effect on Monday.
The agreement between the European Union and Turkey to be implemented as of April 4 calls for mass relocation of Syrian refugees and migrants from other countries who crossed to Greece from Turkey to be transferred back.
Speaking to British newspaper “The Observer”, Kyritsis said: “We are expecting violence. People in despair tend to be violent. The whole philosophy of the deal is to deter human trafficking [into Europe] from the Turkish coast, but it is going to be difficult and we are trying to use a soft approach. These are people who have fled war. They are not criminals.”
There are serious technical problems in the implementation of the relocation plan. EU had promised to send 2,300 Frontex officials to aid, but only 200 have arrived so far, Kyritsis said. In addition, legal experts on migration issues and translators expected, have not arrived yet.
Refugees and migrants have started reacting to the relocation plan. On Saturday, 800 people escaped from the Chios registration center that also serves as temporary detention center.
In the stampede three refugees were stabbed as riot police tried to control the crowds with stun grenades and teargas. The registration center had been ransacked, with cabins and even fingerprint equipment smashed. The refugees ran to the town’s port.
Volunteers working on the Chios refugee facility said on Greek television that migrants are not willing to go back to Turkey. Refugees shouted the slogans “No Turkey” and “Freedom.”
Local authorities had been forced to divert the daily ferry connecting the island with Piraeus Port in the mainland for fear it would be stormed by migrants.
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