Beach-goers on a Greek paradise island took matters into their own hands when they pushed a boat full of asylum seekers away after it attempted to land on a beach
Tourists could be seen pushing a boat packed with migrants away from the shore after it attempted to land on a beach in Greece.
In the video, which was taken on Saturday, a small vessel carrying a group of asylum seekers from Libya approached Sarakiniko beach in the Greek southern island of Gavdos. Beach-goers were filmed rushing into the water in an attempt to thwart their arrival, pushing the boat away with their hands.
Local media say the migrants were redirected to the port and away from the angry crowd for safety reasons. It comes as Greece faces a surge in migrant arrivals at its southern borders this year.
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Earlier this month, Greece’s parliament approved a law that toughened penalties for rejected asylum seekers. It also helped speed up the process of returning them to their home countries.
Thanos Plevris, the country’s Minister of Immigration and Asylum, said on Monday that the relevant authorities are working on removing the migrants from the island. He explained that “within two or three days everyone will have left”.
Greece has experienced somewhat of an upswing in arrivals from their Libyan neighbours through the islands of Crete and Gavdos recently prompting a banning order. The Greek government issued a temporary ban processing asylum applications of migrants arriving from North Africa.
It stipulates that undocumented migrants entering through southern Europe from countries deemed safe by the European Union (EU) are not entitled to asylum and must return home or be jailed for at least two years. They could also face fines of up to €10,000.
The Greek conservative administration under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has proven strict against migration since it came into power back in 2019. Famously, they built a fence at Greece’s north borders, and boosted sea patrols to deter migrant boats.
Tough measures that have bore a brunt of criticism after the country confirmed it had returned ‘hundreds’ of illegal migrants, planning flights to the likes of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Egypt among others. Human rights organisations have come out to accuse Greece of forcefully removing asylum seekers on its sea and land borders, with the EU claiming it is reviewing a dozen cases of potential human rights violations.