Migrant Revolt Erupts at Greek Detention Center

Clashes broke out between migrants and security forces at the Sintiki detention center in northern Greece over the weekend. According to Welt, 35 migrants escaped from the facility, where hundreds of people are awaiting asylum decisions or deportation, after cutting through a fence.

Greek police said on Sunday that 17 had been recaptured, while a search was continuing for the remaining 18. The unrest began on Saturday when detainees threw stones at guards, prompting special forces to use stun grenades. Five people were injured and taken to hospital.

The incident at Sintiki highlights growing pressure on Greece’s migration system as authorities also deal with hundreds more migrants picked up off the coast of Crete. They are to be temporarily transferred to reception centers on Samos and Lesbos for registration, identification and security screening before any decision is made on transferring them to the mainland.

The mayor of Mytilene on Lesbos met with local hoteliers for crisis talks on Sunday ahead of the expected arrival of 200 migrants on the island, with another 200 expected on Samos. The Migration Ministry also plans to establish a permanent reception center on Crete and is working with Germany, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands to establish deportation centers outside the European Union.

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