03.02.2020, The Guardian

Greece defends anti-migrant floating barrier amid growing criticism

The Greek government has defended plans to erect a floating barrier in the Mediterranean to deter thousands of people determined to reach Europe from making the sea journey from Turkey. The bulwark, which in its initial stages will be 2.7km long, is to be erected off Lesbos, the island at the centre of migrant and refugee arrivals. It will rise from pylons 50 metres above water. “First of all it will send the message that we are not a free-for-all place where anything goes, that we’re taking every measure to protect our borders,” Deportations, he said, would also be accelerated, signalling the much tougher approach Athens’ centre-right administration was willing to take on an issue it said had reached “crisis” proportions, not least in vastly overcrowded camps on Greek Aegean islands. “The rules have changed. We are not open to people who don’t have the profile of a refugee,” added Mitarakis. The robust defence came as Greece’s leftwing opposition, Syriza, echoing condemnation from human rights groups, stepped up criticism of the floating fence, describing it as a “disgusting” measure Kyrakos Mitsotakis’s government should immediately abandon. read more

Language(s): Englisch / English
Region(s): Griechenland / Türkei