Four out of five Greek hotspots ready, says defense minister

Greek riot police fired tear gas on Sunday at demonstrators protesting against the development of a centre to house migrants on the tourist island of Kos, officials said.

According to the media, the rally was peaceful at first, but a group of activists tried to break through the police lines to enter the construction site.

The government of Greece made a decision to build five of the so-called “Hot Spots” on the islands of Kos, Chios, Leros, Lesbos and Samos in a desperate attempt to address the refugee crisis, as tens of thousands people who are fleeing war and poverty in their countries are arriving nearly daily.

Riot police has been deployed in Kos since February 5 and will remain deployed there until the center has been completed. The crowd quickly dispersed.

People protest against a “hotspot” for refugees and migrants on the Aegean island of Kos yesterday.

Residents and the local mayor fear the centre will damage the tourism industry – the main source of income on the island.

A number of German politicians have accused Greece of ignoring its responsibility to protect the external borders of the European Union, from which refugees continue to flood Europe using the Balkan route, German magazine Spiegel Online wrote.

The mother-of-five went on: “This is not about racism, it is about the security of our homes and our children”.

Anna Karagiannis Chatzisevastou, 36, said she was anxious about terrorism.

The Greek government is hoping that representatives of its four lenders will return to Athens “very soon” but at the same time it is sending out the message that they should not expect the coalition to make major compromises. The country is already in a frightful economic crisis.

Islanders do not believe assurances by Greek authorities that migrants will spend no more than 48 hours on the island before being sent by ferry to Athens.

“I think they could be here for months”.

The EU on Monday said it was awarding Greece an additional 12.7 million euros ($14.3 million) for migrant and refugee accommodation facilities.

During the meeting the Prime Minister will underline that reforms to be implemented in Greece must not cause any further “explosions”, in response to recent demand by the IMF’s Poul Thomsen for even more cuts.