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Greece arrests hundreds of migrants after imposing asylum freeze

Greece arrests hundreds of migrants after imposing asylum freeze

Daily Mail​2 days ago
Greece has detained nearly 200 migrants who arrived after an asylum freeze imposed on claimants from North Africa. 'The illegal immigrants who entered from Libya in recent hours were arrested by the coast guard,' migration minister Thanos Plevris said on X on Saturday. 'They do not have the right to apply for asylum, they will not be taken to reception centers, but will be held in police custody until the process of their return is initiated,' he added.
The 190 migrants arrived in three groups south of the island of Crete, the coastguard told AFP. A fourth group of 11 people was found near the island of Agathonisi, opposite the Turkish coast. State TV ERT reported one of them was injured and later died in hospital.
The move marks a further hardening of Greece's stance towards migrants under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' centre-right government, which has built a fence at its northern land borders and boosted sea patrols since it came to power in 2019. Greece is experiencing a rise in migrant arrivals from Libya, mainly landing in Crete, the home island of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Over 2,000 people have landed just in July, sparking anger among local officials and tourism operators who have put pressure on the conservative government to take action to stop the flows. The government has declared a three-month suspension on asylum requests from any persons arriving by sea from North Africa.
Earlier this month, dozens of migrants were seen in shocking footage leaping off a boat and running onto a beach in front of tourists on a Greek holiday island. In one clip, recorded at Diskos beach in the south of Crete, a group of asylum seekers were seen crammed in to a small boat as it bobbed near the shoreline.
The concerning levels of sea arrivals prompted a visit by Greece's foreign minister George Gerapetritis to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar this month. Last month Athens also said it would deploy two frigates near Libyan territorial waters to help stem the flow.
It urged Libya to cooperate more closely with Greece and the EU to stop migrants sailing from there or turn them back before they exit Libyan territorial waters. The North African country has remained deeply divided since the 2011 NATO-backed revolt that toppled and killed longtime leader Moamer Kadhafi.
Human rights groups accuse Greece of forcefully turning back asylum-seekers on its sea and land borders. This year, the European Union border agency said it was reviewing 12 cases of potential human rights violations by Greece.
The government denies wrongdoing. Greece was on the front line of migration crisis in 2015-16 when hundreds of thousands of migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa passed through its islands and mainland.
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Escorting Epping protesters was a safety decision
Escorting Epping protesters was a safety decision

BBC News

time6 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Escorting Epping protesters was a safety decision

Escorting pro-refugee protesters to demonstrations outside an asylum hotel was a "public safety decision", a police force were filmed escorting about 50 people to and from the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, on 17 group went on to clash with rival protesters calling for the hotel to stop housing asylum seekers, leading to eight constables being Police denied "collaborating" with those supporting the hotel occupants and said it was standard practice to facilitate a lawful protest. The force is due to hold a press conference explaining its policing of the demonstrations on than 1,000 people have attended protests across 13, 17 and 20 July. A police spokesman said the officers would not stop the counter-protesters attending the hotel, so chose to escort them there in an effort to prevent were later accused of "giving protesters lifts" when taking them to a line of waiting vans after disorder broke out, which involved objects being the spokesman insisted officers had to act "on the ground at that moment" to ensure they could concentrate on policing the counter-protesters were taken to a side street and police blocked Epping High Street with their men have been charged with violent disorder in connection to the protests on 17 was also accused of criminally damaging a hotel sign, while a fifth man was accused of refusing to remove a face covering. The demonstrations followed a man living in the hotel being charged with sexual assault, harassment and inciting a girl to engage in sexual Kebatu, 41, from Ethiopia, has denied the offences and was remanded in custody during a hearing on have also been staged outside the Britannia International Hotel in London's Canary Wharf after it was designated as asylum Wood, a former Tower Hamlets Conservative councillor, told the BBC the hotel became asylum housing within the past few Home Office refused to confirm if that was true, but denied rumours on social media that migrants from the Bell Hotel were being moved a spokesman for Tower Hamlets Council said: "We are aware of the government's decision to use the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

Four-star hotel in Canary Wharf earmarked for asylum seekers
Four-star hotel in Canary Wharf earmarked for asylum seekers

Telegraph

time36 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Four-star hotel in Canary Wharf earmarked for asylum seekers

A four-star hotel in Canary Wharf is being earmarked by the Home Office to house migrants. Protesters gathered outside the Britannia International Hotel on Tuesday night after incorrect reports claiming asylum seekers were being transferred from Epping to London's financial district. The Home Office later clarified this was not the case. However, according to Tower Hamlets Council, Labour intends to repurpose the London hotel as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers. On Wednesday morning, workers were pictured wheeling beds and mattresses into the hotel. A spokesman for the authority said: 'We are aware of the Government's decision to use the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers. 'It is important that the Government ensures that there is a full package of support for those staying at the hotel. 'We are working with the Home Office and partners to make sure that all necessary safety and safeguarding arrangements are in place.' According to websites like the hotel is not 'taking reservations on our site right now'. Metropolitan Police officers were seen guarding the hotel on Tuesday night as protesters congregated outside the hotel on the Isle of Dogs. The hotel is situated on the waterfront of the South Dock, looking out on JPMorgan's headquarters 200m away. It comes amid a series of demonstrations outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, which were triggered by asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, being charged with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. Mr Kebatu denied the charge when he appeared at Chelmsford magistrates' court on Thursday. Apsana Begum, the independent MP covering the Canary Wharf area, responded to the protests by saying refugees were welcome in her constituency, while 'the far-right' is not. She wrote on X: 'In Poplar and Limehouse, we are clear: refugees are welcome here. 'In the face of relentless demonisation and targeting, we continue to stand with migrants for their rights to safety and dignity. It's the far-right and their hateful ideology that are not welcome here.' Ms Begum had the Labour party whip removed in July 2024 for voting to scrap the two child benefit cap. At the protests, Lorraine Kavanagh, 70, who has been working for a food bank on the Isle of Dogs for 42 years serving over 1,000 people a week, said the homeless 'cannot afford to come in here [the Britannia International Hotel] for one night for an anniversary or for a birthday'. She told The Express: 'The school holidays have now started [...] so the kids are now out on the streets, where they should be; they should be out there playing. 'Parents should not be terrified that their children are out and could be [...] approached, spoken to by people who have no passports, no identity.' Lee Anderson MP, the chief whip of Reform UK, said he had received confirmation from the police present in Canary Wharf that the hotel will be used to house asylum seekers. 'I'm absolutely furious,' he said in a video posted on X, adding: 'This hotel must cost a couple hundred quid a night to stay there. Most normal people in this country would not even be able to afford to stay here for a weekend.' Britannia describes its hotel as a 'modern, glass-fronted building close to the internationally famous business district' sporting 'superb views over the London Skyline', two on-site restaurants, bars and en-suite bedrooms, making it the 'perfect base for a city break'. Asked whether there were plans to house asylum seekers at the Britannia Hotel in the near future, a Home Office spokesman said: 'Asylum seekers are not being removed from The Bell Hotel in Epping.' The spokesperson was alluding to the rumour on social media that asylum seekers were being transferred from Epping to Canary Wharf.

Fury as cops admit ESCORTING pro-migrant protesters to Epping asylum hotel where violent clashes erupted
Fury as cops admit ESCORTING pro-migrant protesters to Epping asylum hotel where violent clashes erupted

The Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Sun

Fury as cops admit ESCORTING pro-migrant protesters to Epping asylum hotel where violent clashes erupted

COPS have admitted escorting pro-migrant protesters to an asylum hotel before violence erupted. Essex Police had initially denied it had brought demonstrators from Stand Up to Racism to the Bell Hotel in Epping before clashes with anti-migrant protesters last Sunday (July 17). 8 8 The force changed its tune after being shown footage of the activists being led from a station to the protest while holding placards. It is due to hold a press conference later today to explain its actions. Six people have been charged with offences related to the disorder. It comes as the Brittannia Hotel in London's Canary Wharf is currently preparing for migrants to arrive. Photos show new beds being unloaded and carried into the hotel. Chaos was sparked outside the hotel in Epping last week after an asylum seeker appeared in court charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. The unrest saw yobs launching themselves on riot vans, smashing windshields and ripping off wingmirrors in senseless displays of "hooliganism". One thug was even run over while attempting to stop a police van gaining access to the hotel. Another man had his teeth knocked out after riot cops smashed a shield into his face in a brutal clash. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said "heads will roll" over the escort, which he alleged was done to "force a confrontation". He added: 'Initially they denied that it had ever happened in the first place.' The politician had previously said: 'I didn't want to believe this had happened and then I saw the video. "It's an absolute disgrace, and the police's priorities need urgently looking at.' Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper said: 'We have a reasonable duty to protect people who want to exercise their rights. 'In terms of bringing people to the hotel, the police have a duty to facilitate free assembly. "We would only ever take people away from protest if we felt there was an immediate threat to people or property, to free up police resources, to protect others, or to prevent additional violence. 'In Epping, officers took all three of those into account before making their decisions.' 8 8 8 8 8

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