Migrants on Lesbos face night of extreme-right attacks

By Tony Rigopoulos

ATHENS (AA) - Far-right residents of the Greek island of Lesbos attacked migrants overnight Sunday before police forced the migrants to leave a central square in the morning, leaving about 10 people hospitalized, according to authorities.

According to Greek state television ERT, the tension began Sunday evening when some 200 people marched to the city's central square and demanded all the migrants be evacuated.

Tension between the groups mounted, and late at night, the far-right group started attacking the foreigners.

According to Greek state media, the extreme-right group shouted "Burn them alive" and threw flares, glass bottles, and stones at the migrants.

The migrants created a human shield with their bodies to protect women and children, but refused to leave the square. Police also protected the migrants and used teargas to disperse the attackers.

Nevertheless, in the early hours Monday, after the attacks had ended, police forcibly removed the migrants from the square.

The people hospitalized, most of them migrants, reportedly suffered minor injuries.

For almost a week the migrants have been protesting in Sappho Square against their being unable to leave the island to visit the Greek mainland, something new migrants are allowed to do under a recent court ruling.