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Refugees in Moria on the Greek island of Lesbos
Photo: Anthi Pazianou / AFP
After the fire disaster in the Moria refugee camp, the Greek police used tear gas against protesting migrants on the island of Lesbos on Saturday.
As a photographer from the AFP news agency reported, migrants had previously thrown stones at police officers.
Hundreds of former camp residents, who had to remain outdoors for four days, protested against their desperate situation near the island's capital, Mytilene.
The Moria camp was almost completely destroyed in fires on Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, 11,500 people were made homeless, including 4,000 children.
The Greek government sent ships to Lesvos to give families and particularly needy people new places to sleep.
Attempts by the Greek army to set up a tent camp have so far failed due to violent protests from refugees and residents.
Thousands of asylum seekers therefore remain outdoors four days after the disaster.
"We have nothing to cover ourselves with"
"We sleep in the dirt or on the street," reported a group of former camp residents on Facebook.
"We have nothing to cover ourselves with, not even a jacket to protect us from the night cold and the wind."
In addition, there is concern about the spread of the corona virus by infected camp residents who have still not been found, the group said.
According to the Greek news agency ANA, the fires were started on Tuesday after protests by some residents of the camp, who were to be quarantined after a positive corona test.
Many of the refugees no longer want to stay in Lesbos, but primarily to Germany.
But many islanders as well as the mayor of the affected port city of Mytilini reject the establishment of a new camp.
Politicians argue about how to deal with the situation.
Norbert Röttgen called for the immediate admission of thousands of migrants.
"5000 fewer people would relieve the situation in Greece considerably. It is our Christian-democratic claim to politics that we help now," said the CDU politician.
In view of the chaos, the human rights organization Human Rights Watch warned on Saturday of "growing tensions between residents, asylum seekers and the police".
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