Migrants and their supporters took to the streets on the Greek island of Lesbos to demonstrate against the EU-Turkish agreement on returning migrants from the European Union back to Turkey, local media reported.
Hundreds of protesters, taking part in the peaceful demonstration on Lesbos Island, called for open borders as well as for the end of deportations, the Greek Reporter news portal said Saturday, specifying that the demonstrators were shouting slogans against the deal between Turkey and the European Union.
Lesbos is one of the major centers for receiving undocumented migrants and refugees, coming from Turkey. The facilities, located on the island are designed to house some 3,500 people, however, the figures provided by the UNHCR in 2016 show that indeed some 5,400 migrants and refugees stay on Greek territory, which makes the camps overwhelmed. The situation at the Moria camp on the Greek Lesvos Island was known to be dire, as many asylum seekers living in tents were exposed to the extreme cold over January and three deaths of migrants took place in the camp.
In March, 2016, Brussels and Ankara agreed on a deal, under which Turkey pledged to take back all undocumented migrants that had arrived to the European Union through the state’s territory. In return, the bloc pledged to accelerate the Turkish EU accession bid and introduce a visa-free regime, as well as provide financial aid to Turkey to cover the costs of migrant reception.