Greek police beat Afghan, Syrian migrants amid refugee crisis
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 11 August 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Greek police beat Afghan, Syrian migrants amid refugee crisis, 11 August 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/55ee969a31.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
August 11, 2015
Police on the Greek island of Kos beat migrants with truncheons and sprayed them with fire extinguishers on August 11 as the mayor warned that the refugee crisis there could end in "bloodshed."
The migrants, mostly Afghans and Syrians, were being relocated to a local football stadium on Kos after camping on roadsides and beaches for weeks.
Police used truncheons and fire extinguishers to prevent fights and stampeding as a crowd of about 1,500 migrants tried to squeeze through a door into the stadium for registration.
On August 10, a police officer on Kos was suspended after being filmed slapping and shoving migrants who were lining up outside the police station to be documented so they could travel on to Athens.
Kos's mayor says about 7,000 illegal migrants are stranded on the tiny island, which lies off the coast of Turkey and has a population of 30,000.
Based on reporting by AP and AFP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
