Timeline of recent key developments

9 July 2019
Two days after the new government came to power, Haralambos Athanasiou, Lesvos MP for New Democracy pre-announces the creation of closed centers for migrants and refugees.
https://www.efsyn.gr/ellada/dikaiomata/203013_shediazoyn-kleista-kentra-kratisis 

Following a 25% increase of summer arrivals an argent meeting of the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence (KYSEA) was held. The government announced the decision to decongest hotspots, accelerate asylum procedures and deportations and increase border surveillance.

https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2019/08/31/greece-migrants-refugees-measures-kysea/

The Greek government announced a series of measures aimed at reducing overcrowding at camps on the Aegean islands including plans to return 10.000 refugees and migrants to Turkey by the end of 2020. The announcement took place a day after a big fire broke out in Moria hotspot where an Afghan female refugee lost her life.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/greek-plan-deport-10000-migrants-move-thousands-mainland-190930182446507.html
https://www.dw.com/en/greece-wants-turkey-to-take-10000-migrants-after-deadly-fire/a-50652120

Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis stated that the Greek government was planning to transfer at least 20.000 migrants and refugees from the islands to the mainland by the end of 2019. Out of those 10.000 would reportedly be transferred to hotels and another 10.000 to camps in the mainland. Meanwhile, existing camps on the mainland were in already in almost full capacity.

https://greece.greekreporter.com/2019/10/18/greece-plans-to-transport-20000-migrants-from-islands-to-the-mainland/
http://www.geetha.mil.gr/media/refugees/2019/gr/20190920.pdf

Despite police presence, nine buses transporting refugee families and vulnerable individuals to hotels in Nea Vrasna, some 40 kilometers east of Thessaloniki, were forced to turn back as dozens of villagers blocked the road and hurled stones at the buses. The refugees who had been transferred from the overcrowded Vathy camp on Samos were finally taken to hotels on the island of Evia.

https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/20582/anti-migrant-protests-in-northern-greece 
http://www.ekathimerini.com/245776/article/ekathimerini/news/villagers-in-northern-greece-block-refugees-from-settling-in-local-hotels

Greek Parliament approved a stricter asylum law in order to speed up the asylum procedures and increase the pace of returns of refugees and migrants to Turkey, despite warnings by rights organizations describing it as “a significant backtracking” in the rights of refugees and migrants. The new law came into effect on 1 January 2020. The government discussed once more measures for the decongestion of the islands. The aim was to transfer 4.000 refugee families from the islands to the mainland in November, to establish new closed pre-departure centers for non-asylum seekers, and to tighten border controls in the Aegean. Refugees and migrants would be transferred to areas that were not particularly overpopulated, where they would make up less than 1% of the population in the region.

https://greece.greekreporter.com/2019/11/01/greek-parliament-approves-stricter-asylum-law/
https://int.ert.gr/measures-for-the-decongestion-of-the-islands-from-the-influx-of-refugees-and-migrants/

Strong reactions of the mayor of Leros and residents of the island to the transfer of a group of refugees from Symi. The refugees were eventually transferred to Kos.

https://www.skai.gr/news/greece/sygkentrosi-sti-lero-enantia-sti-metafora-metanaston-pane-telika-stin-ko
https://greece.greekreporter.com/2019/11/01/greek-islanders-threaten-to-block-migrant-ship-from-docking/

The mayor and a group of residents of Kos prevented the disembarkation of some 75 migrants and refugees coming from Kastelorizo. He says that no more migrants will be allowed to be transferred from other islands to Kos. The ship continued its route to Piraeus.

https://greece.greekreporter.com/2019/11/02/kos-residents-prevent-75-migrants-from-disembarking-on-island/

Inhabitants of Giannitsa and Serres in northern Greece took to the streets in order to protest against the transfer of refugees from the Aegean islands.

https://www.efsyn.gr/ellada/koinonia/217370_entasi-sta-giannitsa-kata-ti-metafora-prosfygon
https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/20582/anti-migrant-protests-in-northern-greece

Anti-migrants protest with “pork BBQ” near a refugee camp in Diavata in North Greece by member of a nationalist organization and locals in order to provoke Muslims in the nearby refugee camp.

https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2019/11/10/diavata-pork-bbq/

Greek government presented its plan for the construction of five pre-departure centers on the five Aegean islands with capacities mostly exceeding the number of refugees and migrants currently been hosted there. Mayors criticized the plans for further congestion of the islands. The example of a pre-detention center showed during the presentation was designed on an uninhabited island, Levitha in the center of the Aegean Sea. Local authorities reacted against the creations of large closed centers on the islands and the Head of UNHCR office in Greece said that the Agency had questions over the closed centres as it was not understood what was their purpose for the large number of families and vulnerable individuals who continued to arrive in their majority from Afghanistan and Syria.

https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2019/11/21/greece-migrants-centers-uninhabited-islands-levitha/
https://www.tovima.gr/2019/11/28/politics/prosfygiko-entones-antidraseis-gia-ta-kleista-kentra/
https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2019/11/21/samos-chios-leros-oppose-predeparture-centers/

The mayor of Eastern Samos, George Stantzos urged islanders to join rally demanding ‘decongestion’ of the island. Stantzos, the city council and other local politicians threatened with resignation to resign following the government’s announcements.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/245701/article/ekathimerini/news/samos-mayor-calls-on-islanders-to-join-rally-demanding-decongestion

By a unanimous decision, Chios municipal council opposed to the creation of a new closed center of 5000+ and insisted on its recent decision on a government-registered registration and identification structure with a capacity for 500 persons, with no permanent residence of new arrivals on the island.

https://www.in.gr/2019/11/23/greece/xios-oxi-tou-dimotikou-symvouliou-stin-dimiourgia-kleistis-domis/
https://astraparis.gr/porta-se-kyvernisi-kai-mitaraki-apo-to-d-s-gia-tin-yperdomi-sto-pityos/

In a joint statement, the five mayors of the eastern Aegean islands rejected once more the government’s plans for closed pre-departure centers. They complained that they were not informed in advance about the new facilities and urged the government to stick to its pre-election commitments to decongest the islands.

https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2019/11/28/mayors-aegean-islands-reject-mitsotakis-plans/

The mayor of Eastern Samos, George Stantzos is shown in footage shouting at and pushing away refugees and migrants who attempted to occupy the central square of the capital town, Vathy in order to protest. His intervention followed a police operation to disperse a demonstration on the square. Stanzos, later apologized for his conduct. On the same day the incident occurred, the Government’s Vice President visited the island and stated that: “The country should stop being attractive to immigrants”.

https://greece.greekreporter.com/2019/12/18/samos-mayor-shouts-at-pushes-migrants-in-islands-central-square-video/
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The Eastern Samos municipal authority called on residents to gather at the main port to protest on the slow pace of transfers of refugees to the mainland. The protest rally was called following an emergency meeting of the municipal council the day before to discuss the continued presence of two navy ships at the island’s port that were dispatched by the government to transfer hundreds of migrants and refugees to the mainland.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/248154/article/ekathimerini/news/samos-to-protest-slow-pace-of-vulnerable-migrant-refugee-transfers

Locals who rejected the creation of a new centre on the island smashed the town hall’s glass entrance and pushed away municipal staff in their attempt to enter into the room where the municipal council discussed the government’s proposal for a new centre. Deputy Labour Minister and Chios MP Notis Mitarakis who was present in the meeting, was jeered by locals.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/248402/article/ekathimerini/news/two-charged-over-tensions-at-chios-city-hall
https://www.politischios.gr/hios-poli/binteo-agrio-lintsarisma-metarake-apo-exagriomenous-gia-to-metanasteutiko-khiotes

Greece re- established the Ministry for Migration and Asylum, 6 months after abolishing the previous one. Deputy Labour Minister Notis Mitarakis was appointed as the new Minister.

https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2020/01/15/greece-migration-ministry-mitsotakis-new/

The public and private sector on the Eastern Aegean islands held a general strike to protest against the government policy on migration and the continuous flows of refugees and migrants. One of the posters showed a noose, which is a hate symbol.

https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2020/01/22/greece-islands-strike-migration/