Thousands of migrants, mainly from Afghanistan, trapped at the port of Lesbos (Mytilene) for days revolted. Around a thousand refugees attempted forced entry on the Blue Star 1, yelling “Athens! Athens!” as they pushed their way forth. The ship lifted its passageway, closing off entry. This move, however, also barricaded the way for hundreds of passengers trapped between the desperate immigrants and the ship.

Shortly after the incident, the transfer of 10,000 immigrants from the port of Lesbos to an area at Tsamakia beach had begun. The region’s mayor told Proto Thema that there were efforts to empty central squares inundated with foreign irregular migrants. Men of the Coastal Guard and police tried to push the crowds back and register the arrivals.

No infrastructure at Fykiotrypa where the migrants were being taken resulted in absolutely no way to address their basic needs. Speaking to ERT, Lesbos Mayor Spyros Galinos said taht the problem was explosive. “We are at point zero before the problem explodes.,” he said, describing the situation. He noted that it is unknown how many migrants have gathered on the island. “There are around 7-8,000 migrants registered waiting to leave… The ships are not enough,” he said. “I don’t need just one ship but a fleet!”

The Eleftherios Venizelos is due to the port of Piraeus at 10 a.m. with  2,504 refugees from four islands in the East Aegean: 491 people from Kos, 164 from Kalymnos, 1102 from Leros and 747 from Mytilene. Coast guards and the police have taken security measures to ensure the safe arrival and transfer.