Five police officers were injured during an uprising at the Moria refugee processing centre in Lesvos, Tuesday when African immigrants started rioting protesting against delays in the identification procedures. A group of African immigrants began throwing objects at the facility for asylum applications in protest against the fact that the applications of Syrian and Afghani immigrants were being checked before theirs.

Some of the African immigrants have been hosted on the Lesvos hotspot since March 2016. Tensions escalated rapidly and the asylum services officials were forced to flee the facility fearing for their safety. The African asylum seekers lit fires and families hosted at the camp fled to seek safety in nearby open fields to escape the mayhem. The rioters attacked police forces in the facilities, while others started lighting fires to create a diversion.

Firefighters attempting to approach the scene also came under attack, before eventually managing to enter the hotspot and extinguish the fires after special riot units offered cover. Police finally managed to enter the facility after 5pm and restore order and detained 38 people, 31 of which were arrested. Five police officers who were injured during the riots were taken to the local hospital for first aid.