A “sweep” operation to identify and shut down all illegal mosques in the Municipality of Athens, along with the simultaneous deportation of foreign nationals operating them, was announced by the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Thanos Plevris. He emphasized that “those who do not comply with Greek law will be automatically deported.”

Speaking at a meeting of the parliamentary committee on Public Administration, where the bill on legal immigration is being discussed, the minister referred to a recent decision to revoke the residence permit of a Bangladeshi national who was illegally operating a place of worship in the Agios Nikolaos area of Athens.

“What happened in Agios Nikolaos will happen everywhere. All illegal places of worship will be shut down, with the parallel revocation of the legal documents of those who operate them. In cooperation with the relevant ministries, illegal mosques will be sealed and those involved will be deported,” the Minister of Immigration and Asylum said.