Migrant protest at Rhodes port causes chaos

Some 400 migrants and refugees protested at the port of Rhodes island on Sunday, demanding to be transferred elsewhere in Greece and obstructing port traffic, the Greek coast guard said.

Most who protested their conditions had been rescued after making the perilous Mediterranean crossing, then transported to Rhodes for processing.

The migrants obstructed the launch of the “Nissos Chios” vessel, preventing it from leaving the island, meaning an incoming ship was unable to dock.

They demanded to board the vessel to be taken immediately from the southeastern Aegean island to the Greek mainland or to proper accommodation, the coast guard said.

Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum sources said that it had allocated as many places as needed in its reception facilities for the registration and accommodation of all migrants on the island, as Rhodes does not have its own reception facilities.

They added that “transfers from the island are carried out regularly” and are overseen by the police and the coast guard.

According to official figures, 10,790 migrants and refugees arrived in Greece in the first eight months of 2023, double the 5,216 recorded over the same period last year.