Asylum-seekers attacked the premises of the European
Asylum Support Office (EASO) on the island of Lesbos on Monday,
protesting against delays in dealing with asylum claims, Greek and
EU authorities said.
About 70 people, most from Pakistan and Bangladesh, threw rocks
and burning blankets at EASO containers inside the Moria migrant
camp, damaging three of those, a Greek police spokesman for the
island said.
EASO Spokesman Jean-Pierre Schembri said protesters had hurled
petrol bombs while interviews with asylum-seekers were taking
place. EASO staff had evacuated the camp.
"They burned our offices this morning ... The process will not
resume for the time being," he said. "We have to evaluate security
issues and in our view we need more presence of Greece police to be
in place."
More than 15,000 asylum-seekers are living in overcrowded camps
on Greek islands close to Turkey, stranded by a European deal with
Ankara to seal the main route into the continent for a million
refugees and migrants last year.
Asylum-seekers wait for weeks or months for their claims to be
processed.
There are nearly 6,000 asylum-seekers on Lesbos alone, nearly
double the capacity its two camps can handle. Violence and protests
at the conditions there are frequent.