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April 24, 2018

Greece: Neo-Nazis Attack Peaceful Demonstration of Asylum Seekers
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In Greece, a mob of far-right militants attacked a crowd of asylum
seekers Sunday night who had gathered for a peaceful demonstration on
the island of Lesbos, throwing stones, bottles and flares, and sending
at least a dozen migrants to the hospital. The violence erupted after
some 200 migrants gathered for a sit-in protest to call for improvements
to squalid conditions in their refugee camps. They were attacked by
members of the Mytilene Patriotic Movement, who chanted "Burn them
alive" and "Throw them in the sea." After anti-fascist activists
intervened, fighting broke out for several hours before riot police used
tear gas to clear the crowds. At least 100 people were arrested. Lesbos
has been the arrival point for thousands of migrants who've made the
perilous voyage across the Mediterranean from North Africa seeking
asylum; it's currently home to about 10,000 asylum seekers.


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