Police fire tear gas in clashes with refugees in Samos

Police officers fired tear gas to disperse a group of about 300 refugees and migrants who were protesting against their long stay in the overcrowded camp of Samos on Thursday morning.

The protesters destroyed portable toilets that had been placed outside the camp and started throwing stones against officers who arrived at the site, local news website Samos 24 reported. Police responded with tear gas.

Due to the tear gas and the tensions, the municipality of east Samos decided to suspend classes in two local kindergartens and one primary school in the area.

Greece is struggling to cope with a resurgence in refugee and migrant flows from Turkey in the past few months.

The camp in Samos, initially built for about 650 people, is unraveling under the weight of more than 5,700 asylum-seekers, based on government data.