Tensions rise at Moria migrant camp and city square

There are concerns about a spike in crime at the migrant facility of Moria on Lesvos, with reports of several fatal knifings. 

Five people have died in more than 15 knifings since January, with those involved in the brawls often from different ethnic groups. The most recent, on July 5, occurred during a fight between African and Afghan asylum-seekers over a cellphone and resulted in the death of a 19-year-old man from Ivory Coast. 

A police officer serving on the eastern Aegean island told Kathimerini it is often hard to trace offenders due to the chaotic conditions at the facility.  

Meanwhile migrants from the islands continue to flock to city squares, notably the capital’s Victoria Square, where members of leftist groups held a solidarity rally on Wednesday. The appearance of a small counter-demonstration whose members held nationalist slogans briefly caused some tensions.