Speaking to SKAI television, Chrysochoidis described conditions in neighbourhoods including Patisia and Agios Panteleimonas, claiming that Greek property owners rent apartments to foreign nationals who then charge other migrants between €10 and €30 a night for a place to sleep. He alleged that as many as 30 people could be staying in a single apartment, questioning how other residents of the building could be expected to live under such conditions.
Chrysochoidis announced that the government would introduce legislation banning such rental and subletting arrangements, while also preparing police operations inside the apartments.
‘We will throw them out. Let’s throw them out and at the same time guard the squares […] let them go back to their homeland’, he said, without addressing the responsibility of the property owners.
The minister then sought to draw a connection between migration and crime, arguing that ‘those who commit crimes and are not detained, even if they are subject to restrictive conditions, must leave Greece’.
He added that detention centres for people awaiting deportation operate under the responsibility of the Hellenic Police (ELAS), declaring that ‘these centres will be filled with those who have come here and are committing crimes’.
______________________________________________
Are you seeking news from Greece presented from a progressive, non-mainstream perspective? Subscribe monthly or annually to support TPP International in delivering independent reporting in English. Don’t let Greek progressive voices fade.
Make sure to reference “TPP International” and your order number as the reason for payment.