NEWS

Greece braces for possible migrant influx from Egypt

Citizens? Protection Minister Christos Papoutsis chaired a meeting of security chiefs on Monday morning as Greece prepares for a possible influx of immigrants from Egypt and other North African countries.

The chiefs of police, coast guard and national intelligence attended the meeting, which was aimed at developing a strategy for dealing with a possible spike in the number of undocumented immigrants trying to enter Greece after anti-government protest in Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt.

The meeting is also likely to have been driven by the government?s concern that it should look proactive on the issue of illegal immigration after apparently being caught out by a protest last week by more than 230 immigrants at Athens University?s Law School.

The hunger-striking immigrants are now housed in another building in central Athens and in tents in its courtyard. Campaigners have said that the building is too small to accommodate all the protesters and about 100 of them are having to sleep in tents.

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