Some of the residents of a small Greek island have voiced their concerns after the number of migrants arriving by boat to their shores has skyrocketed in recent months.
The tiny island of Gavdos, south of Crete, measures less than 12 square miles and is home only to a few dozen people.
In recent months, however, migrant smugglers have started to present Gavdos to desperate migrants as a favoured way to enter Europe by the back door in the same way they used to depict the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Throughout 2023, some 860 migrants reached the coast of this small island. But this number pales in comparison with the one recorded so far in 2024.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 1,075 migrants have arrived in Gavdos by boat, many of them departing from Tobruk on the coast of Libya.
On March 13 alone, Greek authorities recorded the landing on Gavdos of 91 migrants – a huge number when compared to how small the local population is.
While the island welcomes thousands of holidaymakers during high tourism season, its permanent population counts around 50 people.
Greece’s coastguard said in a statement last week: “The Crete port authorities were informed at dawn on Wednesday of the presence of a group of 91 migrants on Gavdos.”
Among the people who had arrived, 62 remained in a temporary camp set up in Gavdos, while 28 were transferred to Crete, its administrative region.
Efi Georgaka, who has lived on the island for 16 years, told the Telegraph: “If things keep going like this then the island will change, I know it.
“There will be a need for police and coastguard officers and the navy, like on other Greek islands. We don’t want them here. We treasure the freedom and tranquillity that we have. Everybody knows everybody.”
Lefteris Lougiakis, the deputy mayor of the island has reportedly asked the Greek government for more support and ways to prevent the migrants’ arrivals.
Alongside not having the infrastructure and personnel needed to deal with the unfolding crisis, another concern harboured by locals is that tourists could choose to spend their holidays elsewhere if the arrivals don’t cease.
Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was one of the EU leaders who signed a joint declaration with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi last month ahead of the signing of a £6.32billion deal set to deliver aid to Egypt until 2027 to boost the country’s economy and curb migration.
