'Look at this mess!' Fury boils over in Greece after beachgoers spotted pushing migrant boat back into the sea

MEP Afroditi Latinopoulou, the leader of the right-wing Voice of Reason party, blasted: "Look at this mess. Bathers are chasing away the boats of illegal immigrants.

"This is what we've come to. Illegal immigrants are throwing parties while [Migration Minister Thanos] Plevris meows.

"The Government stubbornly refuses to close the open centres and carry out deportations. Of course, I understand them. They've only been in power for seven years. What can the poor things do?"

Mr Plevris had insisted the illegal migrants were being transferred from the island to accommodation on the mainland as quickly as possible.

He said: “Τhe decongestion of the island began yesterday and within two to three days everyone will have left."

The footage, captured on the southern Greek island of Gavdos, showed a group of men dressed in swimming trunks wading in the shallows and pushing the vessel away from the beach.

The southernmost island in the Hellenic Republic has become a new hotspot for illegal migrant boats attempting to cross into Europe from Libya.

Despite having a year-round population of just 70, the community is believed to be at "breaking point" due to the influx of migrants in recent months.

The popular holiday hotspot of Crete has also become a top destination in Greece for illegal migrants heading in to Europe.

It is believed roughly 850 migrants successfully crossed the Mediterranean into Gavdos and Crete over the weekend.

The migrants seen in the footage were brought to the port on the island after a Frontex patrol crew intercepted the illegal vessel.

Amid fears from local residents that Gavdos could become the next Lampedusa, the small Italian island which has seen over 150,000 migrants pass through since 2023, the Greek Government has vowed to deal with the crisis.

In July, Mr Plevris announced a tougher new approach to illegal migration, which suspended all new asylum claims for people arriving from North Africa for at least three months.

The move also ensured that anyone illegally arriving on boats faced five years in prison if they refused deportation.

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Crete's Deputy Mayor Eleni Zervoudaki told The Sun: "From the moral side it’s illegal and it’s not right, but from the other side I can understand the government is searching for a way to stop illegal immigration."

The new stance caused the number of arrivals plummet in the days after the policy came into effect on July 11.

On July 6, more than 2,000 migrants landed on Crete's beaches, however between July 11 and July 25, the Hellenic coastguard said only 843 had reached the popular tourist island.

Mr Plevris said Greece was examining whether the explosion of migration into the southern European country was a “cyclical phenomenon” or whether it was tied to "aggressive activities by smuggling rings”.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis meanwhile said the new stance was "sending a message of determination... to all traffickers and all their potential customers that the money they spend may be completely wasted, because it will be difficult to reach Greece by sea".

He added that the Greek army was prepared to collaborate with Libyan officials to stop boats departing from the North African country's shores.

But - as in Britain - NGOs have fumed at attempts by European countries to work with Libya to slow down migration levels.

Amnesty International said: "Attempts to stop departures at any cost show a complete disregard for the lives and dignity of migrants and refugees."