Greece to house refugees on ferries as thousands stranded in desperate conditions

Refugees and other migrants pouring into Greece will be kept on Aegean Sea islands on ferries used as floating shelters, government officials said, as thousands who went before them find themselves stranded in increasingly desperate conditions following border closures in the countries to the north.

Ferry companies and authorities on Greek islands have been instructed to limit the number of migrants travelling by ferry to the mainland, where thousands have been sleeping rough in parks and along the country’s highways, with existing shelters filled to capacity.

In Athens, migrants staged peaceful protests, briefly blocking traffic at the country’s main port in nearby Piraeus, while hundreds walked out of a transit camp and were heading by tram and on foot to join others at the port.

“We hoped to get to Germany and all the people around here are looking to get to Germany,” Afghan migrant Muchtar Ahman said, speaking at a central Athens square where he was camped out with friends.

“But when we came here the borders, the Macedonian borders closed, we are really disappointed. We are hopeless, we are homeless.”

About 2,000 people, more than half from Syria and Iraq, are arriving daily from Turkey using dinghies and small boats.