“The smell inside is unbearable,” said Makis Pavlellis, a butcher. “Discussing with people about the Church, we learned that the Metropolitan of Mytilene is aware of the situation in the area; nevertheless he does not wish to deal with it for his own reasons.”

This latest incident on Lesvos follows other recent shocking events, including two gangs of Afghani immigrants fighting with each other, African immigrants ridiculing and coughing on police in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and thousands of olives trees being destroyed.

About half of the 50,000 illegal immigrants on Lesvos are kept at the Moria camp that is supposed to host only 3,000 people. A rise in criminality has hit the island since the migrant crisis began in 2015 when Turkey allowed hundreds of thousands of people to leave and enter Greece illegally, whether via land or sea. 

As a deeply religious society, these attacks on churches are shocking to the Greek people and brings into question whether these illegal immigrants seeking a new life in Europe are willing to integrate and conform to the norms and values of their new countries.

These continued attacks have ultimately seen the people of Lesvos, who were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016, become increasingly frustrated by the unresolved situation that has restricted and changed their lives as they no longer feel safe on their once near crime-free island. It is worth keeping in mind that Lesvos is an island of only 90,000 citizens. 

Meanwhile, Hungary has contributed $30,000 to assist in the restoration of local churches destroyed by illegal immigrants, as reported by Greek City Times.

Source and image: greekcitytimes.com