Canons with its anti-migrants in Greece: the EU finds the method "strange" but does not condemn

The 40 kilometer by 5 meter high steel fence along the Evros River, Greece's river border with Turkey, where the Greek state has chosen to deploy a new anti-migrant arsenal including cameras, radar and sound cannons.

AFP - SAKIS MITROLIDIS

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

The sound cannons that Greece uses to push migrants back to its border provoke outraged reactions from human rights associations.

The European Union does not condemn them.

Publicity

Read more

With our correspondent in Brussels, 

Pierre Benazet

The Greek Minister in charge of Asylum and Migration was in Brussels this Wednesday to meet Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs.

Both of them were asked the question of the legality and validity of the cannons installed on the banks of the Maritsa (or Evros), the river that forms the border with Turkey.

Greek Minister Panagiótis Mitarákis kicked in, saying there was no debate on operational decisions of the Hellenic police and that Greece's international obligations were being met.

On the part of Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, the sound cannons provoke little more than mild criticism.

“

 I think it's a strange way of protecting the borders,

” she says.

This was not funded by the European Commission.

I hope this respects fundamental rights.

This needs to be investigated, but we have not opened any infringement proceedings.

"

For the European Commission, this is all the less clear-cut as the subject of sound cannons has not even been added to the program of discussions with the Greek minister.

Sound cannons that send bursts of noise of 165 decibels against the refugees, here is one of the weapons tested by the Greek army at its border.

pic.twitter.com/tvfuT52s6L

- Loopsider (@Loopsidernews) June 9, 2021

Newsletter

Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • Greece

  • International Migration

  • European Union

  • Human rights