German protesters slam EU-Turkey refugee deal

EghtesadOnline: Protesters in the German capital of Berlin condemned a refugee deal between Turkey and the European Union which they say could pave the way for the mass deportation of asylum seekers.

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03 September 2016

Nearly 1,000 demonstrators took part in the rally on Friday in central Berlin to demand the government do more for refugees, as police officers used tear gas to disperse the crowd, local news outlets reported.

They further blasted the deal sealed between the EU and Turkey in March, calling on the EU to scrap the agreement, which has already been dismissed by rights group, warning that it could pave the way for mass deportation of the refugees, according to ISNA.

Several protesters were detained for attempting to enter to the Federal Ministry of Labor, according the media reports.

The protest event was organized by the left-wing Blockupy movement which gained prominence in March 2015 for staging anti-austerity protests in Frankfurt.

Over 1.1 million migrants and refugees entered Germany in 2015 after Europe was struck by a flow of mostly Middle Eastern and North African refugees fleeing armed conflict as well as poverty in their native countries.

The protesters threw stones at police in the area surrounding Ministergarten Street, not far from the German Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, a police spokesman told German media. Some of the protesters also threw firecrackers and smoke pellets.

Elsewhere in Greece, Syrian refugees gathered in the capital Athens to express frustration at the asylum system.