Dear Sir or Madam,
We here with express our concern regarding the safety of the residents of the EU Hotspot and Reception and Identification Center Vial in Chios during the announced meeting and presence of Golden Dawn members and other right-wing activists on 31 January 2018 and possibly the following days. We are aware that the group of activists of Golden Dawn did not announce any meeting close to the center Vial. The experience with past meeting of this political group however clearly show that it is very likely that the protesters of Golden Dawn and/or other right - wing activists might decide to approach the camp of Vial after the announced meeting in order to continue the protest there. A permanent site at the entrance of Vial has been established recently in order to express, inter alia, a discontent with the migration policy of the European Union. It is very likely that the activists will use this site in order to show their protest. Since this site is located very close to the camp additional safety precautions should be taken. Multiple violent events demonstrate the extreme lack of safety measures in the past. We in particular point to the violent attacks against residents of the former camp in Souda during previous meetings of Golden Dawn on the island of Chios. In November 2016 e.g., members of Golden Dawn twice attacked a camp with Molotov cocktails and large rocks and boulders, seriously wounding at least two people as well as burning down three tents.
We would therefore like to remind you of your responsibility to ensure the safety of the residents in Vial.
We urge you to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the residents of Vial during the presence of members of Golden Dawn or similar right-wing activists on the island of Chios. This includes the safety of the residents at night.
Please take into account the urgency of the matter and the particularly high risk for the safety of the residents of Vial. Please note that we will publish this letter on our website.
Best regards
Chios Team of Refugee Law Clinics Abroad e.V. (RLCA)