Gavin Grey: UK Correspondent on allegations that Greek Coastguard threw migrants overboard

The BBC has reported that the Greek coastguard caused the deaths of dozens of migrants in the Mediterranean. 

This happened over a three-year period, witnesses say, including nine who were deliberately thrown into the water. 

BBC analysis found that more than 40 people alleged to have died. 

UK Correspondent Gavin Grey told Heather du Plessis-Allan “The Greek government has long been accused of ‘forced returns’- which is illegal under international law.” 

Grey said “The European Union has had some 263,000 sea arrivals in the last year alone – with Greece receiving 41,000.” 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Devin Gray are UK correspondents with us.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Now, hey, Kevin, hi there, Heather, Okay, so tell me.

Speaker 1 (00:05):
What's going on here. So the Greek coastcard has reportedly
thrown people deliberately into the into the water and caused
their death.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
That's what the BBC is alleging. Its research has shown.
The Greek government has long been accused of what are
called forced returns, in other words, pushing people back, in
this case towards Turkey where they've crossed from, which is
illegal under international law. The Turkish authorities were at one point,
of course, in a deal with the EU stopping migrants

(00:33):
and refugees from crossing into Greece. That deal in twenty sixteen,
but after four years Turkey said it can no longer
enforce it. And Greece has had some two hundred and
sixty three thousand sea arrivals in the last year alone,
and that's across, sorry, the all of the EU, with

(00:54):
Greece receiving about forty one and a half thousand of those.
So it is a massive problem, and Greece is always
being very keen to deny these so called pushbacks. So
human rights groups allege thousands of people seeking asylum in
Europe have been illegally forced back, so in precision. In
more detail, the BBC is alleging that in one particular incident,

(01:17):
nine people died as a result of being forced back
into Greek territorial waters. It's alleged that they often arrive
in an island, they are often then prevented from going
to a particular center that they need to in order
to claim asylum. Instead, they're put on a boat and
towed back out onto the water. And sometimes it's alleged

(01:39):
with either the valve of the inflatable deliberately loosened, or
indeed the boat is partially punctured. So there are some
really serious accusations here, and the Greeks are saying that's
just not true. We work very hard with these asylum
seekers to process them.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Devin. Why is the strength of feeling in Germany so
much re Vladimir Zelinsky that they booed Rod Stewart.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
I do know. It's an interesting one, this and it
happened in Leipzig, and it just goes to show I
think that actually there is partially in some areas, a
bit of a tiredness with the whole Ukrainian Russian War.
Of course, Europe hasn't suffered in that sense of being
at the sharp end of the war, but prices of

(02:28):
fuel and so forth have really rocketed along with wheats,
so they're feeling it that way, and then I fear
as well there is this element perhaps of right wing
groups actually supporting Russia. So what happened was the seventy
nine year old singer was playing at Leipzig's Quarterback Immobilian
Arena and before performing the nineteen ninety one hit Rhythm

(02:49):
of My Heart, he calls that a war song and
he's dedicated it to Kiev in recent shows. So before
performing this that Leipzig, the Ukrainian flag was projected onto
a screen behind him, and then images of v Lodo
min Zelenski, the President of the Ukraine, are shown. But
that seemed to prompt loud booze, shouts and whistles from
the crowd, with videos from social media showing the crowd

(03:11):
appearing to jeer him as he salutes the Ukrainian president.
Now this is a really interesting aspect in that Sir
Rod Stuart has talked in the past about how he
believes Russia really is committing terrible crimes against Ukraine, and
also revealed he'd rented and furnished a home for a
family of seven Ukrainian refugees here in the UK. He said,

(03:34):
quote words couldn't describe what we were watching anyway. Whether
he's now going to have more boeing booing rather remains
to be seen. He is in fact returning to Germany
for a show at Hamburg's Bartley's Arena later this month
before going to Cologne and Munich, and a representative for
Sir rod Well has been asked to comment but has

(03:54):
yet to make any statement.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
Interesting Kevin, Hey, thank you very much, enjoy your evening.
We'll talk to you again in a couple of days.
Gavin Gray are UK corresponding for more from Hither Duplessy
Allen Drive.

Speaker 2 (04:04):
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