The right for anyone to request protection, or asylum, is inscribed in EU and international law and in the constitution of Greece itself. But in a move implemented in haste earlier this month and criticised by human rights lawyers, the government has over-ridden that principle for the next three months at least.

Crete is experiencing a huge influx of migrants as traffickers shift to Mediterranean routes from North Africa. Crete, Greece’s biggest island and one of the most popular tourist hotspots, saw 7,000 migrants arrive between January and late June - more than three times the number in 2024.