Greek parents padlocked the gates of a school on Tuesday in protest against a controversial plan to allow refugee children access to education. The parents waved Greek flags outside the school in the village of Profitis, about 15 miles east of the northern city of Thessaloniki, with some saying they were concerned that the refugee children had not been vaccinated against infectious diseases.
For the second consecutive day, many of them kept their children at home, saying they want local authorities to address their concerns before they will end their boycott. It was the most extreme protest against a plan being implemented by the Left-wing government of Alexis Tsipras, the prime minister, to give schooling to thousands of refugee children who have been left trapped in Greece since the Balkan migration route to northern Europe was blocked earlier this year.