A journalist on the ground said the migrants were frustrated with being in refugee camps and want to leave the island, but the Greek government said on Friday they would “not be blackmailed” into relocating them.
Greek authorities said the fires at Moria appeared to have been deliberately lit after quarantine rules were imposed on residents who had tested positive for coronavirus at Europe’s largest refugee camp.
One protester had been affected by the teargas and was shouting angrily about her treatment in the camp.
The migrants were chanting “Freedom!” and holding placards that read “no tent, no Lesbos, no Greece,” “we need peace and freedom” and “Moria Kills All Lives.”
Tensions come after four days since fires tore through Moria, Europe’s largest refugee camp, displacing 13,000 people including thousands of children.
CNN has contacted local police for details about Saturday’s clashes but has yet to receive a response.
Refugees from the camp have been left homeless and hungry after the fires, with some sleeping at roadsides and gas stations while dozens of families took refuge in a nearby cemetery.
Director of the Greek Migration Minister’s office, Konstantinos Kostakos, said authorities would temporarily relocate about 1,000 migrants — particularly those in vulnerable groups — onto a ship that has docked at Sigri, on the western side of the island.