Representing an unprecedented influx , upwards of one million migrants entered Greece seeking asylum in the European Union between 2015 and 2016 , peaking with the arrival of over 200,000 refugees in October 2015 . Contributing factors include the escalation of the Syrian civil war and the subsequent closing of the Jordanian and Turkish borders with Syria . EU member states adopted a variety of policy responses . Balkan states were unable to control the migration via administrative mechanisms , opting to open a route deeper into Europe . In August 2015 , German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the German border to asylum-seekers , voluntarily waiving the Dublin Regulation . The 2015 Paris attacks further polarized member state positions on the refugee situation.The Greek government lacked the capacity to process the arriving migrants , and under pressure from the European Commission , Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos allowed Frontex to assist with border management and established " hotspots " for processing refugees . It is proposed that this approach ensures the safety of local populations and migrants , by creating safer travel paths into Europe while tightly controlling where they can go . In practice , these administrative solutions have created new dangers for migrants , allowing deportation to unsafe countries and enabling their indefinite detention under poor and sometimes dangerous conditions in official camps . Greek solidarity networks were activated in support of the migrants after the 2015 influx . Police evictions of newly arrived migrants from public spaces around Victoria Square drew activists to provide resources and support refugee-led protests and hunger strikes . Nearby Pedion tou Areos Park , occupied by newly arrived migrants , was similarly cleared by police . Following the evictions of the public occupations , solidarity groups assisted in securing abandoned spaces as squats for refugee settlement . In mid-2017 , it was estimated that between 2500 and 3000 migrants were housed in squats in Athens . In August 2018 , an informal survey suggested there were 850 people ( of which total , 30 % were children and 40 % female ) living in Athens ' six refugee squats
Paris attacks
January 2015 Île-de-France attacks
Athens refugee squats