More than 7,000 refugees,
mainly from Syria and Afghanistan, arrived on the island in July – a two-fold
increase on June – and officials have been accused of using "heavy-handed
force".
The main charity trying to
deal with the crisis has accused authorities of "state abuse".
Migrants on the Greek
island of Kos have been tear-gassed and reportedly beaten as hundreds suffer
sweltering conditions locked inside an open-air stadium without water, food or
toilets.
Extra police have been
called in, with some reportedly manning the top of the 12ft stadium walls to
stop people climbing out to get supplies.
Aid workers from Medecins
Sans Frontieres claim many families were told to stand "under the blaring
sun" in temperatures of 32C (90F) for hours on end – in the hope of
getting the paperwork they need to travel to Athens before heading to mainland
Europe.
A day after police were seen
using batons and fire extinguishers to disperse crowds, at least six people
have also reportedly been beaten by officers in the stadium.
"The situation here is
very bad and police here they beat a boy, they beat a man, they beat children.
It's too bad," Syrian refugee Laith Saleh told the AP news agency.
Police also used tear gas
on others trying to get inside the stadium desperate to meet the three
officials processing the migrants' paperwork.
Some women and children had
been moved to an air-conditioned facility but that the scene remained
"chaotic" with "frustrations running high".
"Many of these people
have spent a month or two in Turkey, living in camps there, to try to make it
to Europe," said Rayner.
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