With over 73,000 hectares burnt in six days, the fires around Alexandroupolis, a town on the border with Turkey in north-eastern Greece, are now the most devastating ever recorded in the European Union. Over the past two days, grief over the desolate landscape has given way to rage and even hatred towards a convenient scapegoat: migrants, who have been blamed for the fires by far-right groups operating in the region.

On Tuesday, August 23, 18 suspected migrants – including two children, according to the coroner – who had crossed the Evros river separating Greece and Turkey, were found dead. A few hours after this announcement, rumors started circulating, fueled by far-right groups on social media, accusing the migrants of starting the fires, saying that it was no coincidence that the fires began on the route they had taken. This was followed by a video posted on Facebook by a man showing a group of migrants locked in the trailer of his vehicle. "I've loaded up 25 of them," he said proudly. "They're going to burn us! Go out and pick them up!"

Under the post, one user commented: "Throw them in the fire!" The comments, picked up by the Greek media, shocked the country, and Citizen Protection Minister Yannis Oikonomou reacted: "Greece is a state governed by the rule of law, with solid democratic achievements and a humanitarian tradition. Taking justice into one's own hands cannot be tolerated." The owner of the vehicle and two of his accomplices were arrested and charged with racially motivated kidnapping and endangering the lives of others. The 13 asylum seekers, Syrians and Pakistanis, are also being held on charges of illegal entry into Greece and unintentionally starting fires. All are due to appear in court today on Friday.

Since Tuesday, several groups of men, mostly hunters and fishermen from the Evros border region, have been organizing themselves to patrol and track down those they call "illegals." In a video broadcast by online media outlet The Press Project, a man in military fatigues addresses the crowd: "Start patrolling, take all the necessary information... But please, no weapons, no knives on you, you'll get into trouble! The authorities won't let us, despite the fact we're facing hybrid warfare!"

Thanassis Mananas, a local journalist, confirmed that civilian patrols are trying to catch migrants around Alexandroupolis. "They share information on Viber or WhatsApp groups, and are clearly inciting acts of violence," he said. "I'm not taking part in this, but several hundred people are gathering and the atmosphere is frightening!"

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