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Over the past week, more than 200 wildfires in Greece have destroyed 130,000 hectares of land so far, setting a new record for the EU. There have been over 500 fires in Greece this summer. Police have arrested 79 individuals on charges of arson. Twenty one people have died in the fires. Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kiklias said, “Arsonist scum are setting fires that threaten forests, property, and most of all, human lives.” Politicians in the US and EU have been quick to blame recent wildfires in Hawaii, Italy, Canada and Spain on climate change before official causes were even determined.
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Greece has called out “arsonist scum” after police made 79 arson arrests over wildfires ravaging the country.
Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said there had been several attempts by arsonists to start new fires on Mount Parnitha, north-west of Athens.
The blaze is one of hundreds in the nation where wildfires have already killed at least 20 people this week.
“You are committing a crime against the country,” Mr Kikilias said.
“Arsonist scum are setting fires that threaten forests, property and, most of all, human lives,” Mr Kikilias told Greeks during a televised emergency briefing on Thursday.
“You will not get away with it, we will find you, you will be held accountable.”
Summer wildfires are common in Greece and scientists have linked the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including heatwaves, to climate change.
Stefan Doerr, who directs the Centre for Wildfire Research at Swansea University, says that more flammable landscapes – due to hot weather or poor vegetation management – mean that arson and other incidents can more easily turn into fast-moving wildfires.
Police and Greek intelligence service EYP are investigating the incidents, AFP reported.
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis told Greek public broadcaster ERT that of 140 wildfire-related arrests, 79 were related to arson.
Gateway Pundit: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/08/greece-arrests-almost-80-arsonist-scums-as-eus/
NewsWars: https://www.newswars.com/79-arsonists-arrested-in-greece-for-starting-climate-change-fires/
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