Some days ago it was revealed that 5,000 olives trees were cut by illegal immigrants from the infamous Moria migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesvos in the eastern Aegean.

As reported by Greek City Times yesterday, the fruit of the olive is also an integral part of Greek history, culture, heritage and identity. Greece since the Bronze Age have been producing and exporting olives and olive oil, effectively meaning that olives have been a critical part of the Greek economy for at least 4,000 years, and the chopping of these trees is seen as an attack on Greek heritage and identity.

In an article yesterday, photos of the desecrated olive grove were published. However, videos have emerged of some of the trees being chopped down by illegal immigrants in a separate incident.

As part of Greece’s battle against the coronavirus pandemic, the country is in full lockdown to stop the spread of the virus through the community. However, for days now illegal immigrants have been defying these orders as they continue with a gang war and cough on police.

According to the resident who stopped the Afghan migrants from chopping down these particular trees, police officers manning roadblocks in the area are requesting written permission for citizens to visit their own farmland. As part of the lockdown laws in Greece, people must register their movements whenever they leave the house, either on paper, SMS or online.

While police in Greece enforce this with citizens, illegal immigrants in Lesvos continue to defy the orders with little impunity. Greeks in their thousands have also been defying lockdown orders, but there has been no reports of criminality as a result.

In one recent instance, dozens of residents in Patras, mainly elderly, disregarded the government’s lockdown restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic and attended church service on Sunday, as reported by Greek City Times.