Some 98 North African illegal immigrants who have gone on a hunger strike to demand residence permits in Greece were hospitalized Thursday, reports said, dpa repoirted.
An immigrant support association in Athens said 81 people - mostly men - from one group of 240 hunger-striking immigrants were suffering from severe health issues, such as kidney and heart problems.
Another 50 immigrants in the northern port city of Thessaloniki have also gone on hunger strike, with 17 hospitalized there.
Many of them have also stopped drinking fluids, said Petros Yiotis of the Solidarity Initiative, which has backed the protest since it began at Athens University's Law School.
The immigrants are currently living in a private property in the city centre, after being forced off the school's premises in January.
Most of them are North African nationals without working permits. The government has rejected their request for residence permits, saying they entered Greece illegally and that granting them legal status would set a precedent for other immigrants.
Thousands of refugees who try to make their way to Europe have ended up stranded in Greece, as the country struggles to cope with a financial crisis and a huge backlog of asylum applications.
Greece has been repeatedly criticized for being one of the European Union countries that grants the smallest number of asylum pleas.
More than 128,000 migrants - almost 400 a day - entered the country illegally in 2010, according to government figures.
Hunger strike lands 98 North African immigrants in Greek hospitals
Some 98 North African illegal immigrants who have gone on a hunger strike to demand residence permits in Greece were hospitalized Thursday, reports said, dpa repoirted.
