Officers used tear gas to quell unrest at migrant center

Lithuanian officers used tear gas against migrants after unrest broke out at the Foreigners' Registration Center in Pabrade, near Vilnius, on Wednesday, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Thursday.

Border guards, helped by interpreters from the European Asylum Support Office, met with asylum seekers in one of the sectors where migrants live to inform them about the administrative procedures and the procedure for granting asylum in Lithuania.

However, this irritated the migrants, according to the service.

"One of them started kicking the wall and other foreigners started to group up, express their discontent, shout and behave aggressively," it said in a press release. "They ignored the VSAT officers' demands to calm down, so tear gas was used due to rising tensions and threat to the safety of officials."

The migrants then calmed down and dispersed, the service said, adding that none of them needed medical assistance because of tear gas.