In the summer of 1927-28, eastern Macedonia and Thrace were shaken by large tobacco workers strikes. Their bloody suppression by the army intensified the strike wave and contributed to the downfall of the government of Zaimis. In this period, among the issues that were preoccupying Greek society were the actions of armed gangs of brigands (which had political consequences) and the epidemic of dengue fever that left more than 2,000 dead in its wake.
In many regions, open clashes between refugees and natives broke out. Frequent references were made to the 'hostility of the native population', which in many cases struck the new inhabitants as a threat to their future. Newspapars were warning that a possible electoral victory by Venizelos would entail a double dictatorship: a political one by the Liberals, and an economic one by the refugees, who were shown favouritism in requisitioning the property of the natives. Physical assaults and extreme acts (arson, destruction etc.), usually at the expense of refugees - especially in northern Greece, but elsewhere as well (e.g. Volos) - were endemic over a period of many years.