Thread: Desperate migrants storm fence on FYROM border

By Catherine Hardy | With REUTERS10/04 15:43 CET

"Either we go through and we die trying, or we die in Greece"

What has happened?

Macedonian police have used tear gas to push back hundreds of migrants from a border fence at a refugee camp on the Greek side of the border.

Why did the situation develop?

An estimated 500 people gathered at the fence near the camp in Idomeni.

Eyewitnesses say a small group tried to talk to the Macedonian border guards.

The guards refused to open the border and the group became angry, bystanders say.

Some started to make their way towards the border.

A Macedonian official said a large group of migrants left the camp and surged towards the fence.

Aid workers say they have treated people for exposure to tear gas. Other injuries have been reported.

A cascading shutdown of borders has meant more than 10,000 people have been stranded at the camp since February.

The context

Migrants at Idomeni are demanding the border with the former Yugslav republic of Macedonia be opened.

No migrants have been allowed through for weeks.

The Greek authorities have been trying to persuade those at Idomeni to move to other reception camps.

However, many are refusing to go.

In the last year, more than a million people fleeing poverty and conflict in the Middle East have poured into Europe through Greece.

The EU is implementing an accord whereby all new arrivals will be sent back to Turkey if they do not meet the criteria for asylum.

What they are saying

“Today is decision day for everyone. Either we go through, and die trying, or we die in Greece. This is the final day, it is our last hope. We have had enough of political resolutions and talks in Geneva.”- Abu Mohammed from Deir el-Zor, Syria.

“They threw rocks at the Macedonian police. The police fired tear gas in response.” – unnamed official.

“We have injuries and are extremely busy.” – senior official for medical aid charity, MSF.

Desperate migrants storm fence on FYROM border | euronews, world news

Maybe they should go back to where they came from and "die trying" to save their own Country, their own Culture and fight for their own Freedom! No military age men should be allowed on our soil.

If they can do this on our soil, certainly they can do it on their soil. This is only the beginning of their behavior and it will get much, much worse as the warm weather approaches. They should put barges in the water, apprehend the illegal migrants, process them, ID them and send them right back. Sink the smugglers boats. Syrian's are going back to Palmyria...start sending them home.

It's interesting that the Macedonian police fired tear gas at people while they were in Greece. I would think this would be an infringement of Greek sovereignty. I wonder what would happen if the U.S. did something like this at folks in Mexico trying to cross the border?

The Balkan road was closed since couple of months now