Macedonia tightens controls trapping migrants in Greece
About 5,000 people massed at two locations in northern Greece, close to the border with Macedonia, while aid groups urged another 4,000, who arrived on the Greek mainland from outlying islands
ATHENS/MORAHALOM (HUNGARY): Thousands of migrants were stranded in northern Greece on Monday after neighbouring Macedonia demanded additional identification from people seeking to cross the border and head to Western Europe, witnesses said.
European leaders are concerned that migrants passing through austerity-hit Greece to more prosperous countries could end up stranded if Greece’s northern neighbours tighten border controls.
Greek officials say the flow of people across the border slowed after Macedonia demanded additional identification from people seeking passage.
About 5,000 people massed at two locations in northern Greece, close to the border with Macedonia, while aid groups urged another 4,000, who arrived on the Greek mainland from outlying islands, not to head to north for fear of creating a bottleneck.
“Our biggest fear is that the 4,000 migrants who are in Athens head up here and the place will become overcrowded,” said Antonis Rigas, a coordinator of the medical relief charity Medicins Sans Fron- tieres (Doctors Without Borders).
Balkan states straddling the migrant route to western and northern Europe have begun denying passage to individuals not coming from the conflict regions of Syria and Iraq.
One migrant in his mid-30s, who said he was from the Syrian town of Aleppo, said Macedonian police did not let him cross the border because he did not have a passport.
“I lost everything in the war, I have no documents,” he said, declining to give his name. He said he had obtained Greek registration papers at the island of Lesbos.
Macedonia has erected a metal fence topped with razor wire at the main crossing point for migrants along its southern border with Greece.
Greek migration minister Yannis Mouzalas criticised his neighbours for shirking their responsibilities amid the crisis.
“Not only have Visegrad countries not taken in one refugee, they didn’t even send a blanket or a tent,” he told the TV channel of Greece’s parliament, referring to the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.
Meanwhile, police detained 501 migrants over the weekend who cut their way through Hungary’s steel border fence.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has boosted his public support with a tough stance on migration. His right-wing government has put up a fence on the borders with Serbia and Croatia to keep out the mostly Middle Eastern migrants. The fence diverted the flow of migrants away from Hungary toward Croatia and Slovenia last year when hundreds of thousands crossed the Balkans towards Austria and western Europe.