Migrants attempting to reach Western Europe were left with a hard choice: Stay and contend with Hungary’s tough new border defenses, or set out through Croatia on another uncertain path toward the European Union’s wealthier nations. You are welcome in Croatia and you can pass through Croatia.
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Orban said this was “an armed attack launched against Hungary and Hungarian police… from Serbian territory”.
Apart from one border with their fellow European nation, Croatia has closed every entrance to the country from Serbia, after 11,000 immigrants arrived on their doorstep.
The refugees were accompanied by 40 Croatian police officers, who were disarmed and sent back to their homeland in what Hungary called a “major, major incident”.
Earlier, crowds pushed through police lines in the eastern Croatia town of Torvarnik, with people trampling and falling on each other amid the chaos.
“We can also see from the analyses…that this action was directed in Arabic and English, from loudspeakers, with organised media background”, Orban added. A lot of them want to go there.
He said this proved that this was a mass migration problem and not a refugee crisis. It also summoned Croatia’s ambassador to complain that Croatia is dumping refugees near Hungary. They punish people, that’s all I can say, they punish people. Aleksandar Vulin, Serbia’s social affairs minister, said Serbia will take Croatia to worldwide courts if the global border crossings remain closed, arguing that it should have been prepared for the influx. A large lorry lifted barriers on to the bridge.
The group, which included many women and children, stood in a no man’s land in the middle of the tall bridge in the scorching heat with little water or food.
He said: “We will not allow anyone to humiliate us”.
“I think that too many refugees entered in an uncontrolled way on the first day”, said Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.
Despite the border closures, many slipped into Croatia through cornfields.
Some from Croatia had already made their way north to Slovenia.
Hundreds of other asylum seekers came over a Danube River bridge to the northern Croatian town of Batina after being bused there by Serbs, overwhelming the local police.
However, Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic warned his country’s resources for dealing with the influx were “limited”.
But at Ilaca in Croatia, migrants boarded trains – reportedly bound for Slovenia and Austria – on the next step on their marathon voyage.
Among those waiting was a Syrian Kurd who fled Aleppo.
Croatia says of those registered there so far, 60% are refugees and 40% economic migrants.
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“What’s missing is a collective European Union action, ” he said.
