About 1,300 migrants gathered in the Greek border town of Idomeni protested over the weekend against the decision of the authorities in neighbouring Macedonia to turn away migrants who were not coming from war zones such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, AP reported earlier.
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The protesting men, some of whom appear to be from Iran’s Kurdish minority, sat down on railway tracks in front of riot police with their mouths sewn shut, with messages such as “Just freedom” scrawled on their foreheads and chests.
While sympathy has been high for people caught up in the civil war in Syria, some commentators have asked whether people from countries where there is no war should be treated as refugees. I cannot go back. “Macedonia knows that the only solution is European-wide expanded cooperation, real-time exchange of information and additional support so that we may ensure appropriate security and humanitarian outcomes for all involved”, Gruevski said Monday, the Guardian reported. “At this moment, European Union is taking this right away from them”. Between Sunday and Monday, about 2,900 people crossed into Macedonia – down from 6,000 the previous day. “We risk violating human rights and asylum law”, he told Serbian state television. They are not processing individual claims. And mental health issues are being compounded by further mistreatment they are facing from Balkan countries – these are people who have experienced trauma, either from what they have witnessed at home or during their voyage.
Peter Sutherland, United Nations special representative of the secretary general for International Migration and Development, reflects on Europe’s future amid growing anti-migrant sentiment.
The latest on the mass movement of asylum seekers and others seeking refuge in Europe.
Save the Children charity group says that more than 70 children have drowned trying to reach Greece since September. However, they have been stopping migrants from other countries, doubting whether they are fleeing conflict.
Balkan countries have clamped down at their borders recently to stem what has been an anarchic, largely unchecked stream of humanity into Europe this year.
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Many have passed through Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia as they head to the EU’s more affluent countries like Germany and Sweden.
