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| Migrants try to charge Macedonian police lines at Greek border | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Hundreds of migrants have been trying to charge Macedonian police lines at the border with Greece, with people fainting in ensuing crushes, a day after Macedonia declared a state of emergency in the area. | |
| People could be heard screaming and medical workers raced to treat those who passed out or were hurt. | People could be heard screaming and medical workers raced to treat those who passed out or were hurt. |
| Backed by armoured vehicles, the Macedonian army had closed the border on Thursday and spread razor wire over rail tracks, but on Friday the interior ministry announced that some migrants would be allowed through. | Backed by armoured vehicles, the Macedonian army had closed the border on Thursday and spread razor wire over rail tracks, but on Friday the interior ministry announced that some migrants would be allowed through. |
| “A limited number of illegal migrants in vulnerable categories are allowed to enter Macedonia and they may be provided with aid in accordance with the state’s capacities,” the ministry said in a statement, without elaborating. | |
| Shortly after the announcement, police allowed in a few hundred people, mostly families with children and pregnant women. The move appeared to raise tensions among many of those prevented from crossing. | |
| Several people were also injured when police fired tear gas and stun grenades in an attempt to disperse migrants who had been trapped overnight in a no-man’s land near the Greek village of Idomeni, many without food and water. Several men were filmed with injuries to their legs. Others had bruised faces. | Several people were also injured when police fired tear gas and stun grenades in an attempt to disperse migrants who had been trapped overnight in a no-man’s land near the Greek village of Idomeni, many without food and water. Several men were filmed with injuries to their legs. Others had bruised faces. |
| There were similar scenes in the border town of Gevgelija, where migrants have been gathering every day at the railway station in the hope of jumping on trains and heading north through Serbia and Hungary towards the more prosperous EU countries. | There were similar scenes in the border town of Gevgelija, where migrants have been gathering every day at the railway station in the hope of jumping on trains and heading north through Serbia and Hungary towards the more prosperous EU countries. |
| “Any country is better than my country. My country is war, no future and killings,” said one young migrant in Gevgelija. | “Any country is better than my country. My country is war, no future and killings,” said one young migrant in Gevgelija. |
| “Nobody cares about us. We sit here, we sleep here – no food, no water, nothing,” said another man. | “Nobody cares about us. We sit here, we sleep here – no food, no water, nothing,” said another man. |
| Holding his child, a man pleaded for help. “We are also human beings, we are suffering – think about our children.” | Holding his child, a man pleaded for help. “We are also human beings, we are suffering – think about our children.” |
| A number of migrants held up placards saying: “Help us, [we’re from] Syria.” | A number of migrants held up placards saying: “Help us, [we’re from] Syria.” |
| Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the UN’s refugee agency, criticised Macedonia for closing its border. “These are refugees in search of protection and [they] must not be stopped from doing so,” she was quoted as saying. | Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the UN’s refugee agency, criticised Macedonia for closing its border. “These are refugees in search of protection and [they] must not be stopped from doing so,” she was quoted as saying. |
| Amnesty International called on the Macedonian authorities to ensure that any police and military forces deployed along the border respect international law and standards on the use of force and firearms. | |
| “The Macedonian authorities are responding as if they were dealing with rioters rather than refugees who have fled conflict and persecution,” said Amnesty’s deputy director for Europe, Gauri van Gulik. | |
| A Macedonian police spokesman said the country’s police and army had been deployed “for the security of citizens who live in the border areas and for better treatment of the migrants”. | A Macedonian police spokesman said the country’s police and army had been deployed “for the security of citizens who live in the border areas and for better treatment of the migrants”. |
| Tensions had already risen after Macedonia stopped issuing documents to stateless migrants that helped them travel across the country. “I don’t know why they are doing this to us,” said Mohammad Wahid, from Iraq. “I don’t have a passport or identity documents. I cannot return and have nowhere to go. I will stay here till the end.” | Tensions had already risen after Macedonia stopped issuing documents to stateless migrants that helped them travel across the country. “I don’t know why they are doing this to us,” said Mohammad Wahid, from Iraq. “I don’t have a passport or identity documents. I cannot return and have nowhere to go. I will stay here till the end.” |
| Seeking to reach more affluent parts of Europe, migrants usually take boats to Greece or walk to Bulgaria and cross into Macedonia or Serbia before trying to head north. The number of migrants who were registered as travelling through Macedonia over the past month was almost 40,000 – double the number of the month before. Most of them were Syrians. | Seeking to reach more affluent parts of Europe, migrants usually take boats to Greece or walk to Bulgaria and cross into Macedonia or Serbia before trying to head north. The number of migrants who were registered as travelling through Macedonia over the past month was almost 40,000 – double the number of the month before. Most of them were Syrians. |
| Europe’s migrant crisis has escalated in recent months as increasing numbers of people risk their lives to travel on overloaded, unsafe boats, mainly through Greece and Italy. On Friday, one migrant was found dead and 15 others were rescued when the Greek coastguard found a capsized boat close the island of Lesbos. More than 600 other people were rescued in similar situations near the islands of Samos, Agathonissi, Leros, Farmakonissi, Kos and Megisti. | Europe’s migrant crisis has escalated in recent months as increasing numbers of people risk their lives to travel on overloaded, unsafe boats, mainly through Greece and Italy. On Friday, one migrant was found dead and 15 others were rescued when the Greek coastguard found a capsized boat close the island of Lesbos. More than 600 other people were rescued in similar situations near the islands of Samos, Agathonissi, Leros, Farmakonissi, Kos and Megisti. |
| Amina Asmani and her family, from Syria, managed to board a train in Gevgelija despite the police presence. “We want to go to Germany to find a new life because everything has been destroyed in Syria,” she said. She was accompanied by her husband and their 10-day-old son, born while they were in Greece. “The policemen let us on the train only because they felt sorry for the baby.” | Amina Asmani and her family, from Syria, managed to board a train in Gevgelija despite the police presence. “We want to go to Germany to find a new life because everything has been destroyed in Syria,” she said. She was accompanied by her husband and their 10-day-old son, born while they were in Greece. “The policemen let us on the train only because they felt sorry for the baby.” |
| The EU executive rebuffed criticism that it has been slow to deal with Europe’s migration crisis, saying on Friday that it was not Brussels but disputes among member states which were holding up joint action. | The EU executive rebuffed criticism that it has been slow to deal with Europe’s migration crisis, saying on Friday that it was not Brussels but disputes among member states which were holding up joint action. |
| Asked about a remark by the German interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, that “European institutions” were too slow in reacting to record numbers arriving at EU borders, a spokeswoman for the European commission told reporters that existing proposals from the executive had yet to win full support from governments. | Asked about a remark by the German interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, that “European institutions” were too slow in reacting to record numbers arriving at EU borders, a spokeswoman for the European commission told reporters that existing proposals from the executive had yet to win full support from governments. |
| “The proposals are all on the table,” Annika Breidthardt said. “It’s time that member states adopted them.” | “The proposals are all on the table,” Annika Breidthardt said. “It’s time that member states adopted them.” |
| “We can only succeed if we work together on this, not against each other,” she added, noting that the commission had put forward a comprehensive strategy in May. “We’re certainly not the ones that have stood in the way of implementing it.” | “We can only succeed if we work together on this, not against each other,” she added, noting that the commission had put forward a comprehensive strategy in May. “We’re certainly not the ones that have stood in the way of implementing it.” |
| Border agency Frontex said 107,500 migrants had reached the EU’s borders in July – surpassing the 100,000 mark in a single month for the first time since it began keeping records in 2008. | Border agency Frontex said 107,500 migrants had reached the EU’s borders in July – surpassing the 100,000 mark in a single month for the first time since it began keeping records in 2008. |
| Reuters contributed to this report | Reuters contributed to this report |