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| Refugee crisis: Hungary uses teargas and water cannon at Serbia border – as it happened | Refugee crisis: Hungary uses teargas and water cannon at Serbia border – as it happened |
| (25 days later) | |
| 6.50pm BST | 6.50pm BST |
| 18:50 | 18:50 |
| This live coverage is now ending for the day. Below is an extract from Patrick Kingsley’s report from Serbia: | This live coverage is now ending for the day. Below is an extract from Patrick Kingsley’s report from Serbia: |
| Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since the second world war entered a new phase on Wednesday as hundreds of trapped refugees briefly broke through a border gate on the now-blocked Hungarian border, leading to frenzied clashes with Hungarian police, while hundreds of others forged a new route through Croatia. | Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since the second world war entered a new phase on Wednesday as hundreds of trapped refugees briefly broke through a border gate on the now-blocked Hungarian border, leading to frenzied clashes with Hungarian police, while hundreds of others forged a new route through Croatia. |
| Hungarian riot police fired teargas and water cannon over the border with Serbia, after frustrated crowds, who had gathered there in their thousands when Hungary closed its border on Tuesday, tried to burst through a gate that connects the two countries. Hungary’s actions were met with fury by the Serbian government, which said its northern neighbours had no right to fire into Serbian territory. | Hungarian riot police fired teargas and water cannon over the border with Serbia, after frustrated crowds, who had gathered there in their thousands when Hungary closed its border on Tuesday, tried to burst through a gate that connects the two countries. Hungary’s actions were met with fury by the Serbian government, which said its northern neighbours had no right to fire into Serbian territory. |
| ... | ... |
| Tensions boiled over after thousands of refugees fleeing wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan began arriving at the Horgoš border crossing between Serbia and Hungary, in the hours after Budapest finally sealed it following months of threats to do so. But to many refugees, whose understanding of how to navigate Europe is largely gleaned from the more than 170,000 people who had successfully transited through Hungary since the start of the year, the move came as a shock. | Tensions boiled over after thousands of refugees fleeing wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan began arriving at the Horgoš border crossing between Serbia and Hungary, in the hours after Budapest finally sealed it following months of threats to do so. But to many refugees, whose understanding of how to navigate Europe is largely gleaned from the more than 170,000 people who had successfully transited through Hungary since the start of the year, the move came as a shock. |
| Frustrations were then amplified further when a handful of Syrians who were subsequently allowed into Hungary to claim asylum had their applications rejected within minutes, seemingly without a proper assessment of their individual cases and backgrounds. | Frustrations were then amplified further when a handful of Syrians who were subsequently allowed into Hungary to claim asylum had their applications rejected within minutes, seemingly without a proper assessment of their individual cases and backgrounds. |
| The tipping point came after an Iraqi refugee, one of 60 who was caught trying to breach the new border fence in separate incidents on Tuesday, was convicted in a specially convened Hungarian court. He was the first to be prosecuted under controversial new Hungarian laws enacted this week that criminalise the act of crossing the fence. | The tipping point came after an Iraqi refugee, one of 60 who was caught trying to breach the new border fence in separate incidents on Tuesday, was convicted in a specially convened Hungarian court. He was the first to be prosecuted under controversial new Hungarian laws enacted this week that criminalise the act of crossing the fence. |
| 6.04pm BST | 6.04pm BST |
| 18:04 | 18:04 |
| Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban has told the Austrian newspaper Die Presse the country will build a fence along portions of its border with Croatia. | Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban has told the Austrian newspaper Die Presse the country will build a fence along portions of its border with Croatia. |
| 6.01pm BST | 6.01pm BST |
| 18:01 | 18:01 |
| Croatia and Slovenia diverge on free passage | Croatia and Slovenia diverge on free passage |
| The Croatian prime minister, Zoran Milanovic, has said the country will allow the free passage of refugees across its territory “to where they apparently wish to go”. In a criticism of Hungary, he said: “These people are here ... They do not want to come to Croatia or Hungary either and that is why I do not understand where is the problem of letting them pass through that country.” | The Croatian prime minister, Zoran Milanovic, has said the country will allow the free passage of refugees across its territory “to where they apparently wish to go”. In a criticism of Hungary, he said: “These people are here ... They do not want to come to Croatia or Hungary either and that is why I do not understand where is the problem of letting them pass through that country.” |
| Slovenia’s interior minister, Vesna Gyorkos Znidar, has meanwhile said it will not create a “safe corridor” for refugees to pass through on their way to Germany and Scandinavia but will receive asylum requests and accommodate them. | Slovenia’s interior minister, Vesna Gyorkos Znidar, has meanwhile said it will not create a “safe corridor” for refugees to pass through on their way to Germany and Scandinavia but will receive asylum requests and accommodate them. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 6.04pm BST | at 6.04pm BST |
| 5.16pm BST | 5.16pm BST |
| 17:16 | 17:16 |
| Austria to introduce border controls with Slovenia | Austria to introduce border controls with Slovenia |
| Austria’s interior minister, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, says the country will start selective controls on its border with Slovenia within the next few hours. She told the Austria Press Agency that anyone wishing to apply for asylum still could do so but at the same time, she said Austria was looking to send “a clear signal” that the country cannot handle an uncontrolled mass arrival of refugees. | Austria’s interior minister, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, says the country will start selective controls on its border with Slovenia within the next few hours. She told the Austria Press Agency that anyone wishing to apply for asylum still could do so but at the same time, she said Austria was looking to send “a clear signal” that the country cannot handle an uncontrolled mass arrival of refugees. |
| 5.01pm BST | 5.01pm BST |
| 17:01 | 17:01 |
| 4.47pm BST | 4.47pm BST |
| 16:47 | 16:47 |
| Tirana Hassan, director of crisis response at Amnesty International, told Sky News: | Tirana Hassan, director of crisis response at Amnesty International, told Sky News: |
| They [the Hungarians] need to make sure any reaction to unrest is legal and within reasonable limits. | They [the Hungarians] need to make sure any reaction to unrest is legal and within reasonable limits. |
| 4.41pm BST | 4.41pm BST |
| 16:41 | 16:41 |
| Serbia has criticised Hungary’s actions at the border. | Serbia has criticised Hungary’s actions at the border. |
| BREAKING: Serbia expresses `harshest possible protest' against Hungary for using tear gas at border. | BREAKING: Serbia expresses `harshest possible protest' against Hungary for using tear gas at border. |
| 4.32pm BST | 4.32pm BST |
| 16:32 | 16:32 |
| Sky News reports that a pregnant women was taken away by an ambulance the clashes at the Serbia-Hungary border. Another report says she started giving birth. | Sky News reports that a pregnant women was taken away by an ambulance the clashes at the Serbia-Hungary border. Another report says she started giving birth. |
| A #refugee woman started giving birth to her child during the riot at #Roszke, M1 TV reports. Follow our stream: http://t.co/zLa5LIcxXI | A #refugee woman started giving birth to her child during the riot at #Roszke, M1 TV reports. Follow our stream: http://t.co/zLa5LIcxXI |
| 4.29pm BST | 4.29pm BST |
| 16:29 | 16:29 |
| As clashes continue on Serbia’s border with Hungary and some refugees head to Serbia’s border with Croatia instead, Croatian demining experts have been called in by police concerned at the threat posed by minefields left over from Croatia’s 1991-95 war, Reuters reports. | As clashes continue on Serbia’s border with Hungary and some refugees head to Serbia’s border with Croatia instead, Croatian demining experts have been called in by police concerned at the threat posed by minefields left over from Croatia’s 1991-95 war, Reuters reports. |
| It says that some 350 migrants have entered Croatia so far from Serbia. They are being registered and transported to reception centres in the vicinity of the capital Zagreb. | It says that some 350 migrants have entered Croatia so far from Serbia. They are being registered and transported to reception centres in the vicinity of the capital Zagreb. |
| “Police have contacted us and we sent a team to the border area in eastern Croatia,” an official at the Croatian Demining Centre told Reuters, asking not to be named. | “Police have contacted us and we sent a team to the border area in eastern Croatia,” an official at the Croatian Demining Centre told Reuters, asking not to be named. |
| The government said the demining experts, already operating on demining activities in eastern Croatia, had been sent with police to verify if all the minefields were properly marked. | The government said the demining experts, already operating on demining activities in eastern Croatia, had been sent with police to verify if all the minefields were properly marked. |
| Eastern Croatia, on the border with Serbia, saw fighting during the 1991-95 war as Croatia split from federal Yugoslavia. | Eastern Croatia, on the border with Serbia, saw fighting during the 1991-95 war as Croatia split from federal Yugoslavia. |
| 4.22pm BST | 4.22pm BST |
| 16:22 | 16:22 |
| Alberto Nardelli | Alberto Nardelli |
| Berlin-based Mutanox has refused to sell razor wire to Hungary. The story, first reported in German daily Die Welt has been confirmed by the company to the Guardian. | Berlin-based Mutanox has refused to sell razor wire to Hungary. The story, first reported in German daily Die Welt has been confirmed by the company to the Guardian. |
| The razor wire is used in the fence that Hungary has built along its border with Serbia in order to stop asylum seekers from entering its territory. | The razor wire is used in the fence that Hungary has built along its border with Serbia in order to stop asylum seekers from entering its territory. |
| Mutanox, one of Germany’s largest wholesale suppliers of wires and fences, was approached with an order from Hungary in August. Explaining its decision to refuse the request, a spokesperson for the company told Die Welt that razor wire is meant to prevent criminal acts, but children and adults fleeing is not a criminal act. | Mutanox, one of Germany’s largest wholesale suppliers of wires and fences, was approached with an order from Hungary in August. Explaining its decision to refuse the request, a spokesperson for the company told Die Welt that razor wire is meant to prevent criminal acts, but children and adults fleeing is not a criminal act. |
| Hungary went on to purchase 9,000-10,000 rolls of razor wire from elsewhere, probably from China according to various experts. | Hungary went on to purchase 9,000-10,000 rolls of razor wire from elsewhere, probably from China according to various experts. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.50pm BST | at 4.50pm BST |