Macedonian Border Police Fire Tear Gas At Refugees
KABUL: (MEP) Macedonia police have fired tear gas and stun grenades at hundreds of refugees after they were trying to break a border fence and get into the southeastern European country from Greece.
Chaotic scenes have intensified on Monday across Greece as the embattled government edged closer to declaring a state of emergency to deal with tens of thousands of migrants and refugees trapped in the country.
“The situation is very hectic; people just want a safe passage,” Vicky Markolefa, of the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) aid organisation, told Al Jazeera from Idomeni.
Police fired several rounds of tear gas at protesters. The charity Doctors of the World said at least 30 people, including children, needed first aid.
Greek officials said more than 7,000 people had massed at a makeshift camp on the border. The vast majority were Syrians and Iraqis determined to continue their journey north into central Europe. “Everywhere you look there are children, we’ve never seen so many,” said Gemma Gillie, a spokeswoman for Médecins sans Frontières who witnessed the scene.
Greek government insiders said the pressure on the country’s public infrastructure – eviscerated by seven years of budget cuts to keep debt-laden Athens afloat – was overwhelming. Schools, sporting arenas and passenger terminals have all been turned into impromptu refugee camps. Between 2,000 to 3,000 migrants and refugees are reaching Greece every day with close to 25,000 stranded within its borders as a result of Balkan countries’ decision to close Europe’s eastern migrant corridor. More than 9,500 are marooned in Athens alone.
Europe is facing an unprecedented influx of refugees, most of whom are fleeing conflict-ridden zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria.
