About one thousand migrants are trapped on Monday along the border of Greece with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and are protesting, demanding passage to western Europe.
Four Iranian men called a hunger strike, sewed their lips shut and sat down in front of lines of FYROM police forces in protest. Others have raised placards and shouted slogans like “Open the borders.”
Several Bangladeshis had bared their chests to FYROM policemen. On their chests they had slogans written in red paint saying, “Shoot us, we will never go back,” read one. “Shoot us or save us,” read another.
Iranians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Afghans, Moroccans, Syrians and others blocked train traffic and shouted their demand, claiming they can’t go back to their countries because their lives are in danger.
Last week, Slovenia, a member of Europe’s Schengen zone of passport-free travel, declared it would only grant passage to those fleeing war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and that all others deemed “economic migrants”would be sent back.
Other Balkan countries, Croatia, Serbia and FYROM followed suit and raised fences across their borders, leaving thousands of asylum seekers and economic migrants trapped, forced to camp out near the borders in bad weather conditions.
After French authorities found out that two of the suicide bombers who died in the explosions outside Stade de France on the fatal November 13 in Paris had entered Europe through Greece, some European Union nations challenge the Schengen Treaty for free travel among EU member states. At the same time they asked from Greece to implement stricter controls to those migrants arriving from Turkey.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
