Macedonian
riot police fired stun grenades and tear gas to disperse thousands of migrants
trying to force their way into the country from Greece, injuring at least eight
people desperate to cross into the country.
Police
in riot gear beat the migrants back with truncheons and threw the stun
grenades, devices that produce a blinding flash of light and a huge noise to
disorient their targets.
One
youngster was bleeding from what appeared to be shrapnel from the stun grenades
that were fired directly into the crowd, which was heard to shout 'help us' as
it surged forward.
Children
can be seen clasping hands in a crowd of 3,000 migrants who spent night outside
stuck in a dusty no-man's land, which made several attempts to charge officers
after the border which was shut to crossings.
The
young girl and boy cling to each other as they become separated from the crowd
while police push migrants with their riot shields
The
children are crushed between officers carrying batons and shields that have
forced one woman, right, to the ground in the confusion
The
children are just inches away from the shields that police are using to force
back the migrants from the Macedonian border with Greece
These
two children have been forced to the front of the crowd and are being crushed
up against the riot shields of police as they clash
The
child's face, right, is a picture of anguish as someone drags her mother away
from a crowd after she has been trampled underfoot
The
woman fell unconscious in the violence that broke out on the border as police
clashed with more than 3,000 migrants
These
distressed children rush to the aid of the woman who appears to be unconscious
after at least ten people fainted in the crushing ordeal
These
three children beg aid workers to help an older woman who is resting on the
railway tracks as clashes continue behind them
This
father holds his child at the front of the police and army line as they block
the crowd from the crossing the border
A
girl looks through the shields of the Macedonian police force, blocking a group
of migrants trying to cross an illegal crossing point
A
migrant holds his toddler after getting trapped between Macedonian riot police
officers and crowds of refugees during clashes near the border train station of
Idomeni, northern Greece, as they wait to be allowed by officers to cross the
border from Greece to Macedonia
Migrant
help the man holding his boy to feet as they try to get through a line of
Macedonian riot police officers on the border with Greece
The
clashes erupted a day after Macedonia declared a state of emergency to deal
with a massive influx of migrants heading to northern Europe
An
aerial view taken from a drone of migrants queueing to pass the Greek-FYROM
border to Gevgelija, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, but police have
a well-guarded line that they are now enforcing
The
aerial pictures show an outline of men in blue uniforms containing the immense
crowd of migrants trying to cross the border
Macedonia
declared a state of emergency to deal with a massive influx of migrants from
the Middle East and Africa who have flooded into Europe in recent months,
overwhelming countries from Greece and Italy to Germany, France and Britain
Police
spokesman Ivo Kotevski said police and the army will control a 30-mile stretch
of the border to stop a 'massive' influx of migrants coming from Greece
Hundreds
of migrants try to force their way through Macedonian riot police at the
Greek-Macedonian border in a bid to reach northern Europe
Macedonian
police vehicles are seen behind migrants who spent the night stranded in a
dusty no-man's land near the border with Greece
Macedonian
police fired stun grenades and tear gas to disperse thousands of migrants
trying to force their way into the country from Greece
Face-off:
Migrants clash with Macedonian police near the town of Idomeni on the Greek as
they try to force their way across the border
One
youngster was hit by shrapnel from stun grenades fired directly into the crowd
and at least eight other people were injured in the melee
An
injured migrant lays on the ground at Greek-Macedonian border near the town of
Idomeni, northern Greece during clashes with police
Harsh
reality: Migrants seeking a better life in Europe have faced tear gas and
dangerous crushes trying to board trains in Macedonia
Hundreds
of migrants arrive each day in overladen, often unseaworthy boats, hoping to
make it to mainland Greece and on to more prosperous countries in northern
Europe.
The
Greek coast guard said today that a patrol boat from Europe's border agency
Frontex had spotted a capsized vessel off the island of Lesbos. A Syrian woman
was found dead and 15 others were rescued.
Separately,
the coast guard said it had picked up 620 people in 15 search-and-rescue
operations in the last 24 hours off the islands of Lesbos, Samos, Agathonissi,
Leros, Farmakonissi, Kos and Megisti.
That
doesn't include the hundreds more who have reached the islands on their own.
Two
days ago, the Greek government was forced to charter a passenger ferry to take
2,500 refugees from its overwhelmed islands to Athens, where they promptly
boarded trains to the Macedonian border.
From
there, they hope to catch more trains to Hungary, the first country on the
route in Europe's Schengen zone comprising 26 countries that have abolished
controls at their common borders.
Almost
39,000 migrants, most of them Syrians, have been registered passing through
Macedonia over the past month, double the number from the month before.
Among
those lucky enough to get across the border is Amina Asmani who fought her way
past baton-wielding riot police with her 10-day-old baby in her arms to board a
train.
It
is a step closer to her dream destination: Germany.
The
Syrian migrant, from the embattled town of Kobane, felt lucky that she, her son
and husband overcame the ordeal of getting on the train, where officers beat
back others.
The
next day, Macedonia blocked thousands of migrants from crossing the border from
Greece, leaving them stranded in a dusty no-man's land.
On
the packed train, Asmani carefully placed her rosy-cheeked baby in a cot.
She
said she gave birth on a Greek island while joining the massive migrant exodus
from countries wracked by war and poverty.
'We
want to go to Germany to find a new life because everything has been destroyed
in Syria,' she said, holding her husband's hand and tenderly watching the baby
who feverishly sucked on a pacifier.
'The
policemen let us on the train only because they felt sorry for the baby.'
Melee:
Police with riot shields confront migrants at the railway station in the
Macedonian town of Gevgelija as they scramble to board trains to more
prosperous countries in the European Union. Clashes erupted a day after
Macedonia declared a state of emergency on its borders
Crisis:
The police and army said they will control a 30-mile stretch of the border to
stop a 'massive' influx of migrants coming from Greece
Keeping
order: Syrian migrant Amina Asmani (second right) watches a police officer
secure the railway tracks before a train taking migrants towards Serbia enters
the railway station in the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija
Police
hold back migrants waiting to board a train heading for Serbia at the railway
station in the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija
A
police officer guards migrants waiting for a train heading towards Serbia at
the railway station in the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija
Migrants
block the railway link between Greece and Macedonia in protest after the police
closed the border near the Greek village of Idomeni
At
the station, tempers flared at the ticket booths and in lines for temporary
refugee papers on the garbage-filled platforms.
Men
fought for space in the shadows to protect their families from the blazing sun.
They pushed and shoved over a single water tap or electric sockets rented out
by locals to charge mobile phones.
'People
are very nervous because they have been waiting here for many hours,' said
Najip Zazal from Afghanistan, as he took up a position for the rush toward the
next train.
'It's
scorching sun and there are no facilities here even for children or sick
people. We have been walking the whole night to get here.'
Most
migrants walk over the border from Greece on rusty train tracks that lead them
straight to the drab station, whose peeling yellow paint shows it has not seen
a renovation since Macedonia was part of communist Yugoslavia before the 1990s.
The
station has become one of the major trouble spots on migrant routes in Europe,
like the Greek island of Kos or the French port of Calais.
Migrants
arrive in a rubber dinghy on the beach at Psalidi near Kos Town on the Greek
island of Kos in a desperate bid to reach Europe
Terrified:
A Syrian migrant holds a girl in his arms upon arriving on a dinghy on the
Greek island of Kos after fleeing their war-torn country
A
Syrian child from Kobane cries as she arrives on a beach on the Greek island of
Kos after making the perilous journey across sea in a dinghy
Migrant
routes: Situated as it is in the heart of eastern Europe, Macedonia sees
migrants arrive from various locations - with the majority arriving via land
through Bulgaria and Turkey having fled war torn nations
When
they walk into the Gevgelija station, the exhausted migrants are greeted by
vendors who charge them double for bottled water than the shops just around the
corner.
They
also sell fruit – €1 ($1.12) for a single banana or an apple. It's €2 ($2.25)
to charge a mobile phone.
'They
are ripping us off, but what can you do when you feel like you are going to die
of thirst or hunger?' said Fadil, a Syrian who gave only his first name. 'All
we want is to get on this damn train and leave this nightmare behind.'
But
that is not easy. There are only three regular trains a day running on the
100-mile route to the border, where the migrants again have to walk to Serbia.
And
the trains have only two carriages that can pack a maximum of 150 people each.
This
week, some 3,000 migrants were stranded at the Gevgelija station. Last week,
police arrested three Syrians as angry crowds threw stones, bottles and shoes
at police attempting to restore order at the station.
Migrants pray on the beach after landing near Kos Town on the Greek
island of Kos, from where they hope to head for the mainland
Migrants
sleep on the ground at the port on Kos as Greece struggles with a major influx
of migrants at the height of the tourist season
Fleeing
hell: Syrian men run past blood stains and debris following air strikes by
government forces on the rebel-held town of Douma. The conflict has forced
thousands of Syrians to escape the country in the hope of starting a new life
in Europe
Syrian
emergency personnel extinguish fires in the rubble of destroyed buildings
following air strikes by government forces on the rebel-held town of Douma.
Human Rights Watch urged the United Nations to impose an arms embargo on the
Syrian government after air strikes on the Eastern Ghouta region town near the
capital Damascus killed more than 100 people
Several
migrants have been injured in clashes with police who have been trying to stem
the rush on trains by allowing only small groups, mainly families with small
children, to board.
Families
are often split in the chaos.
A
boy in a red T-shirt frantically paced along the platform, shouting 'Mama!
Mama!' when he and his small curly-haired sister found themselves alone in
front of the train - their parents blocked by police meters away.
A
woman in a black scarf sat on the pavement, desperately crying as she told the
officers that her sister and brother were on the other side of the cordon.
Obad,
a 20-year-old migrant from Syria, said he and his traveling companions are not
bothered by the chaos - because they have survived much worse.
'We
are not afraid of anything,' he said. 'We escaped from dying.'
NO
END IN SIGHT: MIGRANTS FACE RAZOR WIRE, ARSON AND DEATH IF THEY MAKE IT THROUGH
MACEDONIA
After
fleeing war, dodging armed guards and risking death crossing choppy seas in a
dinghy, the latest group of migrants must have felt pretty relieved to have
reached northern Greece.
That
is until they were faced with tear gas, stun grenades and a dangerous crush to
board overcrowded trains.
Even
if they do eventually make it into Macedonia and beyond, their torturous
journey is far from over.
Hostility
will face them at almost every turn.
A
refugee child from Palestine sleeps next to their father outside the reception
centre for refugees and asylum-seekers in Berlin
Even
Hungary, the first country in the Schengen zone which gives free passage across
the borders of 26 EU countries, is racing to build a fence along its border
with Serbia to keep the migrants out.
And
Bulgaria has already taken measures to erect a barrier that will cover 160km of
its border with Turkey.
If
they press onwards to Germany, they will also find escalating tensions in a
country that is braced to host some 800,000 asylum seekers this year.
Berlin
police today said they had arrested three suspects in connection with a failed
arson attack on a home for asylum seekers.
Detectives
say a watchman at the temporary housing unit in Berlin's Marzahn neighborhood
saw a group in dark clothing throw burning wood into the compound just before
midnight. A resident was able to extinguish the fire quickly.
Anger:
A group of 20 refugees chased down the man who reportedly damaged the Muslim
holy book at a refugee centre in Germany
Germany
has been largely welcoming to the tens of thousands of refugees arriving each
month but the attacks on them and on areas housing them have been on the rise.
At
least 17 people were injured yesterday when a riot broke out at an overcrowded
refugee shelter after one resident tore pages out of a Koran.
He
was eventually saved by the shelter's guards which prompted the mob - according
to local media mainly Syrian men - to turn their anger on the camp's security
team.
More
than 50 men armed themselves with steel rods and began throwing rocks at guards
and policemen.
For
those who go further north, Calais awaits – a town where migrants say
conditions are so appalling they would rather die trying to escape it and sneak
into Britain by jumping onto trucks and Eurotunnel trains.
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