Page 8 - atoday

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WORLD NEWSTuesday 1 March 2016

Europe’s crisis worsens: Migrants face razor wire, tear gas

refugee protest. Council President, begins
of tour of those countries
Amnesty International Tuesday, starting in Vienna,
which has been strongly
condemned European criticized by other EU na-
tions for its caps on asylum-
government for failing to seekers, and ending Thurs-
day in Athens. Tusk is aiming
adequately help stranded to prepare for a meeting
of leaders from the EU and
migrants. Turkey on March 7, where
the key topic will be trying
“Tragically, there seems to to halt the flow of migrants
from Turkey to Greece.
be more willingness among The number of migrants
stranded in Greece
European countries to co- topped 22,000 over the
weekend, according to
ordinate blocking borders government estimates.
Thousands have been
than to provide refugees sleeping outside in parks
and along northbound
and asylum-seekers with highways, as refugee shel-
ters quickly overflowed.
protection and basic ser- “Very many people
were forced to sleep in
vices,” said Giorgos Kos- the open, without tents,
wrapped in blankets,” said
mopoulos, Amnesty’s di- 45-year-old Syrian refu-
gee Nidal Jojack, who has
rector in Greece. been camped out with her
family at Idomeni for three
Some 7,000 migrants, in- days.
“It was very cold. The bor-
cluding many from Syria ders are effectively closed,
it’s a huge problem. To
and Iraq, are crammed get food, we have to wait
in very long queues,” she
into a tiny camp at the said.
Jojack said she hopes to
Greek border village of Ido- reach Germany, where
her 18-year-old son has al-
meni, and hundreds more ready arrived.
Despite receiving the bulk
A man helps children to run away after Macedonian police fired tear gas at a group of the refu- are arriving daily. The bor- of the refugees seeking
gees and migrants who tried to push their way into Macedonia, breaking down a border gate the safety of Europe, Ger-
near the northern Greek village of Idomeni on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. No arrests or injuries were der pileup began ten days many has opposed uni-
reported. About 6,500 migrants are stuck on the Greek-Macedonian border at Idomeni, waiting lateral border restrictions
to travel north, but Macedonia is only admitting a trickle. ago, when Austria and four and continued to back
an EU-wide solution for
(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) ex-Yugoslav countries on the migrant crisis. German
Chancellor Angela Merkel
the Balkan migrant route is resisting calls at home
and elsewhere in Europe
north into Western Europe for limits on refugees like
Austria.q
decided to slow border

COSTAS KANTOURIS police using tear gas and Macedonian border fence, access for migrants to a
Associated Press stun grenades, as the Euro- some clutching infants or
IDOMENI, Greece (AP) — pean Union scrambled to struggling to free duffel trickle — and stopped let-
Pressed against coils of ra- ease the escalating num- bags caught in the razor-
zor wire and shouting “Help ber of stranded migrants in wire fence. They were met ting Afghan migrants travel
us!,” refugees stranded Greece. by Macedonian riot police,
at Greece’s northern bor- In a chaotic scene, Syrian bolstered by dozens of spe- through their territory.
der were pushed back and Iraqi refugees forced cial forces officers flown
Monday by Macedonian their way through part of a in by helicopter to quell a A U.N. official says those

nations never did explain

who made the decision on

Afghan migrants, or why.

Donald Tusk, the European

Fiery backlash as Calais migrant camp is dismantled

CHRIS DEN HOND activists and others throw- moved in to scoop up the stroyed a mass of shelters.
ELAINE GANLEY ing projectiles at officers rubble and junk left behind At least three people de-
Associated Press forming a security cordon by weary migrants dream- scribed as pro-migrant ac-
CALAIS, France (AP) — to protect the tear-down ing of a new life in Britain. tivists from the No Borders
Makeshift huts went up in operation. Three makeshift homes group were arrested, De-
flames on Monday in an There were no reports of in- went up in flames, the fires bove said.
angry backlash as work- juries. At least three people set either by upset migrants The prefecture said the ar-
ers, guarded by scores of were arrested, authorities or pro-migrant activists, ac- rests were made for pelt-
French police, began pull- said. cording to Gilles Debove ing police with stones and
ing down tents and shelters As tension mounted, the of the Unite SGP Police FO setting fires. The No Borders
in the sprawling migrant fragile structures in a south- union, who acts as a police group, which wants all
camp in Calais. ern part of the camp came spokesman. borders removed, is often
Police lobbed tear gas in a down one by one and A second larger fire, appar- blamed by authorities for
brief clash with pro-migrant heavy equipment was ently spread by wind, de- fanning tensions.q