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WORLD NEWSThursday 10 March 2016
Europe effectively shuts its borders, stranding thousands
BECATOROS Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei visits the Greek border camp near Idomeni, Wednesday, often arranged by unscru-
Associated Press March 9, 2016. Ai Weiwei has visited the Idomeni refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian bor- pulous smugglers.
IDOMENI, Greece (AP) — der, where about 14,000 people, mostly Syrian and Iraqi refugees, have found themselves strand- But Greece has a notori-
After welcoming hundreds ed after Macedonia shut its border. The artist has been focusing on the plight of refugees in recent ously slow asylum process,
of thousands of people months, and had spent time living on the Greek island of Lesbos, where many of the refugees and a crippling six-year fi-
into its heartland, Europe arrive from the nearby Turkish coast. nancial crisis that has left
seems to be finally closing unemployment at about
its doors. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu) 25 percent. Few of those
The thousands of people stuck in Idomeni could en-
massing at Greece’s north- in tents and under pon- A lucky few managed to gee emergency. They said visage a future in Greece
ern border are incredulous chos handed out by vol- set up their tents on the train people arriving in Greece as a viable option.
they won’t be allowed unteers to ward off the station platform, whose aw- having fled war or poverty “Greece is a poor country,
onward to its prosperous worst of the wet and cold. ning provides some shelter, would be sent back to Tur- for us and for (its) people,”
countries, but after a year Parents covered their chil- while others slept in disused key unless they apply for said 17-year-old Ahmed
of dithering European dren with whatever they train carriages. asylum. For every migrant Merza from Syria’s Qa-
leaders seem resolved now could, sometimes resorting EU and Turkish leaders sent back, the EU would mishli, who had been in
to keep all but a select few to plastic bags. In the brief agreed at a summit Mon- take in one Syrian refugee, the camp for eight days.
from going any further. intervals in the rain, long day to the broad outlines of thus trying to prevent the “I don’t know anything.
“This is horrible, unbeliev- lines formed in the mud for a deal that would essential- need for people to set out It’s bad news for us, like a
able, unbearable. There sandwiches, tea and soup. ly outsource Europe’s refu- on dangerous sea journeys, bomb.” Shortly after the
is war in my country, and summit, countries along
they are closing the bor- the Balkan route decid-
der,” said Mahmoud Has- ed to allow through only
san, a 23-year-old Syrian. people with valid EUvisas
“Where are we supposed and nobody has crossed
to go? Please if you can do through the gate in the ra-
anything — help us. The sit- zor wire-reinforced fence in
uation is very, very terrible.” Idomeni since 6 a.m. Mon-
A relentless rain Wednes- day. For the nearly 14,000
day after an overnight people in and around the
thunderstorm added to the camp, the news about
misery in the overflowing the border closures was a
camp at Idomeni, which crushing blow, with many
now consists of thousands just unable to fathom how
of small camping tents set Europe could turn away
up in nearby fields and people fleeing war. A few
along railway tracks. dozen sat on the railway
The camp turned into a tracks in protest — a fre-
sodden, muddy mess, quent occurrence in the
with refugees huddling camp, where refugees oc-
casionally try to block the
Watchdogs express concern about UK extremism plans passage of freight trains to
press their point.
LONDON (AP) — British gov- whether by Muslim extrem- ment’s human rights com- Alex Carlile, said he was “We’re not here to stay.
ernment plans to crack ists or far-right groups. mittee, Independent Re- “very concerned about We are here to pass only,”
down on nonviolent ex- The legislation has not yet viewer of Terrorism Legisla- making unlawful that which said Sami Yanes, a 24-year-
tremism may go too far been published, but the tion David Anderson said we have always taken to old information technolo-
and could backfire, proposals include measures trying to define extremist be lawful. gy student from the Syrian
Britain’s current and former to ban extremist groups, speech would be all but ” He said the law could po- capital of Damascus hop-
watchdogs over terrorism shut down extremist broad- impossible and might “do tentially be used against ing to continue his studies
legislation said Wednes- casts and ban people la- more harm than good” by Creationism and other non- in Germany.
day. beled as extremists from alienating Muslim commu- mainstream views as well as “We are going to keep
The governing Conserva- working with children. nities. against Islamic extremism. protesting and keep do-
tive Party has proposed The plans have been criti- He said Britain had never Both Anderson and Car- ing what we are doing until
new powers to criminal- cized by religious and civil made it illegal to be a lile are lawyers tasked with they know we are human
ize extremist speech and liberties organizations, who communist during the Cold scrutinizing anti-terrorism beings and we deserve
behavior that stops short say they could limit free- War, and the current pro- laws. Carlile held the post simple human rights,” he
of advocating violence, dom of speech and reli- posals were “not too far between 2001 and 2011, said as he sat on the tracks
in a bid to prevent young gion. away from that territory.” and Anderson has held it in the pouring rain after
people being radicalized, Giving evidence to Parlia- Anderson’s predecessor, since then. seven nights spent in the
camp.
