Macedonia Erects Fence on Greek Border as Migrant Pressure Builds

In one of the most extreme protests seen since the start of the refugee crisis, about 10 men trapped on the Greek-Macedonian border have sewn their lips shut to silently oppose being blocked from continuing further into Europe.

The new policy has raised questions from rights groups who are advising that asylum should be granted according to merit and not on nationality alone, according to a report by the Independent. Muiznieks said in an interview with The Associated Press.

IDOMENI, Greece-Macedonia became the latest European country to build a border fence on Saturday, as hundreds of migrants remained stranded on the Greek side of the border.

Greek police said 2,400 migrants had crossed into Macedonia in the 24 hours before 6 a.m. (0400GMT) Thursday, down from the recent daily average of 3,500.

Since then, countries along the migrant route through the Balkans have tightened restrictions on migrants, allowing entry only to those fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Norway announced the tighter controls after neighboring Sweden proposed tough measures to deal with a huge influx of migrants, expected to reach 200,000 by year’s end – the highest proportionate rate in Europe.

He added that while relocation quotas were a “first step forward”, guidelines for receiving and integrating refugees needed to be shared across the EU. I can not go back. “To any free country in the world”. “We need to work toward a common response to this challenge”.

The vice president will also meet with European Council President Donald Tusk to discuss the migration crisis, the fight against terrorism, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, energy and trade.

The Schengen zone has come under vast pressure as hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing war and poverty have streamed across the continent’s largely unguarded southern maritime borders in search of security in Europe.

Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia has turned away economic migrants seeking better employment opportunities in Europe, days after auhorities found a forged Syrian passport outside a soccer stadium targeted by suicide bombers in Paris.

“I took them to task for this and urged them to refrain from such actions because it makes the integration of the small number of foreigners in Hungary much more problematic”, Muiznieks said.