Migrants clash with Macedonian police on Greek border

At least five Iranians powering through a hunger strike near the Greek border village of Idomemi sutured their mouths Monday to protest the Macedonian government’s decision to no longer accept “economic migrants” from Iran, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The BBC’s Balkans correspondent Guy De Launey said the new fence, which does not cover the entire Greek border, is a way for Macedonia to direct migrants towards official crossings.

On Thursday, around 200 people tried to break through a barbed-wire fence on the Greece-Macedonia border.

The man’s Moroccan compatriots formed the bulk of the about 250 people who started throwing stones at Macedonian police. “We understand that the Syrians, the Afghans and the Iraqis are at war, but we also have a big political problem”.

Krause said there was a heavy deployment of police and military personnel at the border, where calm was said to have returned. “We will still allow the migrants from war-affected countries to pass”, Reuters reported. The most popular route for migrants sees them move further north towards Germany and Scandinavia.

European Union member Hungary in September and October sealed its own southern border to migrants, calling them a threat to the security, prosperity and “Christian values” of Europe. He is among thousands of migrants, who for the past week, have been camped out along a railroad track now littered with trash, bolting past Macedonian authorities at the first opportunity.

The number of migrants making the journey to Europe rose dramatically this year compared to 2014, although the influx shows signs of decreasing as winter approaches.

With many of its islands facing the coast of Turkey, Greece was the busiest entry point for migrants and refugees trying to reach northern Europe following a spike in new arrivals this year.