Migrants sew lips together in protest at Greece-Macedonia border

Migrants blocked traffic at the Macedonia-Greece border, some of them lying down on railroad tracks while others sewed their lips shut and called for hunger strikes. Last week, Balkan countries announced that they would only open their borders to people fleeing countries affected by war such as, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

With regard to the economic migrants who are at the moment stranded on the Macedonian-Greek border, Poposki said the Greek ambassador in today’s meeting had confirmed that Greece was taking measures to remove them, i.e. unblock the flow without the use of force.

Macedonian news agency MIA reported on Monday that “around 1,000” migrants had been stopped at the country’s border with Greece, but made no mention of the protest and highlighted that normal procedures for refugees remain in place.

One of the men, a 34-year-old electrical engineer named Hamid, was asked by Reuters where he wanted to go. If we go back, we’ll be put in prison for two years.

“My family sold everything for me to come here”, said Muhammad Askito, 23, who is traveling with his wife, Ilham, 21, both from Morocco.

Exhausted migrants sit in no-man’s land demanding to be allowed to pass the Greek-Macedonian border near the northern Greek village of Idomeni, Tuesday, November 24, 2015.

The rejection by Slovenia, Macedonia, Croatia and Serbia triggered a build-up of refugees at Balkan borders, including some from the priority nations but without papers.

It means that migrants from Pakistan, Iran and Bangladesh have nowhere to go.

That left leaving a growing number of refugees stranded in tents and around camp fires with winter approaching.

Rights groups have challenged the policy, warning asylum ought to be granted on the foundation of nationality, not on value.

Gjorgje Ivanov told reporters Sunday that “we are facing a shortage of material, human and technical capacity to respond to threats and risks to national security”.

In response, UNHCR has assisted about 150 people to return voluntarily over the past 48 hours to Athens where they are being advised that they can seek asylum.

On Monday, 409 people arrived on Greek islands near Turkey that are already sheltering 2,245 people, Spindler said.