ATHENS—Hundreds of migrants tried to barge their way across Greece’s northern border on Monday, tearing down razor wire in protest at neighboring Macedonia’s tight border controls, according to Greek authorities.
The protesters managed to get past Greek police guarding the border point at the village of Idomeni but were pushed back by Macedonian authorities who responded by firing tear gas.There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Police and volunteer groups say that there are between 6,000 to 8,000 refugees and other migrants at Idomeni waiting to cross over.
The clashes are a symptom of the growing frustration as a large bottleneck of migrants forms in Greece with some 22,000 people now estimated to be stranded in the country after Austria and several Balkan countries coordinated a tightening of their borders in the past week. Macedonia has stopped allowing Afghans entering the country, waving through only those from Iraq and Syria on their way to wealthier northern European countries.
“Overnight 305 people were allowed to enter Macedonia,” said a Greek police official.
Many of the migrants have been at Idomeni for close to a week, sleeping outdoors due to tents being full with little food being provided, said volunteer groups, who warn of a growing risk of a humanitarian crisis.
The number of migrants trapped in Greece has seen a sharp rise in recent weeks and will keep climbing as thousands cross over from Turkey every day.
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