The
new Iron Curtain holding back the hordes: The 19-mile barbed wire fence
built on Macedonia's border to stop a human tide of migrants as Greece
is told it faces being 'sacrificed' to save the EU
- Burning down the Jungle: Makeshift Calais camp is torched by migrants following a day of violence by refugees protesting the decision to raze their homes
- EXCLUSIVE - 'Lost boy', 13, cleared from Calais Jungle wants to go to Oxford but is preyed on by pimps and people traffickers
These razor-wire fences last night became the new frontier in
Europe's bid to tackle the migrant crisis as Greece was told it faced
being 'sacrificed' to save the EU. Austria and the Balkan countries
yesterday refused to ease border restrictions that have led to the
Greeks being sealed off from the rest of the Continent. For 19 miles
along the boundary with Macedonia, the parallel lines of 8ft fencing
keep thousands of migrants trapped in Greece. Austrian Chancellor Werner
Faymann yesterday said border controls introduced through Europe were
needed to end the 'disorganised chaos'. He warned that Austria would no
longer be 'a waiting room for Germany'.
The new Iron Curtain holding back the hordes: The 19-mile barbed wire fence built on Macedonia's border to stop a human tide of migrants as Greece is told it faces being 'sacrificed' to save the EU
- Migrants are continuing to flock to the tent city located on the Greek border despite recent closure of the crossing
- Thousands of refugees have been waiting all day, hoping to be allowed into Macedonia and cross further into Europe
- The UN revealed some 131,000 people have entered Europe so far this year despite the new border measures
- This number of migrants entering Europe was not reached until the second half of 2015, the UNHRC said
These
razor-wire fences last night became the new frontier in Europe's bid to
tackle the migrant crisis as Greece was told it faced being
'sacrificed' to save the EU.
Austria
and the Balkan countries yesterday refused to ease border restrictions
that have led to the Greeks being sealed off from the rest of the
Continent.
For 19 miles along the boundary with Macedonia, the parallel lines of 8ft fencing keep thousands of migrants trapped in Greece.
Austrian
Chancellor Werner Faymann yesterday said border controls introduced
through Europe were needed to end the 'disorganised chaos'. He warned
that Austria would no longer be 'a waiting room for Germany'.
A colossal wall of razor wire and thick fencing now stretches along the Greek-Macedonian border near Idomeni, Greece
A boy stands behind a fence at the
refugee camp in Idomeni, Greece, where migrants and refugees wait to be
allowed to cross the borders
Special forces open the heavily razor wire covered fence for a cargo train to pass the closed borders from Idomeni, Greece
Refugees, who just arrived, rest in front of makeshift fires in a field in Idomeni, northern Greece after a long journey
More
than 27,000 refugees have been stranded in Greece after countries along
the migrant route created a bottleneck by following Austria's lead in
introducing limits on the number they will let pass.
Troubled
Greece is now set to be turned into a massive refugee camp as Brussels
officials are today expected to agree to hand over £375million to Athens
in return for it providing shelter for 100,000 people.
German
Chancellor Angela Merkel last night performed a major U-turn as she
told migrants trying to leave Greece they could not choose which
European country they move to and should stay there. Slovak Prime
Minister Robert Fico said: 'We have come to the time when Greece is
likely to be sacrificed'.
He
said he had warned Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras: 'It will be your
responsibility because you did not do anything on the Turkish-Greek
border.'
Despite
the restrictions stopping people from leaving Greece, thousands more
are arriving each day, with 3,651 landing on its islands on Sunday
alone. More than 120,000 people arrived in the first eight weeks of this
year – 30 times the number who came in the same period in 2015. A
further 9,000 have arrived in Italy.
At
least 7,000 migrants are camped on Greece's northern border with
Macedonia, which has been closed since hundreds tried to force their way
through on Monday.
For 19 miles along the boundary with
Macedonia, the parallel lines of 8ft fencing keep thousands of migrants
trapped in Greece. Many of the migrants are now stuck at the town of
Idomeni
Greece's colossal border wall of razor
wire evokes memories of the Berlin Wall (pictured) which separated the
German city for four decades
President John F Kennedy looks out over the heavily fortified Berlin wall during a visit to the city in June 1963
Migrants stand next a fire burning
shacks, in the southern part of the so-called 'Jungle' migrant camp, as
half of the camp is being dismantled, in the French northern port city
of Calais
As the flames tore through the light
timbers and canvas of the buildings, some migrants have clashed with
police, with one woman protesting on the roof of one of camp roof
dwellings
Migrants have started to burn down the
Jungle camp as the security officers slowly remove the basic structures
while police hold back angry protesters
A large group of migrants watch over a
pile of burning tarpaulin and wood after setting fire to several camp
structures in protest over the demolition of the camp
The camp, which once had its own shops and churches, will be relocated with the migrants receiving purpose-built acccomodation
French riot police try to clear the Jungle camp as residents began to burn down some of the remaining buildings
At least 12 shelters were set ablaze by the refugees yesterday, during disturbances involving left-wing agitators from the UK
The
news comes as migrants have started to torch the notorious Jungle camp
in protest over the demolition of the site, leading to clashes between
angry protesters and police.
Some
refugees brandishing metal bars and hurling rocks tried to hijack
lorries today as demolition workers supported by riot police carried on
smashing up their illegal camp.
'Gangs
broke out of the camp overnight, and started threatening drivers in the
middle of the road,' said a Calais police spokesman.
'Tear gas and baton charges were used to restore order, and then the gang members were forced back inside the camp.'
At least 12 shelters were set ablaze by the refugees yesterday, during disturbances involving left-wing agitators from the UK.
Three members of the so-called 'No Borders' group were arrested for inciting the migrants to attack the police.
At
least one unidentified woman from Britain was among those arrested
during a day of violence in the French port town.She was seen in front
of a mob of mainly Afghan refugees hurling bricks and stones at officers
who fought back with tear gas.
A
second woman – a German who identified herself as Ronia – said she had
'no regrets' about 'offering resistance on behalf of the refugees'. As
Ronia was handcuffed, and placed inside a police car, she said:
'Everyone in the camp has a right to a home and a future.'
The worst trouble started soon after demolition workers supported by CRS riot police arrived at around midday yesterday.
Hundreds of migrants mass at the
Greek-Macedonia border today. Today it emerged it has taken just two
months for 131,000 people to reach Europe this year - the same figure
took six months to reach in 2015
A family of refugees wait in the
no-man's-land area at the border which is guarded by barbed wire fences.
Macedonia has closed its border with Greece, causing a bottleneck among
those travelling the Balkan route
Two Macedonian soldiers, wearing riot gear, stand guard at the crossing with Greece where there were fierce riots yesterday
Macedonian special forces members were quickly drafted into the area today in case there is further disorder
The Macedonian army began building the second fence last month – 16ft from the first fence, which was put up in November.
Fights
yesterday broke out as those camped in muddy fields near the fence
scrambled over each other to grab limited supplies of food.
The UN refugee agency said at least 1,500 people had spent the night in the open and tensions were running high.
'We
have been waiting for six days,' said Farah, a 32-year-old woman from
Baghdad, as the van distributing canned food and long-life milk was
mobbed and emptied in minutes. 'The food is not enough – everyone is
lying to us and we are desperate,' she added.
Fayez, a 27-year-old computer technician from Syria, added: 'We have to queue for over three hours, for not enough food.
'We've been here four days – we want to go to Sweden but our money is running out.'
The
grim weather has already taken a harrowing toll on the travellers'
health, with many children heard coughing and crying in the tents. Zineb
Hosseini, a Syrian mother of five, said her family was 'freezing',
adding: 'And now the wait begins anew.'
Yousef
Karajakes, a 30-year-old Syrian pharmacist from the northern city of
Aleppo, said he fled the civil war only to find himself in another
conflict.
'They
told us come, come, come here, come here and now we come and found a
second war,' said Mr Karajakes, whose wife and child were killed in a
bombing raid.
A burgeoning tent city near the village of Idomeni is growing by the day with up to 10,000 thought to be amassing in the area
A migrant woman stands beside a tent on which graffiti stating 'open the borders' has been scrawled
A woman sits with a baby next to a tiny camp fire in a bid to keep warm at the campsite near Idomeni
A boy looks through the barbed wire as migrants waited to cross the Greece-Macedonia border today
The conditions at the campsite are getting steadily worse. Pictured is a food handout from the back of a van
A man holds a child during the food
distribution. UN leaders have expressed concerns about the way
Macedonian authorities handled the riots at the border yesterday
European
Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker meanwhile telephoned Greek Prime
Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday to express 'unwavering support' for
Athens in dealing with the crisis.
Some
migrants have been waiting at Idomeni for more than a week, as even
when the border is open Macedonia allows in no more than a few hundred a
day. Yesterday it took in only 30.
A
group of about 150 people who have been told it's their turn to enter
Macedonia have spent days in a large, flimsy tent right in front of the
crossing.
'I've
been at Idomeni for 10 days, and it's the fourth day I've been waiting
to cross over,' said Hassan Rasheed, 27, from Iraq. 'Conditions are very
bad. There are many ill children who are coughing, and we spent the
night in this tent under heavy rain.'
The
Idomeni crossing has been closed for nearly 24 hours, following clashes
when hundreds of migrants tried to force their way into Macedonia,
whose police responded with tear gas and stun grenades.
Nevertheless,
today small groups of refugees arrived in a steady flow, mostly on foot
after walking up to 18 miles along highways.
One of them was Ahmed Majid, a 26-year-old Iraqi travelling with his wife and two children.
'We
have been walking for three kilometers. Police stopped our taxi on the
national road, which is why we are going through the fields,' said
Majid. 'On the route from Athens police kept stopping us at petrol
stations and told us that the border was still shut.'
'We
have been waiting for six days,' said Farah, a 32-year-old woman from
Baghdad, as the van distributing canned food and long-life milk was
mobbed and emptied in minutes. 'The food is not enough – everyone is
lying to us and we are desperate,' she added.
A
spokesman for the UN refugee agency said: 'The crowded conditions are
leading to shortages of food, shelter, water and sanitation.
'Tensions
have been building, fuelling violence and playing into the hands of
people smugglers.' Greek authorities have set up two additional camps
for 12,500 people near the fences and are building a third.
Thousands
more refugees are stuck in the main port in Athens and on the Greek
islands, with ferry services being cut because of the backlog of people
at the Macedonian border.
Mrs
Merkel, who has been blamed by many for encouraging migrants to come to
Europe, yesterday tried to persuade those who had already come to stay
in Greece.
'There are accommodation possibilities in Greece, they should be used by the refugees,' she said.
Mrs
Merkel added: 'There is not a right for a refugee to say, 'I want to
get asylum in a particular country in the European Union'.'
Migrants find shelter in the passenger
terminal of the port of Piraeus, near Athens, after arriving from the
Greek islands. These refugees are following the path of those who have
already reached Macedonia
A young boy poses for a photograph as
he waits for a city bus to take him to one of reception centres after
arriving in the port near Athens from the islands
The port has become a makeshift sleeping quarters for those making their way through Greece in a bid to reach Europe
The majority of the 131,000 to have crossed the Mediterranean this year are fleeing the wars in Iraq and Syria
A young woman and two children cover themselves in blankets in a bid to stay warm at the port of Piraeus
The tent city at Idomeni is the next
stop for migrants such as these pictured at the port of Piraeus after
they arrive from the Greek islands
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