Macedonian police fired tear gas and stun grenades to drive migrants and refugees back from its southern border from Greece on Friday but crowds continued to build up at a new bottleneck in an increasingly desperate flight to western Europe.
At least 10 people were hurt in the brief flare-up, a day after the impoverished Balkan country declared a state of emergency on its border to halt a daily influx of up to 2,000 Syrians, Afghans, Iraqis and others heading north.
When news that several hundred would be let through every few hours reached those on the border, a crush formed after the first group streamed through.
Amid screams, at least 10 people fainted and were treated by aid workers, a Reuters witness said. Riot police wielding batons held the line.
“We have to protect the border and allow entry to only a number of migrants to whom we can offer adequate, humane treatment,” said Interior Ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski.
Suleiman, 30, from Pakistan said the police were behaving like those back home. "Shame on them. I lost my son in the crush," he said.
Alexandra Krause of the United Nations refugee agency told Reuters: “There are terrible conditions here at the border. The government needs to take control of the situation.”
Events on Thursday and Friday saw Macedonia become the latest flashpoint of a crisis that has dragged the conflicts of the Middle East – most notably Syria – to Europe’s doorstep.
After a cold, damp night in the open in no-man’s land, hungry and angry crowds tried to force their way into Macedonia early on Friday. Police responded with tear gas and stun grenades, driving them back. Several people bore leg wounds and Medecins Sans Frontieres said it had treated 10 people on the Greek side.
