Tempers flare, migrants protest at Greek-Macedonian border

IDOMENI (AP):

Macedonia sent special police reinforcements by helicopter yesterday to its border with Greece, after repelling hundreds of frustrated Iraqi and Syrian refugees with tear gas and stun grenades when they tried to force their way across the border.

Thousands of desperate refugees have been stuck for days on the Greek side of the border, overflowing from a packed refugee camp at Idomeni into the surrounding fields as they waited for Macedonian authorities to let them continue their trek through the Balkans. Only a tiny trickle of people from specific countries have been allowed to cross every day.

Chanting "Open the border!" and "We want to go to Serbia!", the protesting migrants broke down a gate at a nearby rail crossing yesterday after pushing their way past Greek police.

Macedonian police repelled the protesters. Several women and children were nearly trampled in the melee and Macedonian authorities said one officer was injured.

Macedonian police opened the crossing to receive about 50 people just before midday yesterday but closed it again after the clashes. A police spokeswoman said a train with 450 refugees left the Greek border early yesterday, heading for Serbia.

Macedonia has said it will only allow in as many people as Serbia accepts, and Serbia has been responding to refugee caps set by Austria further up the migrant trail into Western Europe. This has led to a huge bottleneck in Greece, where authorities say more than 22,000 people are stuck and more are arriving every day.

About 6,500 Syrian and Iraqi refugees are camped out around Idomeni, with another 500 moved to a hastily erected camp on a small concrete landing strip 20 kilometre (13 miles) away. Syrian refugee Nidal Jojack, 45, said she has been camped out with her family at Idomeni for three days and nights.