Migrant crisis: 13 photos of the children caught in no-man's-land between Greece and Macedonia
'These men are heartless,' said one Syrian refugee on Macedonia's police
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Thousands of migrants remain trapped in a dusty no-mans-land between Macedonia and Greece, as growing numbers of images emerged showing desperate clashes between parents and riot police.
Macedonia, which declared a state of emergency on Thursday along its southern border, sent riot police backed by armoured vehicles to hold the border on Friday as thousands of migrants attempted to make their way north after landing in Greece.
Witnesses reported that officers used stun grenades and tear gas, as well as laying barbed wire, to control the crowds massing at the railway station in the small town of Gevgelija.
Many families attempted to reason with the officers, holding their children up in the air in a plea to be allowed through the riot shields.
"These men are heartless," Yousef, a Syrian refugee who gave only his first name, told The Associated Press.
He held a little wide-eyed girl with curly hair in his arms and pointed toward the policemen: "They don't care about our tragedy."
The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, said it was becoming “particularly worried about the thousands of vulnerable refugees and migrants, especially women and children, now massed on the Greek side of the border amid deteriorating conditions."
Amnesty International has also voiced its concern. Europe Deputy Director Gauri van Gulik said the Macedonian government is treating the individuals at the border as “rioters rather than refugees who have fled conflict and persecution”.
Macedonia has defended its actions on the border, claiming that the migrants had not been mistreated. Macedonia's Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki told the BBC that there had been "dramatic increase" of the number of migrants in the past few days.
He continued: "we have reached numbers of 3,000 to 3,500 per day which obviously is not something a country of two million people and our resources can handle on a daily basis."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments