Macedonian police fired tear gas as migrants stormed a fence on the border between Greece and Macedonia. Police launched several rounds of tear gas into the crowds who tore open a metal gate as they tried to break through. There were an estimated 8,000 people gathered at Idomeni, the small frontier community on Greece's border with Macedonia. Most were Syrians and Iraqis, but there were also people from Afghanistan, Somalia, and other countries.
Hundreds of refugees tried to break through a border fence into Macedonia from Greece, where more than 7,000 people are stranded, as anger mounts over barriers to entry imposed on migrants flooding into Europe.
In a sign of deepening divisions within Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel lashed out at Austria and Balkan states for introducing tight limits on migrant entries, leaving Greece with a growing bottleneck as refugee boats continue to arrive from Turkey.
And Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov warned that once Austria reaches its cap of a maximum 37,500 migrants transiting through this year, the refugee route through the Balkans will have to close.
At Idomeni on the frontier, Macedonian police fired tear gas as some 300 migrants forced their way through a Greek police cordon and raced towards a railway track between the two countries.
"Open the borders!" they shouted as a group of men used a metal signpost to bring down a section of barbed wire fencing, prompting police to fire volleys of tear gas and block them from crossing.
At least 30 people, many of them children, requested first aid in the stampede that ensued, the charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said. Authorities said a Macedonian policeman had also been hurt and had to be hospitalised
TV footage showed migrants pushing against the fence at Idomeni in Greece, ripping away barbed wire.
A section of fence was smashed open with a metal signpost. It is unclear if any migrants crossed the border.
About 7,000 people are stuck on the Greek side of the border, as Macedonia is letting very few in.
Many have been camping in squalid conditions for a week or more, with little food or medical help. Most of those trying to reach northern Europe are Syrian and Iraqi refugees.
The chaos on Monday erupted as hundreds of people pushed their way past Greek police, shouting "Open the border!", to reach the gate used to let trains through at the border crossing. Some threw stones at Macedonian riot police.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRlbH_GhU1I
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