Utrinski Vesnik, March 1, 2016
“Tear gas and stones at the border near Gevgelija,” writes Skopje-based daily Utrinski Vesnik on its Tuesday front page, a day after refugees clashed with police at the Greek-Macedonian border.
On Monday, Macedonian police fired tear gas at a crowd of migrants, some of whom were reportedly throwing stones at the police while storming a border fence, according to BBC.
Tensions have been mounting along the so-called “Balkan route,” and especially around the Greece-Macedonia border, a key crossing for asylum seekers fleeing war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan in the hope of reaching Germany.
An estimated 6,500 Middle Eastern refugees are reportedly living in camps in the area.
Europe is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with migrant-related clashes also sparking in northern France, where French police are due to continue dismantling makeshift shelters on the outskirts of Calais, home to anywhere between 3,700 and 5,500 migrants trying to reach the UK.
