Greece: Stranded migrants block railway, call hunger strike

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A migrant with his mouth sewn shut in protest sits at the border with Greece near the village of Gevgelija, Macedonia November 23, 2015.  REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski
A migrant with his mouth sewn shut in protest sits at the border with Greece near the village of Gevgelija, Macedonia November 23, 2015. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

Moroccans, Iranians and Pakistanis on Greece’s northern border with Macedonia blocked rail traffic and demanded passage to western Europe on Monday, stranded by a policy of filtering migrants in the Balkans that has raised human rights concerns.

One Iranian man, declaring a hunger strike, stripped to the waist, sewed his lips together with nylon and sat down in front of lines of Macedonian riot police.

Asked by Reuters where he wanted to go, the man, a 34-year-old electrical engineer named Hamid, said: “To any free country in the world. I cannot go back. I will be hanged.”

Hundreds of thousands of migrants, many of them Syrians fleeing war, have made the trek across the Balkan peninsula having arrived by boat and dinghy to Greece from Turkey, heading for the more affluent countries of northern and western Europe, mainly Germany and Sweden.

Last week, however, Slovenia, a member of Europe’s Schengen zone of passport-free travel, declared it would only grant passage to those fleeing conflict in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and that all others deemed “economic migrants” would be sent back.

That prompted others on the route — Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia — to do the same, leaving growing numbers stranded in tents and around camp fires on Balkan borders with winter approaching.

Rights groups have questioned the policy, warning asylum should be granted on merit, not on the basis of nationality.

“To classify a whole nation as economic migrants is not a principle recognized in international law,” said Rados Djurovic, director of the Belgrade-based Asylum Protection Center. “We risk violating human rights and asylum law,” he told Serbian state television.

Migrants with their mouths sewed up stage a protest as they wait to cross the border from Greece to Gevgelija, Macedonia November 23, 2015.  REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski
Migrants with their mouths sewed up stage a protest as they wait to cross the border from Greece to Gevgelija, Macedonia November 23, 2015. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

The new measure coincides with rising concern, particularly on the political right in Europe, over the security risk of the chaotic and often unchecked flow of humanity into Europe in the aftermath of the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris by Islamist militants in which 130 people died.

It has emerged that two suicide bombers involved in the attacks took the same trail, arriving by boat in Greece and then traveling north across the Balkans. Most of the attackers, however, were citizens of France or Belgium.

On the Macedonian-Greek border, crowds of Moroccans, Iranians and others blocked the railway line running between the two countries, halting at least one train that tried to cross, a Reuters photographer said.

A group of Bangladeshis had stripped to the waist and written slogans on their chests in red paint. “Shoot us, we never go back,” read one. “Shoot us or save us,” read another.

REUTERS

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58 responses to “Greece: Stranded migrants block railway, call hunger strike”

  1. Moroccans, Iranians and Pakistanis should teach the Arabs how to go about in order to liberate Palestine…

    1. Palestinians already tried hunger strikes.
      Not very bright or honest, are you!!
      And what a ridiculous comparison. Geez there are so many dumb humans around.

      1. Comparison?!

        You said it, there are many dumb humans around.
        You are a Zionist or just to dumb to reflect that I’m talking about millions of ARABS that should stage a blockade at the Israeli border.

        Perhaps the Arabs are no longer interested in liberating Palestine, becouse Iran have promised the liberation of al-Quds….

        1. “that I’m talking about millions of ARABS that should stage a blockade at the Israeli border.”

          Sweetie, the only dumb idiot out of us two is you, coz that isn’t what you barked.
          You want to be understood? Then learn to express your “thoughts” clearly.

          1. f**k the grammar you senile white supremacist Zionist scum.

          2. Did you mean Zionist cum? he he

          3. That’s what your mom swallowed last night.
            Gutless bitch ran away and only came back to bark when it “thought” I left. What a wimp

          4. Satan and O the bold demon baby…

          5. Lol sweetie, I love proving you’re a hypocrite.

          6. Why are you posting selfies of you and your mom!

          7. Patience2 Avatar

            Cute!

          8. Lol good fucking retort. Another gutless bitch that is too afraid to spell FUCK!
            Wtf is the difference between fuck and f**k? If the meaning behind you using f**k is FUCK!
            Like I told 5th column, if it wasn’t for FUCKing, you would be here. Unless you’re a test tube child.

        2. Btw, your grammar is horrendous

  2. 5thDrawer Avatar

    At some point in time – as much it pains them – even the ‘Everyday Jihadists’ will need to admit that the ‘Radical Jihadists’ ALSO have now totally screwed up the Whole Venture of ‘poverty-peoples’ seeking economic relief – not just the ventures of refugees seeking salvation.

    1. At some point in time your wife deserted you. Maybe she/it migrated.

    2. And don’t think your religious bigotry went unnoticed. Senile white supremacist scum

    3. Hi 5th is O your wife? I heard that only divOrced bitter b!tches speak that way… LOL

      1. No its wife is your mom.

      2. 5thDrawer Avatar

        Hell on Earth Hannibal, if one only takes in a body. Europeans are reconsidering that line.
        TOO. 😉

        1. Your wife certainly is enjoying hell.

      3. He wishes. LOLOLOL

  3. dO yOu have any friends? LOL pathetic whOre.

    1. Sweetie, kess emak is so loose that they named it the Grand Canyon.

      1. and so easy to bring the O demon in yOu Out… now LOL like crazy. You resort to insult as soon as you’ve been had. I can picture your ass jumping up and down from anger. HAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHA

        1. Lol of course, coz you didn’t start the insults, did you.
          Lying scum

        2. Like you haha like crazy. LOLOLOLOLOL

  4. Pack them up and ship them back. The same way they failed their own countries there comes a time when they fail their new homes.

    1. Like you failed Lebanon. Hypocrisy and you Leb Christians

      1. Correction: Lebanese (we do not believe in any second label, not Christian not Moslem and definitely NOT Arab)
        YOu on the other hand are an Arab (spelled backward bara bi) whOre.
        Who let the bitches (female dogs) out? woof woof hahahahahahahahaha
        you’re tOO easy.

        1. Lol how do I know your a Leb Christian if it wasn’t for you labelling yourself a Leb Christian. Dumbass hypocritical Leb Christian

          1. 3arab jarab…….. lol

          2. Caught out, so you bark something totally meaningless. Lol
            LOLOLOLOLOL

        2. Lol sweetie, no one is as easy as your mom.
          And how original you are. Fuck you’re a lame hypocrite. Make sure you tell daft mare not to “reply” to me while you reply. Haha omfg your hypocrisy is pure comedy. Xx

  5. Not only migrants they are filthy useless migrants like yOu.

    1. Sweetie, the only migrant between us two is you. And seriously, capitalising the letter O? How childish and lame. If you could only see how I laugh every time I see you lame Leb Christians do that.

  6. O got banned HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
    Finally….
    Now we can go back to constructive debates.

    1. Sweetie I’m still here. :)))))

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar

        (stole someone else’s cell-phone…)

        1. Your wife’s

        2. Your wife’s, it didn’t need it where it went.

        3. Of course accusing someone of being a thief isn’t a “personal attack”!
          Btw I stole your wife’s phone

    2. 5thDrawer Avatar

      Well, some of the ‘Record Holder’ articles may need to adjust the chart numbers as the O’s fall by the wayside … 😉

      1. Just like your wife fell by the wayside. Xx

    3. Haha still here sweetie

    4. In fact I’m going back to O

    5. What’s wrong sweetie?
      You’ve gone silent. Was it something I said? LOLOLOLOLOL

    6. Still here sweetie

  7. @ O (Guest):

    “Lol good fucking retort. Another gutless bitch that is too afraid to spell FUCK!
    Wtf is the difference between fuck and f**k? If the meaning behind you using f**k is FUCK!
    Like I told 5th column, if it wasn’t for FUCKing, you would be here. Unless you’re a test tube child.”

    Once you are set against the wall so you bitching about grammar, but it doesn’t bothers you not to use foul grammatical words….

    You must be very “popular” on this forum.

    1. Lol please show me how I’m “set against the wall”?
      The only one cornered is you

      1. Ask “O (Guest)”, not me.

        1. Omfg, you’re not very bright are you

  8. @ Ooo (Guest):
    You are a stranded migrant blocking yalibnan

    1. Sweetie, you are a stranded migrant blocking intelligence.

  9. “This is to remind all our readers to respect the community . Comments that contain personal attacks or inappropriate language will be removed.”

    It appears your barking is very selective. Hypocrites much!

  10. “YOu on the other hand are an Arab (spelled backward bara bi) whOre.
    Who let the bitches (female dogs) out? woof woof hahahahahahahahaha ”

    Perfect example of your hypocrisy! Is it coz he is a Leb Christian hypocrite, like you!!!!

    We can play this game all day

  11. Iranians are escaping a war zone now? Mullahs have a war against their own people but living in a looser country does not make you eligible for refugee status.Ship them all back.

  12. “YOu on the other hand are an Arab (spelled backward bara bi) whOre.
    Who let the bitches (female dogs) out? woof woof hahahahahahahahaha ”

    Perfect example of your hypocrisy! Is it coz he is a Leb Christian hypocrite, like you!!!!

    Told you I can play this game forever.

  13. I will you help you Ya Libnan, I will remove the rest om my comments that don’t “.. contain personal attacks or inappropriate language will be removed.” 4 hours ago Removed

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