Refugees Storm Fence On Greek-Macedonian Border As Passage Slows To A Trickle

05:32

February 29, 2016

Refugees break into the Greek-Macedonian borders during their protest demanding the opening of the borders near the village of Idomeni on February 29, 2016.
Macedonian police fired tear gas on February 29, 2016, as a group of some 300 Iraqi and Syrians forced their way through a Greek police cordon and raced towards a railway track between the two countries. With Austria and Balkan states capping the numbers of migrants entering their soil, there has been a swift buildup along the Greece-Macedonia border with Athens warning that the number of people "trapped" could reach up to 70,000 by next month. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images) — Refugees break into the Greek-Macedonian borders during their protest demanding the opening of the borders near the village of Idomeni on February 29, 2016. Macedonian police fired tear gas on February 29, 2016, as a group of some 300 Iraqi and Syrians forced their way through a Greek police cordon and raced towards a railway track between the two countries. With Austria and Balkan states capping the numbers of migrants entering their soil, there has been a swift buildup along the Greece-Macedonia border with Athens warning that the number of people "trapped" could reach up to 70,000 by next month. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images)

Macedonian police used tear gas and stun guns today on frustrated refugees who broke down a fence on the border with Greece. The unrest comes as countries like Serbia and Macedonia reclassify refugees as "economic migrants" (a move started by Austria), denying them entry, and creating a massive bottleneck.

About 6,500 Syrian and Iraqi refugees are currently camped at the Idomeni crossing in Greece. Here & Now's Robin Young talks with BBC world affairs correspondent Richard Galpin about the tense situation.

Note: This BBC interview can be heard in the Here & Now podcast or with the WBUR app.

Guest

Richard Galpin, BBC world affairs correspondent. He tweets @RgalpinBBC.

This segment aired on February 29, 2016.

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