Thousands of migrants rush past police into Macedonia

Gevgelija, Macedonia • Thousands of rain-soaked migrants on Saturday rushed past Macedonian riot police who were attempting to block them from entering Macedonia from Greece. Police fired stun grenades and dozens of people were injured in the border clashes.

By the end of the day, not everyone got across, including several hundred migrants, mostly elderly and children, who had remained on the Greek side of the border. Thousands then boarded trains and buses that took them north to the border with Serbia, where they will attempt to enter European Union-member Hungary.

The tumult started when police allowed a small group of migrants with young children to cross the frontier, and crowds in the back squeezed the migrants toward the shielded police wall. Many women, at least one pregnant, and children fell to the ground, apparently fainting after squeezing past the cordon.

Then thousands of others, including women with babies and men carrying small children, grabbed their chance to climb over razor wire or run across a field not protected by the fence to enter Macedonia.

Police stun grenades did not stop the rush, but many fleeing migrants were chased down by policemen and severely kicked or beaten with batons. The elderly, women and children were not spared.

At least 25 injured people were brought to a railway station in the Macedonian town of Gevgelija by fellow migrants. Many children lost contact with their parents in the chaos and desperately called out for "mama, baba!"

It was the second day of clashes between the migrants and baton-wielding police who are attempting to block them from heading toward the European Union.

On Friday, police fired stun grenades and clashed with the migrants, a day after Macedonia's government declared a state of emergency on the frontier to stop the human tide. At least 10 people were injured.

Both Greece and Macedonia have seen an unprecedented wave of migrants this year, most fleeing wars in Syria, Afghanistan or Iraq. More than 160,000 have arrived so far in Greece, mostly crossing in inflatable dinghies from the nearby Turkish coast — an influx that has overwhelmed Greek authorities and the country's small Aegean islands. Some 45,000 crossed through Macedonia over the past two months.

Few, if any, of the migrants want to remain in Greece, which is in the grip of a financial crisis — or in impoverished Macedonia. Most head from Greece to Macedonia where they cram onto trains and head through Serbia and Hungary on their way to more prosperous EU countries such as Germany, the Netherlands or Sweden.

Friday night, police allowed only small groups of families with children to cross the border by walking on railway tracks to the station in Gevgelija, where most take trains to the border with Serbia before heading farther north toward EU-member Hungary.

Those who could not cross spent the rainy and chilly night in the open with little food. They massed close to a razor wire separating them from machine-gun toting Macedonian policemen. Some raised their babies above their heads to try to persuade the policemen to let them through.

"These men are heartless," said Yousef, a Syrian refugee who gave only his first name, as 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."

Migrants stand behind the barbed wire set by Macedonian police to stop thousands of migrants entering Macedonia illegally from Greece near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. About 39,000 people, mostly Syrian migrants, have been registered as passing through Macedonia in the past month, twice as many as the month before. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Migrants stand behind the barbed wire set by Macedonian police to stop thousands of migrants entering Macedonia illegally from Greece, near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. About 39,000 people, mostly Syrian migrants, have been registered as passing through Macedonia in the past month, twice as many as the month before. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Migrants rest at the railway station in the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. About 39,000 people, mostly Syrian migrants, have been registered as passing through Macedonia in the past month, twice as many as the month before. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A Macedonian police officer speaks with migrants after entering into Macedonia from Greece on their way towards the European Union, near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. About 39,000 people, mostly Syrian migrants, have been registered as passing through Macedonia in the past month, twice as many as the month before. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A migrant stands behind the barbed wire set by Macedonian police to stop thousands of migrants entering Macedonia illegally from Greece, near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. About 39,000 people, mostly Syrian migrants, have been registered as passing through Macedonia in the past month, twice as many as the month before. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Migrants power their phones at the railway station in the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. About 39,000 people, mostly Syrian migrants, have been registered as passing through Macedonia in the past month, twice as many as the month before. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A migrant woman rests at the railway station in the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. About 39,000 people, mostly Syrian migrants, have been registered as passing through Macedonia in the past month, twice as many as the month before. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Migrants have a fight among themselves as tensions run high while waiting to board a train that will take them towards Serbia, at the railway station in the southern Macedonia's town of Gevgelija, on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. About 39,000 people have been registered as passing through Macedonia in the past month, twice as many as the month before. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Macedonian riot police officers clash with migrants on the border line with Greece, near the train station of Idomeni, northern Greece, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. About 39,000 people have been registered as passing through Macedonia in the past month, twice as many as the month before. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

UNHCR worker pulls migrants on the border line with Greece, near the train station of Idomeni, northern Greece, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. About 39,000 people have been registered as passing through Macedonia in the past month, twice as many as the month before. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Migrants run by Macedonian riot police officer on the border line with Greece, near the train station of Idomeni, northern Greece, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. About 39,000 people have been registered as passing through Macedonia in the past month, twice as many as the month before. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A Macedonian police officer and red cross workers help to a wounded migrant on the border line with Greece, near the train station of Idomeni, northern Greece, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. About 39,000 people have been registered as passing through Macedonia in the past month, twice as many as the month before. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Thousands of migrants rush past police into Macedonia

Clash • Exodus from Greece gets ugly as Macedonian police club migrants and fire stun grenades.

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