Protest at Idomeni, people are shouting “Open the Border”
After more than 3 weeks of refusing to move from the Idomeni border (Greek-Macedonian), the police force has started to forcibly evict the protesters forcibly sending them to Greek cities such as Athens and Thessaloniki (source: http://livetickereidomeni.bordermonitoring.eu/2015/12/09/9-12-2015/). As a reminder, these are mostly the people who do not come from Syria, Irak and Afganistan and three weeks ago the EU with the cooperation with its potential member states closed its borders under the pretense of everybody else being an ‘economic migrant’.
Meanwhile Greece accepted the offered help from the European Commission, which allowed to move the Frontex staff at the their borders with Macedonia aiming to ‘help’ with the registration and RABIT special forces who will control, read suppress any resistances by, the people who are contained at the Greek Egean islands (source: http://www.reuters.com/article/europe-migrants-idUSL8N13S56620151203).
Some recent information about the happening at the Idomeni border from the activists of Welcome to Europe:
12.05 Around 300 migrants refuse to enter the buses. According to media reports, the ten arrested people have been released. One injured person is brought to hospital.
12.00 Ten migrants have been arrested. Apparently there are protests happening at the border.
11.30: Still several hundred people are inside the camp. UNHCR estimates the eviction to take two more hours. The police said the camp will then reopen only for the people allowed to cross the border. A train carrying goods was brought from Macedonia across the border just now.
11:00 There are various areas that are surrounded by the police and military and people are pulled out. More than ten buses left to Athens. It is said that they go to the Taekwon-Do stadium there, but it was already full yesterday. According to the police, the arrested migrants are taken to the police station in Thessaloniki. One group of people was badly beaten by the police.
10:15 One friend from inside reports that police started to clear the railway tracks. People are pushed out of their tents. We heard of more arrests, but not of any injuries yet.
10.00: We are kicked off the area by the state persecutor, with the help of Medicin du Monde. More and more press is arriving but stopped by the police at the highway exit.
9.30: For all those who want to come: Take the mountain road via Hamilo. Police wants to send us away right now.
8.50: Police has blocked access roads to Idomeni. We cannot enter. MSF reports that everything is quite calm, but journalists have been arrested in the morning. People are loaded into Buses to Athens. Friends from inside the camp report that police has surrounded the camp and don’t let anybody leave the camp. One migrant friend was arrested.
8.40: The eviction seems to start soon. We will start reporting in twenty minutes.
Follow live stream about happening at the Idomeni border and if possible contribute against the eviction (note: Greece has +1 hour):
http://livetickereidomeni.bordermonitoring.eu/2015/12/09/9-12-2015/
