IBT — Police clashed with refugees and economic migrants along the Greek-Macedonian border Sunday after several people attempted to scale the border fence. around 300 people were injured, medical non-governmental organization Doctors Without Borders told Agence-France Presse, and tear gas from the clashes spread to a nearby makeshift camp, where children and others uninvolved in the violence suffered from respiratory problems. “The indiscriminate use of chemicals, rubber bullets and stun grenades against vulnerable populations … is a dangerous and deplorable act,” Greek government spokesman George Kyritsis said, Reuters reported.
Around 100 people gathered on the northern Greek side of the border Sunday morning after being refused passage to Macedonia for weeks. After asking border guards for the right to pass and being denied, several dozen people attempted to scale the fence. Law enforcement fired rubber bullets and tear gas to prevent them from crossing. Macedonian authorities deny having used rubber bullets, while Doctors Without Borders said they treated at least 30 people for wounds from rubber bullets.
More than 10,000 people have been stranded on the border between Macedonia and Greece after a deal between the European Union and Turkey came into effect in late March. Under the deal, all people who cross into Greece from Turkey illegally can either apply for asylum in Greece or risk being sent back to Turkey. The deal includes a one-in, one-out provision where for each Syrian returned to Turkey, one Syrian in Turkey will be resettled in Greece.
