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Tensions continued along the Greece-Macedonia border at Idomeni Town on Tuesday when hundreds of refugees/migrants threw stones towards the Macedonian police guarding the border.
The refugees/migrants on the Greek side of the border tried to cut through the wire fence in order to cross into the territory of Macedonia, but were stopped by the Macedonian security forces and the Greek police who tried to curb the numerous attempts to knock down the fence.
The police used tear gas bombs to disperse the people who tried to pierce through the fence again.
The European Union has given Greece two weeks to tighten its borders or face the suspension from the European Union’s passport-free travel zone.
Ever since the European Union effectively shut down to the main route to Europe, thousands refugees/migrants have been stranded and the sense of frustration and desperation has been growing among stranded people.
On Sunday, a group of young men gathered to protest the border closure and cross illegally onto Macedonian territory. Macedonian police responded by firing tears gas, and 23 members of the Macedonian security forces were wounded, including one seriously.
Refugees/migrants in Idomeni wanted the Macedonian and the northern European borders to reopen. But Brussels said emergency border controls will stay in place until it is satisfied that Athens is doing enough to stop more refugees and migrants arriving on its shores.
The number of new arrivals has dropped dramatically.
On Monday just 80 people crossed the sea from Turkey to Greece, down from an average of 1,150 people a day this time last month. But the EU said Greece has to do more. Meanwhile, Greece said it will start ruling on asylum applications from hundreds of migrants in the next two weeks.
Most of the 50,000 refugees, including the 11,000 people in a makeshift camp at Idomeni, stranded in Greece are not likely to be deported under the controversial EU-Turkey deal. But their fate is far from clear as European nations struggle to agree on a united response to the crisis.