Children shouted "Open borders!" while some migrants held signs reading, "We are refugees, not criminals." A border officer on the Serbian side told AFP that "about a hundred migrants" were peacefully waiting on a strip of land between Serbia and Hungary. One man told the HVG.hu news site, "We are peacefully protesting. We want to be allowed to continue our journey toward Western Europe."
Hungary Closes Serbian Border Crossing As Migrants Demand Entry
Hungary temporarily closed a border crossing with Serbia after dozens of migrants gathered at the site and demanded to be let into the country. The situation arose a week after Hungarian security staff fired warning shots to force back migrants trying to cross elsewhere on the border with Serbia.
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A man gestures at the Serbian-Hungarian border as migrants protest to demand entry to the European Union, near Kelebija, Serbia, February 6.
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The group of protesting migrants includes many children.
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Thousands of migrants are stranded in the Balkans, many in Serbia, after fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen.
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Hungary built a fence along its border with Serbia in 2015, when around a million migrants entered the European Union -- many passing through Serbia into Hungary.
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Migrants stand wrapped in blankets near the border fence at the Serbian border village of Kelebija, near Subotica, on February 6.
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A man holds a child close to the border crossing. A Syrian woman, identified only as Amira, told Reuters the migrants wanted "a better life for our children."
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Migrants camp in tents next to the border fence.
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Others have no shelter.
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The migrants face tough winter conditions, with temperatures falling below freezing overnight.
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Migrant children demonstrate with placards near the border fence at Kelebija on February 6.