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Migrants Protest Restrictions At Macedonian Border


Migrants Protest On Greek-Macedonian Border
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GEVGELIJA, Macedonia -- About 1,000 people, described by authorities in Skopje as economic migrants, have staged a protest on the border of Greece and Macedonia.

The November 22 demonstration at Macedonia's Gevgelija border zone comes after Macedonian officials began refusing to admit any migrants unless they have documents proving they come from the war-torn countries of Syria, Iraq, or Afghanistan.

Most of the demonstrators are migrating from Iran, Libya, Morocco, Somalia, and Bangladesh.

Standing behind barbed wire along the border, many of the migrants told RFE/RL that they had been waiting in the border zone for days in order to cross into Macedonia and travel on to the European Union.

Skopje imposed the new restrictions after Serbia and Croatia announced they would turn back migrants who weren't from Syria, Iraq, or Afghanistan and were trying to cross into their territory from Macedonia.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Macedonian Unit correspondent Mirjana Spasovska

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