Greece: Police Struggle to Push Back Migrant Wave
Greece faces “organised, mass and illegal attempt to violate its borders,” says government.
Police in Greece fought back on Saturday to repel thousands of illegal immigrants along the Turkish border. The push back comes as tens of thousands of migrants are beginning to amass along the Turkish-Greek border. Angry migrants pelted stones at Greek guards and attempted to cut through border fences, news reports said. The Greek police fired tear gas in response.
Government officials in Athens described the latest breach of country’s borders as a migrant ‘onslaught.’ “Greece yesterday faced an organised, mass and illegal attempt to violate its borders and it withstood this attempt,” Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Saturday. “We averted more than 4,000 attempts of illegal entrance to our land borders.”
The statement came as Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that thousands of migrants has began forcing their way from Turkey into Europe. “Approximately 18,000 have forced their way through the gates but today it could reach 25 to 30,000. And we will not close these doors from now on, and this will continue,” Erdogan said on Saturday.
The migrant influx began after Turkey opened border crossings and encouraged migrants to cross into Europe. Turkey triggered the migrant wave a day after an airstrike by Russia-backed Syrian Forces killed 33 Turkish soldiers in northern Syria.
Reuters news agency reported the clashes on the Greece borders:
Greek police fired teargas to push back hundreds of stone-throwing migrants trying to cross the border from Turkey on Saturday, as a crisis over Syria shifted onto the European Union’s doorstep.
Greece, which has tense relations with Turkey, accused Ankara of sending the migrants to the border post in an organized “onslaught” and said it would keep them out.
Turkey said on Thursday it would stop keeping hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers in its territory after an air strike on Idlib in neighboring Syria killed 33 Turkish soldiers.
Convoys of people appeared heading toward the land and sea borders of Greece, which was a gateway for hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers into Europe in 2015 and 2016.
“They (the migrants) didn’t come here on their own. They are being sent away and being used by (our) neighbor, Turkey,” Greek Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysohoidis told reporters near the northern Greek border town of Kastanies.
“Greece… faced an organized, mass and illegal attempt to violate its borders and it withstood this attempt,” government spokesman Stelios Petsas said, adding that by Saturday morning authorities had prevented more than 4,000 people from entering Greece.
While Greece faces the biggest migrant wave since 2015, the European Union is in a denial mode.
“EU assumed Turkey would continue to uphold its end of the deal,” German state broadcaster DW News reported Saturday. “The European Commission in Brussels expressed relief at the Turkish statement,” the broadcaster added, referring to Turkish Foreign Ministry’s statement that Ankara was abiding by the EU-Turkey migrant deal brokered by German Chancellor Angela Merkel five years ago. The EU has already paid 6 billion euros to Turkey in the hope that it will hold its part of the bargain. In recent months, Turkey had renewed its demand for more money and visa-free travel for 80 million Turks into Europe.
While the EU fails to come to the aid of Greece, a country weakened by the monetary crisis of 2008, some member states are ramping up their borders defenses in anticipation of a new migrant wave of the magnitude witnessed in 2015 when millions of migrants forced their way into Europe. Austria’s chancellor Sebastian Kurz suggested on Saturday that his country will close the borders if the migrant wave headed their way.
The migrant wave triggered by Turkey shows the failure of the EU to secure its outer border. By paying billions to Erdogan regime instead of securing its border, Brussels is at the mercy of Ankara.
Eastern European countries are better prepared to withstand the next migrant wave than the richer nations in the West, mainly Germany, France and Benelux countries. Despite EU’s objections and rebukes, Hungary has secured its borders with a 300 mile wall along the Balkan countries, a route often taken by migrants getting into Europe. According to BBC, the Hungarian wall is an “impenetrable border barrier of barbed wire and electric fences” designed to ”stop the migrant flow.”
[Cover image via YouTube]
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Turkey will happily close the doors again when they receive big enough payoff. The geniuses running the EU will give it to them … eventually.
Then, more countries will leave the EU and their betters in Brussels will wonder why.
Sooner or later they’ll have to organize a “neo-NATO” in Eastern Europe – and beg us to fund it.
The problem is that the EU is facing an enormous budget shortfall, without the U.K. paying in. The five or six remaining countries that pay money to the EU are balking at paying more to make up the difference and the two dozen or so countries that receive money from the EU are insistent that their payments not decrease. Several high-level summits later, those realities haven’t changed and there’s still no budget.
Adding new Turkish demands to that… is a nonstarter.
The UK leaving really exposed the EU for the fraud that it is.
Given their budget shortfall, why isn’t the EU falling back on their Brussels child sextrafficking businesses?
You figure they’d have that rainy-day fund going.
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/variety/human-trafficking-takes-horrific-dimensions-in-europe-un/article25942442.ece
“”the Hungarian wall is an “impenetrable border barrier of barbed wire and electric fences” designed to ”stop the migrant flow.” “”
No barrier is impenetrable unless it’s backed up with manpower and firepower.
I think they mentioned those.
Could be. It wasn’t mentioned in the section I quoted from.
I’ve seen photo’s showing armed Hungarian paramilitary patrolling the road directly adjacent to the razorwired chainlink border fence.
That was a year ago. I’m thinking it wasn’t staged for PR purposes.
Hungary, like Poland, has been taken over by the evil, racist, fascist, nationalist, right-wing party of doom. Just ask Angela Merkel or any reporter. So for the moment, that’s not a problem.
Clitack,
I *SO* hope you are being sarcastic..
Didn’t the French make the “impenetrable” claim in 1935 (or so) about their eastern border?
How far does this border s**t have to go (any border) before people realize that influx of people who will disrupt and destroy your country are invaders and take action?
The army is the customary way to repel invasions. It is often quite effective. But it is not pretty, and a country’s leaders must have the will to use it.
I suppose a point will be reached when the idea of pulling triggers becomes the most expedient and the most effective. Islam’s a very aggressive cult whose members readily use force to get their way. Repelling force with force really is the only way.
Lock and load, let got sort them out when the killing is over.
It’s the cheapest way that’s easily available.
Greece did deploy amry today. But once immigrants are on the EU soil they will probably end up staying.
Greek civilians may need to help the police.
Yes and the EU also. Get some German troops down there to help the Greeks. Merkel soft attitude toward immigrants may have encouraged this.
In the picture of the cops being accosted by barbarians; they all look like big guys with nightsticks.
Hurt them. Don’t kill them but there should be lots of broken/dislocated injuries. Way the hell out in the middle of nowhere. Make them help each other survive instead of attacking.
Nothing says, “I want to join your culture and be a productive part of your society”, like pelting the inhabitants with stones and being violent.
Try bullets.
Definitely bullets.
Some people are making natural gas or propane fueled cannons. One of those loaded with 5 pounds of 8 penny nails would send a clearer message.
They are made out of 4″ or 6″ PVC pipe, or steel for higher usage.
Well a forceful statement need be made. Inform Turkey this needs to stop. If Turkey cannot, or will not enforce the border with a wall, they don’t deserve bridges. The bridges in the interior of Turkey will be destroyed. Should Turkey choose to defend the bridges, the nearest mosque will be destroyed. Or nearest school. If enough bridges are destroyed immigrants from Syria won’t be able to get to the border with Greece.
One more reason I’m not in charge. Bridges are fixed and easy to find, as are mosques and schools. All targets are available at unusual times to minimize loss of life.
Stop it.
Greece needs to militarize the entire male population and provide them with weapons. Let them know they are being invaded and this is an act of war. Forget about the umanitarian BS, this is an invasion. If these folks are allowed in, they will end up raping your wives and daughters and sucking dry the welfare system as they are already doing in much of Western Europe.
They need to start sending those illegals back in body bags, we should be doing the same.
The children of Alexander need to kick ass.
Fight ’em now while they’re outside, or fight them later, when they’re inside – which we know will be too late.
Detain the so called protesters. Embark them on makeshift holding barges. Tow the barges into German ports. Abandon the barges.
Rinse and repeat.
Erdogan who is doing this demands Europe give Visa free access to 80 million Turks…yah that’s going to end well….
In the final analysis, one must resort to lethal fire to prevent the collapse of one’s homeland under the barbarian horde. The elites of much of Europe lack the backbone–and thus their countries are doomed by Merkelization. Does the United States have the requisite fortitude?
It becomes ever more doubtful.
The Greeks need to bring the Army with tanks or they will lose their country. Bernie Sanders wants illegal immigrants to have unlimited passage to our country and they have the right to be housed, fed, clothed and have full medical coverage. Why wouldn’t every sick third worlder come here for free care? Our country can be destroyed in a few months.
The Greeks need to bring the Army with tanks or they will lose their country. Bernie Sanders wants illegal immigrants to have unlimited passage to our country and they have the right to be housed, fed, clothed and have full medical coverage. Why wouldn’t every sick third worlder come here for free care? Our country can be destroyed in a few months.
Quit dicking around with these heathens and start shooting. To hell with a bunch of rock throwers. Dust their ass.
Greece used to be under Turkish rule. You’d think Greece would be more emphatic in their response to this invasion.
I also wonder how long until Turkey takes the other half of Cyprus. It’s not like anybody would stop them.