Macedonian police fire tear gas at refugees on Greek border

“Faced with people who were clearly not armed and constituted no serious threat, they attacked with chemicals, with tear gas and rubber bullets”, Tsipras told reporters, blaming Macedonian police.

Tensions had mounted in the Idomeni camp after rumors had spread that Macedonia would be opening its border.

Officers have been conducting spot checks on people in and around the Idomeni camp amid fears that certain activists are exhorting refugees and migrants to break through Greece’s border with FYROM.

Macedonia closed its border with Greece to incoming migrants in February after other countries along the Balkan route had closed their frontiers, including Serbia, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria. According to their press release, up to 3.000 migrants took part in the incident, during which the Greek police did not intervene.

Macedonia’s foreign ministry asked Greece to fully engage its police forces to prevent what it called the violent rioting of migrants. Some refugees had smeared toothpaste on their faces, foreseeing the tear gas and hoping to mitigate its effects.

While a controversial deal between the European Union and Turkey is reducing the influx into Greece, more than 11,000 people are stuck at Idomeni.

“It is calm so far on the Macedonian side of the border”.

Athens denies its neighbour the use of the name Macedonia, claiming to have a historical right to it because the heart of Alexander the Great’s ancient kingdom lies in Greece’s own northern Macedonia region.

What’s more, Edwards said the episode should serve as a reminder that while chaos unfoldsin the Aegean islands and in Turkey, the situation is similarly desperate in Idomeni, where “about 11,000 have been sleeping for many weeks now in the open in dismal conditions, fueling hopelessness and despair”.

Macedonian police fired a round of tear gas on Wednesday to disperse a group of stranded migrants protesting on the Greek side of the razor wire fence dividing the two countries, a Reuters witness said. “When Macedonian police replied that this wasn’t happening, more than 100, including several children, tried to scale the fence”.

They used water cannons, stun grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets, NPR’s Peter Kenyon reports from Istanbul.

Europe is facing an unprecedented influx of refugees, most of whom are fleeing conflict-ridden zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria.

A Macedonian police spokesman said the situation at the border was under control but still tense, he added.

The Greek government said it had lodged two “very strong protests” with Macedonian authorities.

The United Nations said the actions by the Macedonian police against refugees damages Europe’s image. “Among those with breathing difficulties there were quite a few women and children”, he said.