The European refugee crisis - -9/16/2015

Hungarian police use tear gas, water cannon on refugees trying to breach border

RT,

16 September, 2015

Hungarian police have deployed tear gas and water cannon against asylum seekers, who broke through a razor wire fence at the border crossing with Serbia. 

At least 20 police officers and two children have been injured in clashes, local TV reported citing the Hungarian PM's security adviser.

"So far 20 policemen have been injured and ambulance services have just taken two children (to hospital) who were injured after being thrown over the security fence," Gyorgy Bakondi told public TV. "We will definitely restore the fence and strengthen the fence, and protect Hungary's security with all legal means."

Police have been reportedly trying to control the crowd, who were throwing plastic bottles, stones and concrete at them. Thick black smoke is covering the area, as seen in the videos.

READ MORE: End of Schengen? EU countries toughen border control

#Horgos now. Migrants are being sprayed with tear gas and water canons. pic.twitter.com/maQUU4lzzj

— Mircea Barbu (@mirceabarbu) September 16, 2015

Hungarian police told Reuters that several “aggressive” people had managed to break through the border gates.

The incident took place at a border crossing between the Hungarian town of Roszke and Horgos in Serbia, one of the main frontier crossings in the EU.

"Police are taking lawful and proportionate measures to protect the Hungarian state border and the external frontier of the European Union," law enforcers said in a statement

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has asked Serbia to act against asylum seekers on the Hungarian-Serbian border, Reuters said citing local TV.

"A group of very aggressive migrants is persistently attacking Hungarian police with rocks and pieces of concrete,"Szijjarto said. "This attack is coming from Serbian territory. Therefore, I firmly asked my Serbian colleague to call on Serbian authorities to act immediately against this aggressive group of migrants."

"@peterlane5news: Heavy use of tear gas now to disperse crowd at #Horgos border gate.@5_Newspic.twitter.com/HxfKSKml08"

— MalvaGia (@Gabrymalvagia) September 16, 2015

Following the incident, Budapest reportedly ordered the Roszke-Horgos border crossing between Hungary and Serbia to be suspended for 30 days.

And water cannon too. #Horgos@5_Newspic.twitter.com/pBJ33g6gE5

— Peter Lane (@peterlane5news) September 16, 2015

Romania has summoned the Hungarian ambassador over Budapest’s decision to extend the border fence to the country's southern border with Romania. Earlier, local witnesses reported that Hungarian military surveyors and engineers were spotted on Wednesday mapping out the line of the border fence’s extension along the frontier with Romania.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Victor Orban told Austrian newspaper Die Presse that Hungary plans to also build a fence on parts of its border with Croatia.

Hungarian authorities are struggling to deal with massive influx of asylum seekers. On Monday, they finished erecting razor wire fences along the border. An apocalyptic-looking train wagon with razor wire attached at the front was used to seal a railway passage near the village of Roszke. This blocked off the last crossing point with Serbia except for official road checkpoints.

They are still arriving to the border with Serbia. HUN special police and army.#roszke#refugeerisispic.twitter.com/6Gt3y9rCuC

— Djordje Kostic (@BGDopisnikAJB) September 16, 2015

On Tuesday, Hungary decided to declare a crisis in two southern counties due to the influx of asylum seekers. According to Gyorgy Bakondi, head of the national disaster unit, the border zone in these counties would be extended to 60 meters from 10 meters.

#overthefortress ora a #Horgos#Serbia immagini delle proteste dei migranti al confine serbo ungheresepic.twitter.com/1pKfnuY5No

— Melting Pot (@MeltingPotEU) September 16, 2015

NewsRevo : RT syndicalisms: Tensions high at #Horgos border crossing between Serbia & #Hun…http://t.co/AcaD6O84ow) pic.twitter.com/fuq0BhmL2V

— SpokaneIWW (@SpokaneIWW) September 16, 2015

READ MORE: Refugees start sit-down hunger strike on Hungary-Serbian border - reports

"This can serve to temporarily place persons seeking refugee or protected status as well as to process asylum claims and alien registration procedures," he said.

Later, police data showed that only 366 asylum seekers had been rounded up by Hungarian police on Tuesday. On Monday at least 9,380 were rounded up by Hungarian police.

Chaos in #Horgospic.twitter.com/ZzP9nAyxdx

— Marcel Anderwert (@marcelanderwert) September 16, 2015

Jetzt wollen alle durch. Mit Frauen und Kindern. Zaun durchbrochen. #Horgospic.twitter.com/HuayOJBTQ0

— Marcel Anderwert (@marcelanderwert) September 16, 2015

Tear gas and water canon being fired at #refugees at #Horgos crossing pic.twitter.com/izbV4hr6NR

— Oliver Varney (@OliverVarney) September 16, 201

 

The liberal western media is great with sentiment (while calling for war) and very short on analysis

People treated like animals: We've seen this before in Europe



NZ Herald,

17 September, 2015

You may have seen the pictures. The Hungarians are using water cannons and tear gas on refugees at the Serbia-Hungary border.

The fence is complete, all 175km of it, but some refugees broke through the gates which are now closed on the border. That's when the tear gas and water cannons came out.

I have just seen some pictures coming in out of Croatia too. The Croatians say that if refugees enter Croatia from Serbia, they will allow them to passage through to northern Europe. So that will be the new frontier, Croatia.

I got back yesterday from the border. I was on Turkey's border with Syria, and also the border that divides Serbia and Hungary. What I saw on the border, I don't think will ever leave me.

People queuing in the mud and rain to get on buses, Hungarian police standing in front of them wearing face masks and rubber gloves.

No one could communicate with each other. That is such a major failing on a humanitarian level. Thousands of people reaching Hungary, thousands being bundled on to trains, but no Arabic or Hungarian translators. And that leads to so much confusion and fear.

A refugee woman wipes her eyes after Hungarian riot police used pepper spray and water cannon to push back refugees. Photo / Getty Images

The images of Hungarian police going through the cornfields with dogs, German shepherds. And the dogs are choking on their collars, barking, and pulling on their leads.

And walking, as we did between Serbia and Hungary along the refugee route, and walking past the fence that was still being built. It was almost finished, but watching some of the Syrians lower their heads and quickly pass by that fece. 

Well, you could sense the humiliation.

One man, a charming man, a businessman from Syria who was with his six and seven year old daughters. His wife was killed in their own home by Isis. He had just been telling me what happened, Isis was trying to intimidate families and was going from home to home, and they entered his house and killed her. One of his daughters, in particular, is terribly affected by that, and that's why he has brought them to Europe.

I was with him as we passed that fence. Soldiers were building it as we passed, unrolling razor wire, and he quietly said: "It's as if we are animals."

A young girl feels the effects of tear gas during clashes between refugees and Hungarian anti-riot police. Photo / Getty Images

Some of those images though, the staunch men in heavy hessian uniforms, the police dogs moving through fields, packed trains, people pleading for safe passage, people in a rush trying to get on buses, four-metre high wire fences, razor wire. We've seen this all before in Europe, haven't we.

Thousands of refugees have fled a conflict, but as they approach Europe, they're about to enter another one.