Migrant crisis heats up again: 8,000 are left stranded in Greece after Macedonia blocks Afghans – as Germany lashes out at Austria for letting thousands across its border

Migrant crisis heats up again: 8,000 are left stranded in Greece after Macedonia blocks Afghans – as Germany lashes out at Austria for letting thousands across its border
Athens vows action against Macedonia after Skopje turns away Afghans
5,000 migrants stuck on the border and 3,000 stranded in Greek capital
Skopje, in turn, blamed Serbia for doing the same on its southern border
German Minister attacked Austria for only accepting 80 migrants a day
http://dollars-vedioonline.blogspot.com/2016/02/migrant-crisis-heats-up-again-8000-are.html


Tensions mounted over the migrant crisis again today after countries imposed their own border controls that created huge backlogs and further threatened to destroy the passport-free travel zone.
Athens today vowed to take action against Macedonia after Skopje refused to accept Afghans refugees, leaving more than 8,000 stranded in Greece.
Skopje, in turn, blamed Serbia for doing the same on its southern border with Macedonia.
Meanwhile, Germany lashed out at Austria's decision to accept just 80 asylum seekers a day – while letting thousands of others pass through.

Afghan children wait with their families at a refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian border. Greece said it was taking action to persuade Macedonia to accept Afghan migrants after thousands were stranded at its border
There are fears the unilateral controls and daily caps could trigger a domino effect along the Balkan migrant trail and leave thousands stranded in Greece, the entry point into the EU for many.
Greece said today it was taking diplomatic action to persuade Macedonia to accept Afghan migrants after thousands were stranded at its border and main port.
'We have begun diplomatic moves... we believe the problem will be resolved,' junior interior minister for migration Yiannis Mouzalas told parliamentary television, without elaborating.
Some 5,000 refugees are stuck at the border with Macedonia after the neighbouring state on Sunday refused to allow passage to Afghans, police said.


Another 3,000 people were blocked in Athens after landing at the port of Piraeus from the Aegean islands, a government source said, adding that officials were scrambling to find room for them.
'We do not expect a (diplomatic) solution today,' the source said, adding: 'We will accommodate the Afghans while trying to prevent overcrowding at any of the facilities available.'
Macedonian authorities reportedly said that Serbia has done the same on its southern border with Macedonia.
Since November, countries on the Balkan route have allowed only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans to continue their journey northwards towards Germany, Sweden and other European nations where they plan to apply for asylum.
'We are making preparations so that even if the problem is not resolved, if there is a violation of European decisions by Serbia and Skopje, to be able to manage the problem that will be created in Greece,' Mouzalas said.

Domino effect: Moves by Austria and Macedonia are the latest unilateral actions taken by EU countries to stem the migrant flow as the bloc tries to cope with the continent's worst migrat crisis since World War Two
It came as German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere branded Austria's decision to allow just 80 migrants in each day 'unacceptable' and said it sends out 'the wrong signal' to the rest of Europe.
Berlin fears many of these migrants are heading straight for Germany, where tensions are on the rise after the country saw an influx of over a million asylum seekers last year, putting huge pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door policy.
'It won't work if some countries think they can solve the problem by putting extra weight on Germany's back,' de Maiziere told ARD public television, accusing Vienna of failing to carry out adequate checks on those being let through.
Despite strong objections from the European Union, Austria on Friday introduced a daily limit of 80 migrants who are allowed to claim asylum while allowing 3,200 migrants a day to transit through.
'Even for security reasons, this is unacceptable.
'We won't allow this to continue long term,' de Maiziere said, adding that he intended to bring up the issue at the next gathering of EU interior ministers in Brussels on Thursday.

Migrants walk along a road to cross the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni on Sunday
The asylum cap 'is an Austrian decision', he said. 'But to say that 3,200 can continue towards Germany is the wrong signal,' he added.
'The figure is much too high. We won't accept it and that's why we need to talk about this.'
Vienna said it would beef up the army at its borders to deal with the inflow of migrants, with 450 more troops from today and military police on standby in case of trouble.
The troops will assist police carrying out checks on people and vehicles entering the country, patrol the 'green border' and carry out surveillance work, the defence ministry said.
Meanwhile, Hungary has reported a sharp rise in the numbers of migrants breaching its southern borders in February, the first significant surge since the frontiers were sealed last year.
Around 1,500 migrants tried to enter the EU member state illegally from Serbia this month, with 500 alone caught between Friday and Sunday, police said in a statement.

Men sit near train tracks as migrants from Afghanistan wait for permission to cross from Macedonia to Serbia
Many were economic migrants from Morocco, Iran and Pakistan, police said. Unlike Syrians, they are unlikely to be granted asylum in Europe and face deportation.
About 300,000 refugees passed through Hungary last year, before right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban sealed off the southern borders with razor wire and fences in September and October.
The measures – together with tight border patrols and tough new laws punishing illegal entry and vandalism of the fences – slowed the flow to a trickle with only around a dozen people a day attempting to cross.
Since September, 1,325 people have been charged with crimes under the new legislation, the vast majority served with expulsion orders.
The move by EU countries to impose border controls further jeopardises Europe's Schengen passport-free travel zone.
Underscoring the urgency of the issue, Mr de Maiziere said member states must agree a common approach within two weeks if they wanted to prevent the system collapsing.
In addition to being a devastating symbolic setback for Europe, a collapse of Schengen would increase the amount of time it takes for goods to be transported across European borders, raising costs for companies and consumers.
A study by Germany's Bertelsmann Foundation revealed it could cost the EU up to €1.4trillion over the next decade.

Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland discuss a blockade to stop migrants

Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland meet to discuss creating a blockade to stop migrants arriving from Greece
http://dollars-vedioonline.blogspot.com/2016/02/czech-republic-slovakia-hungary-and.html

Countries known as the Visegrad group ready to help Balkans seal borders
Leaders of Bulgaria and Macedonia will also attend the meeting in Prague
Germany fears plan will create even bigger backlog of migrants in Greece
Greece to open 'hotspot' migrant centres after EU pressure to stem flow


Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland are to meet today to discuss creating a blockade to stop the influx of migrants arriving from Greece.
Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said the countries – known collectively as the Visegrad group – were ready to help Balkan countries seal their borders.
The leaders of Bulgaria and Macedonia will also attend the meeting in Prague.

Mr Sobotka said he would also discuss the plans with the Greek foreign minister tomorrow, ahead of a summit of European leaders at the end of the week.
Apart from Hungary, central European countries have so far not seen significant numbers of migrants.


But they fear that could change if Europe's external borders stay porous, or if Germany – the main destination – were to close its own borders.
Germany has raised objections to the plan, saying that sealing Balkan borders with Greece could undermine its own approach to the crisis.

Fury: Protesters hold banners and Greek flags during a demonstration on the island of Kos against the creation of an identification and registration centre for migrants who are entering the EU through Greece
GREECE OPENS 'HOTSPOT' MIGRANT CENTRES AFTER EU PRESSURE TO CONTROL THE INFLUX
Greece will open four migrant registration centres in time for an EU summit this week as Athens comes under heavy pressure to control the massive influx to Europe.
Four of Greece's five 'hotspot' centres will formally open by Wednesday on the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Leros and Samos, which have been struggling to cope with hundreds of thousands of migrants landing from Turkey in flimsy boats, a government source said.
Each will have enough prefab housing to accommodate 1,000 arrivals for three days, during which they will be registered, have their fingerprints taken and be sorted between those eligible for asylum in the EU and those who face eventual deportation.
Security checks will attempt to prevent the entry of jihadists, a pressing concern after two of the men who carried out November's terror attacks in Paris sneaked into Europe via Greece, posing as refugees.
The fifth centre, on the island of Kos, will be set up slightly later, the source said.
Opposition from local authorities and residents, complaining that the influx has damaged their vital tourism industry, has caused delays to the construction work.
Riot police fired tear gas Sunday at protesters on the resort island who are angry over plans to open the centre.
While Greece has acknowledged delays in the opening of the centres – calling in the army to help complete them – the government insists it is already registering migrants with the help of 400 staff from EU border agency Frontex.
Berlin has focused on working with Turkey to control the migrant flow and fears the Visegrad plan would lead to an accumulation of refugees in Greece, a country already under huge strain.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who will attend the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, is under heavy pressure from EU neighbours to do more to stem the influx of migrants.
EU member states on Friday gave Athens a three-month ultimatum to remedy 'deficiencies' in controlling the influx, or effectively face suspension from the Schengen passport-free zone.
Greece has responded by planning to open four 'hotspot' registration centres ahead of the summit.
It comes as an opinion poll published today reveals that around two-thirds of Czechs oppose taking in refugees from war zones, reflecting growing anti-migrant sentiment in a country that has taken a tough stance on the issue.
Central European nations have opposed quotas for sharing asylum-seekers among EU members, and Czech President Milos Zeman is one of many leaders to have used anti-migrant rhetoric.
The latest monthly survey by the Czech Public Opinion Research Centre found 65 per cent of Czechs were against taking in war refugees, up from 50 per cent in September.
Another 28 per cent said refugees should only be accepted until they can return home.
More than one million refugees crossed into Europe last year, most of them fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mr Zeman has limited policymaking power, but has said integration of Muslim communities in the country of 10.5 million is 'practically impossible' and called the influx an 'organised invasion'.
He has also said that migrants would impose sharia law, stoning women to death for adultery and chopping thieves' hands off.
His comments have drawn criticism from the government as well as the UN human rights chief.

Las protestas sin tregua en Grecia se extendieron hasta la noche

Por la noche más de mil manifestantes lanzaron piedras, botellas y bombas incendiarias a la policía, que respondió con gases lacrimógenos y granadas de aturdimiento. En tanto los legisladores griegos debatían el Presupuesto 2012 antes de la votación prevista para después de la medianoche.
Los inconformes formaban parte de una marcha organizada por los grupos de izquierda que convocó al menos a 3.000 personas, según un portavoz de la policía.
Muchos de los manifestantes no participaron en los disturbios y unos pocos centenares continuaron hasta el Parlamento.

Enfrentamientos en Grecia: La Policía usa gases lacrimógenos contra los manifestantes en Atenas

El centro de Atenas fue un escenario de violencia, donde cientos de personas han marchado hacia el Parlamento para conmemorar la muerte en 2008 de un estudiante por disparos de policías, lo que desencadenó una ola de disturbios en el país.
Cócteles molotov y piedras fueron las armas usadas por los manifestantes griegos en contra de las fuerzas policiales.

Desde que comenzó la crisis de deuda en Grecia en 2009, los griegos han llevado a cabo numerosas protestas que a menudo han degenerado en violentos disturbios, con enfrentamientos entre jóvenes y agentes antidisturbios frente al Parlamento.

First video of Athens night clashes as Greece fights austerity

First video of Athens night clashes as Greece fights austerity



Firefighters were called in late on Wednesday to extinguish piles of rubbish set ablaze by protesters in Athens after riots broke out during a demonstration by about 100-thousand people on the first of a two-day general strike. Violence spread across the centre of the city earlier in the day, following the massive anti-government rally against painful new austerity measures. Authorities said about 3,000 police were deployed on the capital's streets.

Britain joins Greece in protests against austerity

Britain joins Greece in protests against austerity


The Greek Parliament passed over a plan to implement new austerity
measures, but tensions still remain high. The residents continue to take to
the streets and wage protests, and no one can tell when the violence will stop. At the same time, more than half a million public sector workers are involved in protests against governmental plans to change their pensions and freeze pay in Britain. Meanwhile, debt ceiling talks are still underway in Washington but to no tangible success. The bad news is still trickling in: last week jobless claims were at approximately 428,000, meaning for the last 12 weeks jobless claims remained above 400,000. Charlie Veitch, the founder of the Love Police, joins RT's Kristine Frazao from London.

Follow Kristine on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Frazzie

Greece riots: RT crew under attack

Greece riots: RT crew under attack



RT film crew in Athens got caught in the middle of violent street protests. The cameraman has been slammed by a group of protesters, while correspondent Sarah Firth required medical assistance due to tear gas exposure.

Raw Video: Gay Pride Parade in Greece

Raw Video: Gay Pride Parade in Greece



Hundreds of people took to the streets of Athens, Greece on Saturday for a Gay Pride parade. Many participants said that they felt the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community was still struggling for acceptance in Greece. (June 4)

US unions losing fight

US unions losing fight

All over the world, labor unions fight continued battles for the common good and the working class. This used to be the case in the US, however more recently many United States unions have become an extension of the Democratic Party. Is this continued relationship between unions and Democrats going weaken their strength?

US unions housecats to EU's labor tiger

US unions housecats to EU's labor tiger

In many parts of the world, organized labor is a force to be reckoned with in the streets and at the polls. Yet in the US, union leaders spend more time campaigning for candidates than defending workers' rights. But unlike their counterparts in Europe, American workers don't take to the streets to fight for fairer salaries, paid time off and better retirement benefits. RT examines the state of unions in the US and whether they're asleep on the job