Reuters: East European leaders in war of words as migrants pour across borders
Hungary and Croatia traded threats on Saturday as thousands of exhausted migrants poured over their borders, deepening the disarray in Europe over how to handle the tide of humanity.
More than 20,000 migrants, many of them refugees from the Syrian war, have trekked into Croatia since Tuesday, when Hungary used a metal fence, tear gas and water cannon on its southern border with Serbia to bar their route into the European Union.
EU leaders, deeply divided, are due to meet on Wednesday in a fresh attempt to agree on how and where to distribute 160,000 refugees among their countries, but the noises from some of the newer members of the bloc were far from friendly.
WNU Editor: The Croats do not want these Muslim refugees/migrants .... they spent a considerable amount of time in the 1990s fighting a war against Bosnian Muslims, and those memories are still fresh in their minds . As far as the Croats are concerned .... take these people and just shove them to the northern borders and hope that someone else will take responsibility for them .... which is naturally making Croatia's neighbours angry. But this ignores the big problem which is Germany. Their refusal to close their borders and/or to make it very clear in a public statement that they will not permit refugees to come into their country en-mass is causing this crisis in Europe right now. There are literally tens of millions of people around the world who are now talking amongst themselves and/or making plans to go to Europe if not this year .... next year ... and the reason why many of them are willing to risk such a trip is simple .... to escape extreme poverty and destitution. And the fact that the perception in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia is that everyone and anyone can now go and become a German citizen with all of its rights and privileges ... that is just fuelling this migration .... and until that perception is changed .... this flood of humanity is just the beginning.
More News On The Migration Crisis In The EU
Thousands more pour into Austria as EU migrant crisis deepens -- AFP
Flow of migrants into Austria from Hungary increases -- Reuters
Austria takes in 11,000 new migrants in just 24 hours -- AP
European Migration Spat Intensifies as Influx Continues -- WSJ
7 comments:
I live in a town with border crossing to Croatia, and they really just pushing everyone toward north. Tensions were high in the Hungarian-Serbian border when the border was closed by fences, but those who trapped in Serbia, for now they already crossed Croatia and Hungary. The Hungarian-Croatian border is long, but mostly defined along a river, and only two small land corridor exist, a ~40 and a ~10 km long, but it was announced Friday that fences are already being built there. As soon as the fences are up (one week orso), Hungary probably will close the Croatian borders, which will force the refugees to two other route, going toward Slovenia or Romania. Here in Hungary, part of the military reservs were called in, some were deployed at the town I live and waiting for order. Expet more border tension in the Slovenia-Hungary-Croatia area during the next few week.
Thank you for the heads up mlacix. I know that Romania is getting ready for an influx, and Slovenia is definitely going to be facing these refugees soon (if not already).
Yes, Romania geting ready slowly, they know what could come for them. Slovenia already reciving lot of refugees, and they also expect more. Currently everyone pushing them toward Austria and Germany. Saturday 50+ Croatian bus came to the local border crossing, full with refugees (~3-4000), the police loaded them to Hungarian busses and transported them to the Austrian border. Since the Serbian-Hungarian being closed this happening every day all over and over. Other than borders being closed slowly, autumn is here, until now food and medical supplies were enough to provide, but with cold, rain and snow there will be lot of problem that the contries will probably fail to care.
I can't help but think of all those easten europeans who thought joining NATO, the EU etc. was such a great idea. When I was doing my bit with a certain NATO mission they were all over the place. I suppose it never occurred to them that running around with the "west" playing for favour would have got them to this sorry point.
Chickens coming home to roost.
It is also quite ironic to see the kind of people who carped about "human rights" violations under Communism/socialism be oh so willing to treat refugees from areas they, at the very least, turned a blind eye to destroying, as a lot less than human.
More horrendous still, no real outcry from the governments of these countries calling for an end of the policies and activities that have done so much to create this crisis. The former Yugoslavian republics should be especially vocal.
Sad really. And it's going to get worse.
Obama war policy creating more migrants and refugees. if he is perfect in help, no need for people to leave their own country. Obama failed and hurting people in millions. so not sure how Isreal and other countries can believe on obama policy.
My country (sweden) is also adding to this crisis by giving all that claim they are a syrian a permission to stay in sweden indefinately and also bring all their close family.
RRH
In the Hungraian press there was minor presence of comparing the current events with the communist era, nor with the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, and even of those post/articles had no echo. But the situation is not on the governments/countries, but on the peoples too. We supposed to live in the EU, but the post-soviet areas not really match the western standards. Most of the society(I guess ~80-90%) in Hungary are against the refugees, they see them as "less human" than themselfs or any european. This is not because of the fact that they are refugees, but more because they are arabs and muslims. It's "funny" in some way but most of the peoples see them as terrorists, thiefs, criminals, and someones who do not want to work and never worked in their entire life. It's very sad that the society thinking like that, but thats the reality here. If only I could say the older generation thinking so, but no, even my generation the 20+ thinking mostly the same.
The goverment in Hungary just act to keep and grow political support amongs the people, and as long as the majority are against the refugees, the government doing so, and they gained more support already. I do not really know how Croatian, Slovenian or Serbian people think about the refugees, I just can say what I see.
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