Asylum seekers stuck in a tent city at Idomeni on the border between Greece and Macedonia blocked train traffic and laid their children on rail tracks as part of a rally demanding that Macedonia reopen its border.
Dozens of refugees gathered around a railway section next to the Idomeni makeshift camp as several toddlers could be seen lying in the middle of the tracks. One of the children held a piece of cardboard that read “Open the border.” Other protesters were clapping and chanting.
One of the banners at the rally accused Europe of being racist: "I'm child and might not know much, but I believe treating people disrespectful for being born on the other side of the planet is called: 'RACISM.’”
The demonstration addressed the Macedonian authorities, which completely sealed the border for asylum seekers on Wednesday, trapping some 12,000 migrants and refugees in Greece.
Dimitris Vitsas, the Greek minister responsible for coordinating the refugee flow, expressed his hope on Saturday that the Idomeni issue will be “resolved within a week without recourse to force.” Refugees are expected to accept moving to reception facilities across Greece, where a total of "50,000 spots" will be available next week.