@PIPCHIPPERSON•TWITTER Migrants wave a banner demanding the border is opened

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A group of men waving the menacing home-made banner grew angry as they were stopped in their tracks at the border between Macedonia and Greece. Macedonia is the latest country to erect a border fence. The tiny, landlocked state has begun building a fence along its border with Greece, blocking a key transit route for migrants travelling from Turkey to northern and western Europe. Macedonia insists it will allow those fleeing war-zones to continue to pass through, meaning people fleeing from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq can continue to cross. The UK is well-known to feature among the most favoured destinations for migrants from Africa and the Middle East because of Britain’s extensive benefits system and ready availability of work.



But many others, including Iranians, Moroccans, Pakistanis and Eritreans will have their journey’s halted. The group clashed with authorities after being told they could not pass through the border. Greek riot police struggled to maintain order and at least two people were injured on Thursday at the border as hundreds of people rejected by Macedonia clashed with the Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis who have been given the green light to cross the border. Despite using tear gas, 150 riot police on the Greek side near the village of Idomeni failed to budge a small group of mainly Iranian migrants - some holding small children - who set up barricades to prevent refugees from entering Macedonia.

Tired of waiting, thousands of refugees then broke through a Greek police cordon, surging to the Macedonian border, which immediately closed again. Earlier, police had distributed fliers warning the economic migrants that they must leave the border area within three days, and the government implied it would take more drastic action if necessary. Police say about 6,000 people are stuck at Idomeni, sleeping in a shelter provided by charities, in hundreds of tents or in the fields. About 3,500 are Iranians, Pakistanis and other nationalities not allowed in by Macedonians, while the rest are from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

AP Migrants become angry at the checkpoint

At the same border, a man believed to be from Morocco was fatally electrocuted after touching high-power railway cable when he climbed on top of a train, prompting cries of Allahu akbar, or “God is great”. The clashes came as Greece faces mounting pressure from its EU partners to ensure better control of its borders and register arriving migrants or face the prospect that passport checks could be reintroduced for Greek citizens in Europe.

AP Migrants clash with police

More than 600,000 migrants have flooded into Greece this year, many fleeing conflict in Syria or Iraq. Ioannis Mouzalas, Greece's minister for migration policy, said his country was not to blame for the flow of migrants. He said: "Greece is the start of the corridor. The door is in Turkey. Therefore if the flows are not controlled in Turkey, from the coast of Turkey, it is impossible to control the flows from Greece or any other European Union member.”

AP Police stand firm as migrants surge