Hungary is currently constructing a six-foot high razor-wire fence along its 175-kilometre border with Serbia, to keep out refugee migrants who are reportedly desperate to reach the EU. Out of the 26 countries that comprise the passport-free Schengen zone, Hungary’s border is a popular crossing point because after Macedonia, it is the nation nearest to Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq – the three countries with the highest population of refugee migrants.
The deadline for completion of the first phase of the fence has been set for 31 August. A 12-foot barrier will reportedly be completed by November. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government has passed several anti-immigration laws, pursuant to which any and all claims made by Serbian migrants to EU citizenship will be rejected. Also, anyone who damages the fence will reportedly receive a jail term of “up to four years”. This new legislature has been cited as an utter violation of Hungary’s obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Soldiers are constructing the fence in six-hour shifts, 12 hours a day. The wire is made by convicts in the steel town of Dunaújváros
It is believed that the number of migrant crossings will increase, as thousands passed through police lines at the Greek and Macedonian border over the weekend. Earlier last week, the Macedonian government had declared a state of emergency and sealed off the border, which reportedly created pressure at the southern end of the Western Balkans route. However, Macedonia re-opened its border on Sunday, thereby enabling the migrants to cross through Hungary and towards Serbia again.
Representatives from the news and analysis site IRIN witnessed a so-called “face-off” late last week between a group of 50 Syrians made up mainly of women and children, and border officials in Röszke, a rural Hungarian village that appears to be the main point of entry for migrants coming into Serbia. According to IRIN, many of the migrants were sick. The father of one sick child begged for a doctor, pleading: “My son is very ill, his clothes are wet and we have been walking for three days.” Others asked IRIN representatives if they thought it was a good idea to cross. However, a jeep from EU border authority Frontex soon arrived, carrying guards for back-up, who said: “If they step over the border, they are breaking the law.”
The group crossed the border at their peril. Inside of a few minutes, they were rounded up alongside another group of captured Syrians who had also crossed the border. It said that the police marched the two groups to a field about a mile away, where they were told to wait in the pouring rain. When it stopped raining, they attempted to set plastic bags on fire for warmth. They were eventually collected by coach, and taken to a temporary camp for asylum seekers.
When the fence is up, it will be even more difficult for the migrants to cross the border. According to police stats, 1,500 migrants are already intercepted at the border each day, up from 1,000 per day in July, and 500 per day in June. With the fence, Hungary apparently hopes to reduce illegal entries into the country by 85%.
Captured Syrian refugees.
