FX.co ★ Mouth zipped: refugees sew their mouths as form of protest

Illegal migrants at the camp on the border between Greece and Macedonia are expressing their viewpoint on tough immigration policies adopted by Macedonia’s authorities. Several refugees have sewed their mouths shut to show how trapped they feel by new regulations on crossing the border. They are holding a hunger strike for a few days.

Migrants from Iran claim that returning to their home country is certain death. Importantly, some European countries stated they will not accept economic migrants seeking their fortune to cross the Balkan corridor.

The majority of the protesters are from Iran. Soon, Moroccans and Pakistanis joined the strike.

The law came into force on November 18. Similar decisions were taken by Slovenia, Serbia, and Croatia. These countries will allow refugees coming from war zones to cross their borders, but will no longer permit the entrance to economic migrants.

The new rules were brought in after the Paris attacks. Authorities are worried that terrorists could enter their countries among economic refugees. Meanwhile, Greece’s government is providing refugees with the necessities like heated shelter, free buses to Athens etc.