Asylum seekers protest for Athens to open its border

A woman holds a banner reading ‘Refugees welcome, Fortress Europe: Not in our name!’ during a protest against Greece’s use of force, and EU’s migration policies in Brussels, Belgium on 4 March 2020 [Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency]

Asylum seekers at the Turkish and Greek borders on Monday staged a protest to push Athens to allow safe passage into European territory, Anadolu Agency reports.

While their waiting continues in Turkey’s northwestern Edirne province, asylum seekers carried signs saying “We are human” and “We need help” near Greece’s Kastanies border gate.

In the two weeks since asylum seekers were able to reach the border, nearly 2,500 have been wounded by Greek border guards using disproportionate force and violence.

Death at the Greek border: Syrian refugees should not be used as political pawns

Last month, Turkey opened its borders for asylum seekers seeking a way to Europe, accusing the EU of failing to keep promises under a 2016 migrant deal.

Ankara also warned that due to incessant attacks on civilians in Idlib, Syria, a million refugees are moving toward Turkey’s borders.

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