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Greece Attacks Refugees After Turkey Loosens Restrictions on Border

HeadlineMar 02, 2020

Greek forces attacked migrants with tear gas and stun grenades as thousands of refugees arrived at the Turkish border with Greece after Ankara announced it would no longer try to prevent entry into Europe. Thousands, including families with young children, are now stuck at the border. This is a Syrian refugee describing the scene this weekend.

Syrian refugee: “We’ve been here for two days. There are children that are 2 months old. They’re not allowing us in. They’re firing tear gas at us. One man was hit with a bullet in his hand. They took him to the hospital. We have no food. Look at these kids.”

Turkey’s move to loosen border restrictions came as a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive in Idlib province has displaced nearly a million people, most of them fleeing toward the Turkish border. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has regularly threatened to open the border to pressure Europe for military assistance in Syria, where dozens of Turkish troops have been killed in recent days and weeks.

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