More borders closing as migrants try to reach western Europe
CROATIA-- The exodus from Syria's civil war is behind the refugee crisis in Europe. On Monday, Hungary posted ads in Middle Eastern newspapers, warning refugees they face prison if they enter illegally. And also on Monday, more borders were shut.
The stragglers from the latest wave of migrants trying get to western Europe through Slovenia have discovered -- it's closed.
Slovenia only agreed reluctantly -- amid harrowing scenes -- to allow the thousands who had crushed up against it's borders to pass through. And then only on the condition that they move straight on to Austria, Germany and points north.
Now, police have sealed off the frontier again.
And the migrant border camp is being dismantled.
Another day, another fence. One being put up by Slovenia closed a route the refugees have been using for days. The message is that they are full and enough is enough, don't come.
The refugees agree. They don't want to be here either. Some were so desperate to get onto a train leaving Croatia, they didn't wait for an invitation, breaking through lines of police lines and scrambling through windows. Fights broke out.
Those who've been dealing with the crisis on the ground like Francesco Rocca of the Red Cross -- aren't holding out much hope.
"Every week there is another high level meeting. But there is no response from these meeting. Nothing happens," he said.
Nothing happens because the arithmetic doesn't add up. If you take the numbers of migrants that countries say they are willing to accept, that doesn't come near accounting for the hundreds-of-thousands of refugees who have already arrived.
And there are more coming.
