More impressions of the day:

1.00:  Around 500 people are waiting since 7pm at a petrol station near Polykastro to be transferred to Idomeni.

00.30: Border crossing is closed again. About 50 people from Syria, Irak or Afghanistan could enter Macedonia.

24.00: Now people are allowed to cross one by one. It seems that they check the papers.

21.00: The Situation at the border crossing has totally changed. Protesters‘ blockade is over, now Macedonia has closed the gate. 2000 people in front of the closed gate. A lot of families and small children in the mass. Many people sleeping and waiting also on the ground. A Greek police men reported that they might open the border within next three hours. No confirmed information about planned nationality filtering. It’s hard to imagine how they could manage to do it on these conditions. If mass starts to move without border opening this will be a life risking situation for all people waiting. Massive police presence on both sides of the border.

18.30: Highly increased police presence now, 10 buses of riot police in the center of the complex. People are preparing to sleep outside, the camp is extending to the fields nearby.

18.00: Many buses on their way to Idomeni are now being stopped by the police at an abandoned petrol station in Evzonoi, 2km from Idomeni. From there now several hundred people are walking on the highway to go to Idomeni.

17.00: Frontex announces its presence at Idomeni for next week (see here)

16.30: Food supply by NGOs has stopped. Only autonomous groups are providing now.

15.30: Situation at the fence has calmed down for now. The crossing is more and more under police control, but still the border is not open,  as there is still fifty people in front of the gate. Behind the police line there as several hundred people waiting and shouting slogans.

13.15: The train has left carrying around 70 persons. It will stop at Thessaloniki, then there should be a connecting train to Athens.

13.00: We talked to friends of the supposed dead person. They report that he climbed the wagon because they had no proper place to sleep. The Maroccan died because of an electroshock he catched from the electric wire of the railway infrastructure.

12.30: Situation is very tense and complex. Greek special unit has surrounded the protestors which are blocking the crossing. Massive tear gas/pepper spray actions of them against protesters who try to reach the enclosed groups at the fence. Hundreds of Syrians wait on the field besides the camp. Parts of Camp A are closed by those who cannot pass the border. Greek police is somehow present at the entrance of the complex. At the railway station in the back, there is one train to depart around 1 or 2 pm to Athens. Police advises people to take this train. UNHCR is not present. Official infrastructure has broken down. Desperation and anger is taking over, there is rumours that one person committed suicide some hours ago. We observe only little media presence.

Obviously there is only one sustainable solution to this willingly generated catastrophy: The border has to be opened.

11.00: Massive armed fightings between Syrians and Non-Syrians because nobody is allowed to cross the border at the moment.  Divide et impera.

09.00: The border is still closed. All nationalities are stuck now. Conflicts are rising among those who could pass, and those who cannot. People are trying to walk to other border crossings. UNHCR has left the camp tonight. Europe’s strategy of divide et impera has worked out so far.