Iranian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Congolese migrants who are being stopped from furthering their journeys into Europe have taken to sewing their mouths shut with thread and embarking upon hunger strikes to draw attention to their campaign for Europe to completely remove all border control processes.
AFP reported that men who say they are from Iran have been camping on the tracks of the railroad on the border between Greece and Macedonia.
Meanwhile, dozens of other migrant activists have been counterintuitively scrawling the name of their countries of origin on their heads, or wearing hats to show that they are in fact not from countries considered dangerous enough for them to qualify as refugees.
One sign in the crowd reads: “Shoot us or save us, we never go back. We want freedom. We are Bangladeshi. Save our life”
Others read: “Open the border, Pakistan” and “Freedom of movement” – aping the European Union’s language in the Lisbon Treaty.
Another few signs held up say: “Stop Racism” and “We Are Sorry France But We Are Not Dangers”.
The migrants in question are coming from countries such as India – a country with a space programme, Morocco, Bangladesh – a parliamentary democracy ranked as “partly free” by Freedom House, and Pakistan, which is a nuclear power.
IN PICTURES:
A man uses needle and thread to sew shut the mouth of a compatriot from Iran AFP PHOTO / ROBERT ATANASOVSKI / Getty
A man uses needle and thread to sew shut the mouth of a compatriot from Iran as a sign of protest AFP PHOTO / ROBERT ATANASOVSKI / Getty
A man uses needle and thread to sew shut the mouth of a compatriot from Iran as a sign of protest as migrants AFP PHOTO / ROBERT ATANASOVSKI / Getty
A man claiming to be from Iran, with his mouth sewn shut, takes part in a demonstration with fellow migrants as they wait to cross the Greek-Macedonian border near Idomeni on November 24, 2015. Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan refugees are allowed through but those deemed economic migrants – mainly people from Iran, Pakistan and Bangladesh – are blocked – Sakis Mitrolidis / AFP / SAKIS MITROLIDIS
Migrants demonstrate as they wait to cross the Greek-Macedonian border near Idomeni on November 25, 2015 – Sakis Mitrolidis / AFP / SAKIS MITROLIDIS
Migrants demonstrate as they wait to cross the Greek-Macedonian border near Idomeni on November 25, 2015. Sakis Mitrolidis / AFP / SAKIS MITROLIDIS
A man holds a placard reading ‘Winter is coming’ during a demonstration of migrants waiting to cross the Greek-Macedonian border demonstrate near Gevgelija, on November 25, 2015. AFP / ROBERT ATANASOVSKI / Getty
Migrants and refugees hold a placard (C) reading ‘We are sorry France’ referring to the Paris attacks as they wait to cross the border between Greece and Macedonia near the Greek village of Idomeni AFP PHOTO / SAKIS MITROLIDIS / Getty
A migrant holds a placard reading ‘Freedom of movement’ as she waits to cross the border between Greece and Macedonia near the Greek village of Idomeni on November 21, 2015 AFP PHOTO /SAKIS MITROLIDIS / Getty
Migrants from Bangladesh demonstrate in front of Macedonian policemen AFP PHOTO / ROBERT ATANASOVSKI / Getty
A man stands in front of Macedonian policemen during a demonstration AFP / ROBERT ATANASOVSKI / Getty
A man holds a placard reading ‘where is human rights’ during a demonstration AFP PHOTO / ROBERT ATANASOVSKI / Getty
Migrants dance during a demonstration near Gevgelija, on November 25, 2015, as they wait to cross the Greek-Macedonian border. AFP PHOTO / ROBERT ATANASOVSKI / Getty
Migrants from Congo dance during a demonstration near Gevgelija AFP PHOTO / ROBERT ATANASOVSKI / Getty
Migrants and refugees from Iran, some of them with their mouths sewn shut, sit on a railway track AFP PHOTO / SAKIS MITROLIDIS / Getty
The sign reads: “Shoot us or save us, we never go back. We want freedom. We are Bangladeshi. Save our life” – AFP PHOTO /Sakis Mitrolidis / Getty
A man uses needle and thread to sew shut the mouth of a compatriot from Iran AFP PHOTO / ROBERT ATANASOVSKI / AFP / Getty