Syrian Refugees Clamber Through Mud And Rain At Idomeni To Cross From Greece Into Macedonia | HuffPost

Rain-Soaked Syrian Children Clamber Through Mud To Cross Into Europe

Paul Vale— The Huffington Post UK

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More than 7,000 refugees, including families with young children, braved torrential rains on Thursday, part of a 100-mile trek from Greece's northern border into Macedonia and beyond into Europe. Clambering through thick mud, strewn clothes and rubbish, exhaustion was etched into the faces of the beleaguered displaced; an exodus that local Greek police said was the single biggest wave of refugees they have seen so far.

Desperate to stay dry, the crowd used makeshift coverings, including plastic sheets and bin bags and they moved slowly through the brown swill. According to AP, parents held their children aloft so that Macedonian police would let them through the checkpoint. Many of the young were crying. All were stained with mud and filth.

At the border village of Idomeni, thousands awaited entry into Europe in a muddy field. Tents were pitched to provide respite from the downpour. Many gathered at the nearby train station, crowding around fires for heat. Speaking to AP, Abas Jizi, 30, from Deir ez-Zor in Syria, said police in Lesbos hit him. Stood with his family huddled around a blaze for warmth, he said: "We waited for 10 days to get our papers. We got to Athens yesterday and we set off straight away for here." Jizi said he left his homeland to get away from the bombings. He plans to travel to Denmark to start a new life.

Thousands crossed the border on Thursday, but more are coming. Greek authorities on Lesbos registered 17,000 refugees this week, with the government in Athens supplying extra ferries to take them to the mainland. Overcrowding and deteriorating conditions continue to blight the small Aegean island. Most of those arriving in Greece are from Syria, families caught up in the existential struggle between the barbarous Islamic State and the equally savage regime of Bashar al-Assad.

On Wednesday, Jean-Claude Juncker called for EU nations to accept a further 120,000 refugees from northern Africa and the Middle East. Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the Commission President braved catcalls and interruptions to demand the bloc’s 28 governments home more refugees on top of 40,000 Syrians already being discussed.

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Refugees Clamber Through Mud At Idomeni

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A young girl stands with her lunch in the rain at a temporary holding center for migrants near the border line between Serbia and Hungary in Roszke, southern Hungary, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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A boy passes from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia as other refugees and migrants wait, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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A man falls down as he tries to pass from the borders from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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A boy passes from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia as other refugees and migrants wait, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Refuggees and migrants pass from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Refuggees and migrants pass from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Refugees and migrants wait to pass from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Refuggees and migrants wait to pass from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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A man falls down as he tries to pass from the borders from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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A woman holds a baby as she passes the border from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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A woman holds a girl as she passes the border from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Migrants help an elderly man to pass from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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A Macedonian border policeman holds a man as he passes from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Refugees and migrants wait to pass from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Two men hold a boy as they pass from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Refugees and migrants wait to pass from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Macedonian border police scuffle with migrants as they wait to pass from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Refugees and migrants wait to pass from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Refugees and migrants wait to pass from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Refugees and migrants pass from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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A woman cries as she waits with other refugees and migrants in heavy rainfall to pass from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Macedonian border police helps refugees and migrants to pass in heavy rainfall from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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A Macedonian border policeman scuffles with refugees and migrants as they wait to pass in heavy rainfall from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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A migrant shouts as he waits to pass from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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A girl cries as refugees and migrants try to cross the borders in heavy rainfall from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Migrants and refugees walk to board a bus after crossing the Macedonian-Greek border near Gevgelija on September 10, 2015. (credit:ROBERT ATANASOVSKI via Getty Images)

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Refugees wrap up to keep warm as they make their way through Serbia, near the town of Kanjiza, heading towards a break in the steel and razor fence erected on the border by the Hungarian government on September 10, 2015 in Kanjiza, Serbia. (credit:Christopher Furlong via Getty Images)

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A family walk down rail tracks in the rain towards a pick up point taking refugees to a camp on September 10, 2015 in Roszke, Hungary. (credit:Dan Kitwood via Getty Images)

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Migrants try to break through the cordon of Macedonian police forces, while waiting to board a bus after crossing the Macedonian-Greek border near Gevgelija on September 10, 2015. (credit:ROBERT ATANASOVSKI via Getty Images)

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Migrants and refugees walk to board a bus after crossing the Macedonian-Greek border near Gevgelija on September 10, 2015. (credit:ROBERT ATANASOVSKI via Getty Images)

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A migrant cries as she tries to break through the cordon of Macedonian police forces, while waiting to board a bus after crossing the Macedonian-Greek border near Gevgelija on September 10, 2015. (credit:ROBERT ATANASOVSKI via Getty Images)

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Migrants try to break through the cordon of Macedonian police forces, while waiting to board a bus after crossing the Macedonian-Greek border near Gevgelija on September 10, 2015. (credit:ROBERT ATANASOVSKI via Getty Images)

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Hungarian police officers secure the bus that will transport migrants, on the road near Asotthalom, southern Hungary, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (credit:Darko Vojinovic/AP)

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A migrant cries as she tries to break through the cordon of Macedonian police forces, while waiting to board a bus after crossing the Macedonian-Greek border near Gevgelija on September 10, 2015. (credit:ROBERT ATANASOVSKI via Getty Images)

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Migrants tries to break through the cordon of Macedonian police forces, while waiting to board a bus after crossing the Macedonian-Greek border near Gevgelija on September 10, 2015. (credit:ROBERT ATANASOVSKI via Getty Images)

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