Thousands of refugees head to Slovenia

(Vatican Radio)  Migrants fleeing war and poverty are streaming into the small Alpine nation of Slovenia, after Hungary closed its border with Croatia to them. The latest demonstration of the European Union’s disjointed response to its biggest influx of refugees since World War Two has added to misery.

Listen to Stefan Bos' report:

On Saturday, thousands of people, including women and children soaked in rain, were seen moving further west towards Croatia’s border with Slovenia.

They were unable to enter Hungary before midnight when the green border was officially sealed off with a metal fence and razor-wire, just as the nation did a month ago on its border with Serbia.

As they diverted towards Slovenia, local police said the first buses packed with refugees already arrived in the Slovenian border town of Petisovci. From there most of them will eventually be transferred towards the Austrian border.

Cancelling trains

However, Slovenia cancelled regular rail connections with Croatia in a bid to slow down the influx of refugees from the Balkans to Western Europe.

Despite the ensuing chaos in neighbouring countries Hungarian rightwing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has defended his government’s decision to declare Hungary’s southern frontier with Croatia off-limits to arriving migrants. He says Hungary is defending Europe’s Christian values and identity as many migrants are Muslims.

Critics disagree. And United Nations refugee agency workers in the area fear Hungary’s unilateral action will leave thousands of refugees stranded in countries such as Croatia many without basic facilities and warm clothing as temperatures drop before winter. “Of course that brings an additional concern that people will be left stuck without basic protection,” a UN aid worker said.   

Croatia, an economically troubled nation of some four million people, is concerned that Hungary’s anti-migrant stance will also add to pressure on other overwhelmed countries to take similar actions. While visiting a migrant camp in the eastern Croatian village of Opatovac, Croatia’s Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic warned of a major crisis if Germany or Austria will also seal off their borders to  refugees.

Domino effect

Asked what would happen if Germany were to close its doors, he warned of a “domino effect”. “It will be a lot of trouble for all countries and I don’t want to predict what will happen in this situation,” the minister added. 

“This organized system that we receive people and provide security and medical checks gives everybody security...These people are risking their lives and nobody is able to stop this flow ... without shooting,” he added.

Croatia has already received some 180,000 refugees since mid September and is now expecting many more.

The latest tensions come a day after the European Union announced an agreement to provide funds and assistance to Turkey to slow the flow of refugees from the Syrian conflict.

However rights group Amnesty International has criticized that plan as "premised on keeping refugees in Turkey" and called on the EU to "offer safe and legal routes for refugees to reach Europe," many of whom flee war torn nations such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.