© ReutersA young migrant girl holds up a drawing in a makeshift camp on the Macedonian-Greek border, near Gevgelija, Macedonia, Nov. 30, 2015
Most of the refugees attacked were from Pakistan, Iran and Morocco who, under new regulations by the non-European Union Balkan nations, are not among the nationalities to be allowed through. Macedonian border authorities are screening the refugees and only letting in those from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
For several weeks, more than 1,500 refugees have been stranded in the border region between Greece and Macedonia and living in tents. Greek Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas said his government was trying to persuade them to come to Athens and apply for asylum in Greece, saying there was accommodation available for them.
Human rights groups said the filtering process by the Balkan nations was against human rights as asylum seekers should be treated on merit and not based on nationality. Also, the aid groups said that refugees were exposed to health risks as temperatures are barely above freezing.
Tensions were rising over the weekend after one migrant, believed to be Moroccan, was electrocuted and badly burned when he climbed on top of a rail wagon. The protests Wednesday broke after 200 refugees were denied entry and started walking along the wired fence. Macedonian police fired tear gas and one officer fired warning shots in the air, a Reuters witness said.
The news comes as the United Nations reported the number of people reaching Europe seeking asylum was approaching one million people. More than 900,000 refugees have arrived in Europe since January 2015, while over 3,000 have drowned or gone missing during the same period, the organization said.
The international body said that 20 percent of those arrivals were children. The International Organization for Migration confirmed the U.N.'s figure and said over 870,000 have arrived to Europe by sea.
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