BELGRADE, Serbia — Hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers set off on foot Friday toward Serbia’s border with Hungary to protest its decision to keep its border closed for most people trying to reach the European Union.
Migrants held cardboard placards saying “Hungary Open Borders” or “No Borders, No Fence” as they marched Friday in a long column along a road leading north from Belgrade toward the Hungarian border 120 miles away.
Several police cars drove slowly by the marchers, who were carrying bags and blankets. Most migrants appeared to be young men who stand little chance of entering Hungary or other EU nations.
“We have no money, we walk,” one shouted as he hurried with the group.
The migrant march slowed traffic on the road connecting Belgrade with the northern city of Novi Sad.
Hungary has recently strengthened anti-migrant controls on its southern border with Serbia, letting in about 30 people a day, mostly families with small children. This has left a few thousand people stuck in Serbia, with hundreds camping along the border without basic facilities.
Also on Friday, international medical aid agency Doctors Without Borders warned of a “sharp increase” in violence against migrants and refugees since the Balkan borders closed for the free flow of migrants in March.
“In the last months, an increasing number of our patients reported cases of violence and abuse and showed physical trauma directly associated with violence,” said Simon Burroughs, MSF head of mission in Serbia. “Many of these cases were allegedly perpetrated by Hungarian authorities.
“We are extremely worried that the new measures recently adopted by Hungarian authorities will lead to increased violence against migrants, who are increasingly treated like criminals,” he said.
