Pre-Schengen passport stamp from Idomeni, Greece. Wikimedia Commons.
Idomeni is not an official refugee camp; it is a small and quiet Greek village that was partly occupied by a growing population that was stopped at the Republic of Macedonia’s border. For those coming from Turkey through Greece, the Republic of Macedonia is the first country of the so-called “Balkan route”. Since the summer, transit has increased massively. Daily, about 3000 people cross the border to enter Macedonia. This year, about 729,000 people have arrived in Greece, claiming for asylum, according to data from the UNHCR. Among them are migrants and refugees. The forced differentiation between them, considered unfair by many, has led to major protests and growing violence at the camp.
