HORGOS, Serbia (AP) – A group of migrants and asylum-seekers who set off two days ago on a protest march toward Hungary reached the European Union-member state’s border on Sunday, saying they want to ask European leaders why it is closed for the thousands fleeing war and poverty.
Walking slowly under a Serbian police escort, several dozen people approached Serbia’s border with Hungary in a bid to protest Budapest’s decision to keep it shut for most asylum-seekers, which has left several thousand people stranded in Serbia.
“We all are humans and we are all here because we have lots of problems in our own country,” said Sayed Mohsen Shah, from Pakistan.
Some 300 mostly young men and boys from Afghanistan and Pakistan started marching Friday from Belgrade toward the Hungarian border, 200 kilometers (120 miles) away. Faced with scorching heat, many gave up along the way, while others traveled part of the route by train.
Hungary recently strengthened anti-migrant controls on its southern border, admitting about 30 people a day, mostly families with small children, and pushing back those caught trying to cross illegally.