Millions of Syrian refugees are expected to reach Europe, the UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Afica Peter Salama said Friday.
"There could be millions and millions more refugees leaving Syria and ultimately (going) to the European Union and beyond," he said. Salama added that internal refugees in Syria have now reached almost 8 million.
His statement came as thousands of Syrian refugees have been stranded in Hungary's railway station as the country's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that they would be arrested if they attempt to cross the border.
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In the Hungarian town of Roszke, where refugees are temporarily staying, footage of police treating the refugees as “animals” was filmed and posted online Friday by Michaela Spritzendorfer, the wife of an Austrian politician. The footage showed the refugees surging against fences they were contained in while the police tossed food to them. The refugee camp in Roszke has become known for its poor conditions and alleged human rights violations.
This is appalling! Zoo animals are treated more humanely than #Syrian #refugees in #Hungary (video) https://t.co/vssk9xnGGq
— .. (@brokenwing2005)
September 11, 201
In the last 24 hours, media reported that more than 7,500 refugees entered Macedonia. Last weekend, more than 40,000 people, mostly Syrians fleeing violence and conflict in their country, entered Austria and Germany after Hungary bowed to international pressure and allowed them to cross the border.
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While some European politicians, including the Hungarian government, insist on labeling the refugees as “economic migrants,” Salama stressed that they were people fleeing a dire situation in their countries.
“Every Syrian I spoke to has told me that they would have stayed in their own country if they were able to feel safe, live in peace, and be treated with dignity,” Salama said. “They risk their lives and the lives of their children to flee to Europe because they have no other option and they see no future for themselves or for their children.”
However, the European Union has failed yet again to implement its refugee quotas plan in a bid to share the refugees among the bloc's 26 nations. On Friday, the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with his counterparts from East European countries but failed to convince them to take in refugees as part of the EU's plan of distributing 160,000 refugees across the continent.
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U.N.'s refugee agency Spokesman William Spindler hailed the effort but warned that more is needed, adding that 200,000 places would be needed by the end of 2016.
"The relocation scheme can only succeed if it is accompanied by large-scale emergency reception, assistance and registration efforts in the countries most impacted by arrivals, particularly Greece, Hungary and Italy," he said Friday in a statement.
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