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Post by fretslider on Sept 10, 2015 7:26:26 GMT -5
A major ferry crossing from Germany to Denmark has been partly closed after hundreds of migrants refused to disembark on arrival, demanding to be taken onward to Sweden, as Europe's migrant crisis spreads northward.
The crossing from Puttgarden to Rodby, Scandinavia's busiest ferry route to Germany, is usually open to car and train passengers. But operators suspended the latter route after two trains carrying around 350 refugees spent Wednesday stuck in Rodby, demanding to continue on to Sweden. The refugees refused to register with Danish authorities, which would mean having to apply for asylum in Denmark or returning to Germany, preferring instead to seek asylum in Sweden, where asylum conditions are more generous. Sweden, one of many European countries struggling with the worst migration crisis since World War II, has become a top EU destination for refugees by issuing permanent residency to all Syrian asylum seekers.
In contrast, Denmark has sought to reduce the influx by issuing temporary residence permits, delaying family reunions and slashing benefits for newly arrived immigrants.
Wednesday's standoff was eventually resolved as around 100 migrants agreed to remain in Denmark, while the remaining 240 or so were allowed to disembark and continue their journey onward. Denmark's police chief said on Thursday that his officers have been ordered not to stop hundreds of refugees and migrants who have entered the country via Germany. Jens Henrik Hoejbjerg says it is purely a police decision, adding Danish officers "can't detain foreigners who do not want to seek asylum (in Denmark)."
There was no immediate reaction from the Danish government.
"Where they have gone I don't know. I think they were picked up by private cars or have taken taxis further away. We are no longer monitoring them," police commissioner John Andersen told news agency Ritzau. "We didn't want to empty the train by force," he added. Train operator DSB said on Thursday that the ferry crossing remained closed to trains "due to police work at the borders". The disruption came after Danish police closed a motorway and rail links with Germany on Wednesday in a bid to stem the flow of refugees heading north to Sweden.
The motorway, a vital traffic artery for people and goods between the two countries, was closed when some 300 refugees, including children, began walking on it. Police tried to persuade them to leave but appeared reluctant to use force, witnesses said. "We are trying to talk to them and tell them that it is a really bad idea to walk on the motorway," a police spokesman said. Police also asked the state-owned railway operator to stop all trains between Germany and Denmark, although these were expected to resume on Thursday morning.
Most have headed to Germany, but Sweden is also a favourite destination. Both countries have more generous policies for refugees than their EU neighbours. Denmark is part of the EU's Schengen zone, where borders are meant to be open to allow free movement. When asked by Reuters whether blocking the road and rail links meant breaking with the Schengen system, a police spokesman said he did not think so as he expected the traffic to start moving again soon, although he could not say when.
At Rodby, where train ferries arrive in Denmark from Germany, two trains carrying about 240 people were stopped by police. Refugees on board were refusing to leave the train, police said. Around 100 foreign passengers left a train that was still on a ferry and were transferred to a school for registration. Many refugees are reluctant to register in Denmark, where a centre-right government has cut benefits.
"We know that many of them want to go to Sweden, but naturally we cannot let that happen," police spokesman Carsten Andersen said. "So right now, we have asked them to start a dialogue. We are waiting patiently for some of them to agree to that and stick their heads out of the trains." Justice Minister Soren said he was cutting short a trip to the United States to return to Denmark. "For security reasons, the police, in collaboration with German authorities, decided that for the near future no travellers from Syria, Iraq, et cetera will arrive in Denmark by ferry to Rodby," police said in a statement.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/denmark/11855047/Denmark-blocks-motorway-and-railway-links-with-Germany-to-stop-migrants.html
"We are trying to talk to them and tell them that it is a really bad idea to walk on the motorway,"
They know that and they know that the Motorway will have to be closed because of them
