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Refugees break Hungarian police cordon near Serbian border

Refugees broke through a police cordon on Monday as they continued their journey across Europe

Charlie Atkin
Tuesday 08 September 2015 10:23 BST
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Hungary: Scuffles erupt as refugees break police line on route to Budapest

Tensions continued to rise in Hungary as refugees broke through a police cordon on Monday as they attempt to continue their journey across Europe.

The Hungarian police had set up a line near the Serbian border in order to prevent refugees from reaching the capital Budapest.

The police were unable to control the crowd and after scuffles broke out as the travellers continued on their journey.

Chants of “Budapest Budapest” and “Germany” were heard while walking. 300 are estimated to be walking on a motorway, escorted by police, while others agreed to be taken to a reception centre.

As European countries have started announcing quotas for accepting refugees, the Hungarian government continues to discourage migration across the continent.

After closing Budapest’s main train station on Friday, Hungary shut its border with Serbia and made it an offence to cross without documentation, punishable by up to three years in prison.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban disagrees with other European leaders who have decided to accommodate large numbers of refugees, calling the crisis a “German problem.”

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