Reports from Sunday evening 11pm from Michal Berg

CROATIA/SERBIA
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BERKASOVO/BAPSKA (Serbian side) – There might be new route in the next week – Serbia and Croatia have agreed on providing trains directly from Sid on the serbian side to Slavonski Brod in Croatia. Latest news say this could start on 2nd November. If this happens, volunteers will be needed a lot to move the material to Sid train station. Please be ready to help. 9000 refugees arrived to Croatia today. Bigger groups of refugees in the morning left to Croatia by noon. Currently no refugees, but many expected over night and in the next days. Hygienic conditions deteriorating, but volunteers trying to improve this. Crowd control is difficult in peak times. Small tents and sleeping bags not neccessary now. Big tents, 10 walkie-talkies, warm clothes, shoes and especially cash needed there, as well as volunteer help, medical help will be a plus. Trying to find a place in Sid to wash and reuse the blankets. Accomodation nearby but can provide shelter for max 20 volunteers. Please bring your own tent, headlight and high-visibility jacket. Contact number +381 649 366 029.

BAPSKA (Croatian side) – On Friday, the Croatian team set up an emergency hotspot at their old spot in Bapska, where busses used to stop before they moved to the border. They have set up the tent as an emergency hotspot for situation when people break through the Berkasovo border or are let through by Croatian police when there is a bottleneck in Berkasovo. For now, they only have permission to share food and water, and are sending their clothes supplies to Berkasovo and Opatovac. Their volunteers help at Berkasovo and Opatovac when they are not needed at the Bapska emergency spot, and at least one person is always at the hotspot in case the others need to return and help. On Saturday, they had a line of 2500 people from the BB border to their hotspot from noon to 6 pm. Sunday until 5 pm was completely calm so they are helping at Berkasovo. 1-2 more volunteers are needed for the week, and 3-4 starting Wednesday noon.

OPATOVAC – 1500 refugees in the camp at the moment, but situation changing (buses on their way from Bapska). Further boarding trains at Tovarnik continues, and also buses from Opatovac went to Slovenian borders. Volunteer help needed in Opatovac, and supplies, especially shoes (size 39-45), socks and children & men jackets.

PRESEVO – Situation better than in previous days. NGO´s only inside the camp, but not in the queue. There is cold out there, especially during the night. Food, also warm clothes, blankets, tents needed. Volunteers needed to replace the current ones. MSF on the spot but more doctors would be appreciated to provide 24/7 assistance and many people are sick. Contact number +381 642 653 479

DIMITROVGRAD – We call for volunteers to help in Dimitrovgrad. Refugees: 400 per day, many UNACCOMPANIED children among them. Needs: shoes, jackets, gloves, hats, socks. VOLUNTEERS: only three volunteers who are leaving tomorrow. Please contact: Luka: +381 63 831 2993 or Nerissa: +381 642 18 7291 and provide them with your Name and valid ID (with picture). You need to be registered in advance to Belgrade. They will take care of your registration. Also there is very cheap accommodation available: 5 euros per day. This place is also used as coordination center to plan for activities at camp.

BEOGRAD – Volunteers helping at Miksaliste (Mostarska 5, Beograd) set up also their VolunteerSpot account and are asking anyone who is in Belgrade to sign up for various tasks needed to be done there. Visit http://www.volunteerspot.com/login/entry/4179297180119 to see what is needed there and to sign up for timeslots.

SLOVENIA/CROATIA
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HARMICA / RIGONCE / DOBOVA/ BREZICE – This is the main route at this moment. Refugeees arrive by train (every few hours) to Kljuc Brdovecki and walk 1,5 km to the border. There is usually enough volunteers ready to help on the Croatian side. Harmica/Rigonce borders crossing closed for regular traffic. There are several „camps“ between RIGONCE and DOBOVA. Refugees stay in these camps for several hours, then they continue to Brezice. Worst situation so far at RIGONCE, there are currently no doctors and volunteers´help not always allowed. In the main DOBOVA camp some refugees could sleep over in heated tents last night. Volunteer doctors able to help there. BREZICE camp – volunteers are allowed to help, Red cross and police helpful, though some incidents still (throwing food over the fence causes chaos from time to time and police used pepper sprays). 5-6 doctors on site. Good amount of volunteers there from Austria, Germany and Switzerland, but more needed for sure. Police drives the refugees by buses to Sentilj to the Austrian border eventually. Volunteers can register with IHA http://www.iha.help/english.html. Contact number is +386 303 154 59 – please call before you arrive.

SPIELFELD/SENTILJ – The Slovenia/Austria border crossing at Spielfeld is now the main entry to Austria. 4000 refugees came today so far. Red Cross and Army organise the welcome camp, heated tents are available – but not enough. Volunteers are needed and are swiftly integrated by the Red Cross Einsatzleitung. Right now few more medical doctors would be very much welcome to offer more continuous service. Situation in Sentilj is stabilised. In Obenaus we invite volunteers to come for a rest, it’s just five minutes away from the border station Spielfeld. They also offer a few places for volunteers to stay over. Contact: +436801327177 or +436803060900.

For Slovenia-related updates throughout the day, follow Protirasistična fronta bez meja on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Protirasistična-fronta-brez-meja-962830080456004/

OTHER NEWS
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– Thousands of refugees are reported to be on their way from Greece, so the flow will continue for some time for sure.

– Do you have enough time and sources to travel to Lesvos, Greece, where situation is more desperate? Read this volunteering guide to Lesvos: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KBPNoW1fNvDdmmzCyc3yMBBGJ5V21s-EP0yxQY4K990/edit

– Supplies which are needed almost at all places: warm and/or waterproof clothing (jackets, pullovers), blankets, shoes, hats, gloves, socks, dry and canned food, fruit; food for babies and milk. Generally, anything what could make them at least little bit warm and help them of hunger.

– Also SIM cards for those who has to wait would be great so they can contact their relatives.

– Be prepared, that individual volunteers could have problems accessing refugees to provide help. Please always try to communicate UNHRC, Red Cross and/or police on the site before providing help, however, they may not be welcoming your there, so be polite and patient and don’t get refused. This is the common approach of Red Cross at many places, and eventually it was always possible to find a common way. Problems are reported in communication with Slovenian police, help is easier on Croatian side of the border.

– Supplies and money donations are also being collected in the Social Centre Rog (Trubarjeva 72, Ljubljana) and in Maribor (at the parking lot in front of the railway station, where they set up a container.)

– Large amounts of supplies could be picked up also in Zagreb, please call Lejla +385 91 456 77 05 if you are able to bring any supplies from Zagreb to any of the borders.

– UNHRC released a report, which states that number of refugees crossing to Greece this year just hit the half million mark: http://www.unhcr.org/56263d536.html

UN high commisioner for human rights urges Czech Republic to stop detention of migrants and refugees http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/Media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true&LangID=E

– and don’t forget to act: http://www.europeact.eu