Reporter: Muslim migrants wear crosses to look like persecuted Christians
New migrants and refugees receive continuous travel tips from others who have previously travelled through Europe. Among other things they are told is to put on other clothes and wear crosses to look like persecuted Christians, to ease access into Serbia, writes Jyllands-Posten's reporter Solveig Gram Jensen.
Jensen has been on board one of the ferries that daily transport 2,000 of the 22,500 migrants and refugees residing on the Greek island of Lesbos to the mainland.
The reporter talks with Mahmoud Barakat (27), from Syria. He has trimmed his beard fashionably and wear smart sportswear. Until now he has been sitting at one of the neighboring tables in the cafeteria on the second upper deck of the ferry from Hellenic Seaways.
Only a few hours ago, the ship left the Greek resort island of Lesbos. Now it has set course for the port city of Piraeus, near the capital, Athens.
The Hungarians plan to increase security at the border and tighten immigration laws, which annoys most of the 2,000 people on board. They come mainly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
They have just been registered after several weeks on Lesbos, where there in August arrived between 3,000 and 4,000 new migrants every day.
The vast majority aboard the ferry has Germany as their goal. On expensive smartphones like the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy they get travel guidance and updates for the trip through Europe from family, friends and acquaintances who have already reached the welfare states in the north.
The guidelines are detailed, with pictures of transport, timetables, prices and the towns and villages that are best to travel through, and how to save money on people smugglers.
They have also been told that they should change clothes and put on a chain with a cross when they come to the Serbian border town of Lojane. Then Serbs believe that they are persecuted Christians from the Middle East, which will make the border crossing less problematic.
Afghans often stay in Athens to plan the rest of your journey, while Syrians hurries towards northern Europe. It has already rumored that Hungary has closed the borders.
They hope to reach Macedonia the same day. It should - they have heard - go slow at the border because there's so hot.
How many other Syrians want to leave?
- Many.
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