Teargas as migrants try to run Greece-Macedonia border fence: AFP

Macedonian police fired tear gas at hundreds of Iraqi and Syrian migrants who tried to break through the Greek border fence on Monday, an AFP journalist at the scene said.

The migrants, including women and children, forced their way past a Greek police cordon onto a rail track and tried to break through a barbed wire fence into Macedonia.

“Open the borders!” they shouted, prompting police to fire volleys of teargas which prevented them from crossing.

The angry protest took place several hours after Macedonia allowed some 300 Syrians and Iraqis to cross before resealing the frontier, keeping thousands of others out.

By Monday morning, Greek police said more than 6,000 people were massed at the border, in a buildup triggered by Austria and Balkan states capping the numbers of migrants entering their territory.