Thousands of Syrian Refugees Plan To Cross Together From Turkey to Greece

Thousands of Syrian refugees in Turkey are joining a convoy in an attempt to cross the border together into Greece, a European Union country, according to reports. The convoy is being organized on the Telegram platform, on a channel opened earlier this month, which has more than 85,000 followers, The Guardian reported. It is not known how many of the followers will actually join the convoy, however. Organizers, believed to be Syrian refugees themselves, have said they expect that some 100,000 refugees will attempt the border crossing.

Convoy members reportedly left for the designated meeting point on Monday. They are setting up camp with sleeping bags and tents in the northwest Turkey city of Edirne, located near the Greek border. The action has been dubbed the Caravan of Light. Members of the caravan have been attacked as they make their way to the meeting report, according to reports.

There are some 3.5 million Syrian refugees in Syria, some there as long as a decade. Turkish president Tayyip Recep Erdogan has floated a plan to forcibly repatriate at least one million Syrian refugees.