Posted on 01/14/2016 7:40:01 AM PST by McGruff
Norway has said it will send refugees back across its Arctic border with Russia on bicycles.
About 5,500 people, most of them Syrians, cycled through the Arctic Circle Storskog crossing in 2015 to take advantage of a loophole in border rules: while Russia does not allow people to cross on foot and Norway does not let in drivers carrying people without documents, bicycles are permitted at both ends.
The Norwegian national police directorate said it was trying to avoid sending the refugees back on bicycles, but it has ordered that two-wheelers ditched after the crossing "be gathered up for use by the foreigners who will be returned to Russia", a police official, Jan Erik Thomassen, told the broadcaster NRK. "I can understand that it feels a bit awkward and odd," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
... how about unicycles? That would be a youtube win!
Gigantic cluster.
As hundreds of thousands of refugees fled to Europe last year by boat across the Mediterranean, a smaller number took the long way around, traveling to Norway, which is a member of the visa-free Schengen area, via the Russian Arctic. They typically obtained Russian visas in Damascus or Beirut - some even went so far as to enrol in a Russian university to get a student visa - then flew to Moscow and took a train to Murmansk. From there, it was about 130 miles from the Norwegian border, where they were placed in refugee camps.
Although Russian business owners have reportedly been charging several hundred US dollars for a bicycle and a ride to the border, the route is still far cheaper than being smuggled across the Mediterranean.
Bike shortage stems flow of refugees using Russian Arctic route to Europe
How can anyone not say this isnt an invasion???
These people are trekking across the frozen wastes of N. Russia on bikes to go to Norway! For what??!?!
They are so far away from the war they are supposedly fleeing from, that they can seek safety in Santa’s Christmas village!
They could have stopped in any number of places from the Ukraine to St. Petersburg, but hey deliberately head to Norway?
They want the ‘bennies’.
Norway to Muslims: !!
Get on your bikes and ride !!:
Farrokh Bulsara reference.
I’m guessing Norway has better welfare benefits than any of those other countries.
These norwegian lefties are such mean-spirited racists. First, they invite these people to their pitiful socialist country...then, they heartlessly tell them to cycle back to russia. Oh, the in humanity!!!
Better welfare state.
If you can bicycle hundreds of miles through the Russian Arctic Tundra you can stay in your country and fight ISIS and/or Assad.
Good. My daughter is studying in England right now and has plans to go to Norway in a couple months.
Glad to hear the Norwegians are putting up a fight against the hoards.
“”My daughter is studying in England right now and has plans to go to Norway in a couple months.””
I would definitely tell her to stay put in the UK.....if not, to come home - PERIOD!
Who provided the winter clothing for these refugees? I suppose we can’t even be sure they are refugees in the pictures. They are pretty well outfitted for the weather.
She’ll be staying with a friends family and only travels in groups. I also told her under no circumstances to go near groups of young Muslim men
Uh, perhaps the stolen bicycles should be returned to the owners? Somewhere in Russia someone wants their bike back. The fleeing nazis did the same to the Dutch...
The fear of being sent into Russia should put some fear into those trying to sneak into Norway.
Let Putin sort em out!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.