Around a hundred people gathered for the protest rally, including representatives of municipal authorities in Istria from Croatia and Slovenia, as a sign of their opposition to fences in Europe, placing a bouquet of flowers on the razor-wire fence which Slovenia put on its border with Croatia.
"Europe is closing up and the idea of Europe has failed," said this Italian politician, born in Rijeka, Croatia, adding that that negative process was symbolised by the fence erected by the Slovenian government, which has interpreted it as a measure to defend the Schengen Europe.
"From the idea of Europe as a space of openness and enlargement, we have come to the process of closing up and the idea of social protectionism, and that's a false illusion," Gherghetta said.
Croatian MP Furio Radin warned that it was much easier to erect the fence than to remove and that it would take time to remove it, even though the Slovenian government had recently agreed to examine demands by local government in Slovenia's coastal region and in Istria to remove the wire fence as soon as possible, as it was harmful to nature, man and the economy.
There have been no incidents of illegal border crossing of migrants from the Middle East in Istria or Slovenia's coastal region. However, Slovenian authorities fear that that could occur in the spring and claim that the fence has been put up as a preventive measure.
For over two months now, migrants and refugees are being transported from Croatia to Dobova, Slovenia by train and from there they are transported on to Austria by train and bus.
Around 1,400 migrants arrived in Dobova by train on Thursday and another train is expected by nightfall, police in Novo Mesto have said.