German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday called the actions of protestors who shouted abuse at a bus full of refugees “repulsive” and “unjustifiable.” Merkel was referring to the group of people caught on camera abusing and blocking a bus of asylum seekers from entering a shelter in the eastern German village of Clausnitz on February 18. Merkel said she sees a "polarisation" in public opinion in the country. However, she insisted that her decision to open the borders to migrants had been right, reported AP. “I think we’re doing better than some people think, but we’ve got a way to go,” she said.

The centre-right party leader said the European Union cannot allow Greece to plunge into "chaos" by shutting European borders to refugees. "Do you seriously believe that all the Euro states that last year fought all the way to keep Greece in the Eurozone – and we were the strictest – can one year later allow Greece to, in a way, plunge into chaos?" she said in an interview. Greece, which is the main point of entry into Europe, has become home to thousands of stranded refugees after several states introduced a cap on daily migrant arrivals.

Last year, Germany alone took in more than one million asylum seekers, fleeing from war-torn Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Merkel's comments come as anger has been building in Greece after Vienna introduced a daily cap on asylum applications and four Balkan countries – Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia – tightened entry conditions. Around 6,500 refugees continue to be stranded at Idomeni border crossing in Greece after Macedonia closed its border last week. On Monday, Macedonian police shot tear gas at refugees after some of them reportedly tore down a barrier at the border. Authorities say around 22,000 refugees are stuck in Greece, waiting to cross into other countries.