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The Belgian MEP condemned the tactic being deployed against refugees in Europe and accused the bloc of being “weak against the strong and strong against the weak!” The aggressive policy is being tested by border patrols in migrant hotspots, including Greece, and involves heavy-duty vehicles emitting a high-pitched ringing noise.
Writing on Twitter, Mr Verhofstadt insisted the bloc needed to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and China – instead of vulnerable refugees.
He said: “We’re weak against the strong (Putin, Erdogan, China) and strong against the weak!
“Is this our ‘hard power’? Is this the geopolitical revival of Europe?
“A ‘sound cannon’ to drown out the cries of desperate refugees… and I thought Europe was the champion of human rights!”
Footage has emerged on social media of Greek border patrols testing the deafening piece of equipment.
High frequency waves can be heard being fired out of an armed truck close to the border with Turkey.
The acoustic device is mounted on top of the vehicle and can be as loud as a jet engine.
The equipment forms part of new physical and digital barriers being installed along the border between Greece and Turkey.
Surveillance cameras, drones and a new steel wall has been erected to try and prevent crossing points along the Evros River.
Observation towers using artificial intelligence technology has also been installed to flag suspicious movements.
Testing of the so-called “sound cannons” has also been conducted in Hungary and Latvia.
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The European Union has pumped more than £3billion into security technology and research over the past five years.
Migration began to slow down after 2016 following an agreement between the European Union and Turkey to shut off the main corridor from its shores to the Greek islands.
Last year, Greece recorded a 78 percent decrease in the number of migrants.
Numbers fell from almost 75,000 in 2019 to 15,700 in 2020, in part due to the coronavirus pandemic and more stringent border controls.
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