A Muslim at prayer in mostly Orthodox Christian Serbia is a sign of unusual movement through the small town of Magyarkanizsa. This is the last stop for many refugees before they try to enter the EU, crossing over into Hungary.

The owner of a store selling them tents and sleeping bags hears many rumours about them: “The opinions are different,” she said. “Some say that the refugees bother them. They are afraid what will happen if all of them are sent back from the EU, that they might go marauding, steal and probably even kill, that there might be terrorists among them. Nobody knows.”

The border is nearby. More than 60,000 people have been caught trying to cross illegally this year. Most of them come from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. They want to reach Western Europe, or eastern parts, but people like a Syrian we talked to don’t want to stay in Hungary.

He said: “I think Hungary is like Greece: no jobs, no help for people. But people need some help for jobs, to study — I think [th