Syrian refugees welcomed with gifts and applause in Germany

By Kate Hassett

A young girl holds a teddy bear she received at the registration point for migrant arrivals at the main station in Munich, Germany September 5, 2015.             REUTERS/Michael Dalder
A young girl holds a teddy bear she received at the registration point for migrant arrivals at the main station in Munich, Germany September 5, 2015. REUTERS/Michael Dalder
Germany has welcomed its first wave of refugees, with men, women and children receiving open applause as they entered Munich.

Thousands of refugees, stranded in Hungary for days, have been welcomed onto German soil to begun their road to recovery.

The scenes of elation, joy, acceptance and gratitude were a far cry from the harrowing depictions of suffering shown in images from Macedonia and Hungary in the past few weeks.

Germans made their way to the train station in Munich to welcome migrants with open arms, some offering hot coffee, meals and toys for the children disembarking from their torturous journey.

A similar scene was recorded at stations in Vienna, where refugees are also being accepted and sent. Whilst most will stay in Germany, some will continue on to Austria to begin their lives again.

By 8pm local time, Munich had seen close to 6,000 refugees arrive through the gates, with many more to arrive over the next few weeks.

A young migrant boy tries on a Bahn security officer's cap after arriving with the first 'special' train from Salzberg, before boarding a regional S-Bahn train, at the main station in Munich, Germany September 5, 2015.
A young migrant boy tries on a Bahn security officer’s cap after arriving with the first ‘special’ train from Salzberg, before boarding a regional S-Bahn train, at the main station in Munich, Germany September 5, 2015.

At the moment, the majority of refugees are being temporarily housed in Munich or dispersed amongst a dozen other locations in Germany’s largest state.

An expat New Zealander, living in Munich, posted a heartwarming video of Syrian refugees arriving at the Munich train station. The incredible scenes capture what Scott Hebden stated as “witnessing humanity at its finest.”

“Today I witnessed history in the making as never ever seen since WWII. The compassion they received by Germans were immense…And as an Expat-Kiwi I was so proud at what I saw.” he wrote on his Facebook page after urging others to share this incredible video. “Spread the word: These are not quotas. They are human lives.”

The scenes of joy are ones that should be replicated across mainland Europe and into the rest of the world. With the refugee crisis the worst the world has ever seen, Germany’s accepting political stance is more important than ever.

View the moving video captured by Scott Hebden below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pfB3qwjqwY

 

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