Germany: Land of Hope

[Rogue]

Finally a country shows true humanity!!

Thousands of refugees receive warm welcome in Germany
AFP
3 hours ago
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Munich (Germany) (AFP) - Germany on Sunday readied for hundreds more refugees to arrive from Hungary via Austria, a day after thousands were greeted, often by volunteers holding signs that read "Welcome to Germany".

In Munich, thousands of refugees were greeted with cheers, food and water bottles by crowds late Saturday.

'We love Germany!', cry relieved refugees.

On Saturday alone about 8,000 migrants crossed German borders, federal police told AFP.

In Munich, refugee families holding their children and few belongings smiled as they were greeted with cheers, food and water bottles by crowds.

At the Munich railway station about 6,800 arrived Saturday alone, said Bavarian state officials.

As refugees got off trains, police directed them to waiting buses to take them to temporary shelters, which have been set up in public buildings, hotels and army barracks across the country.

Dozens of people, standing behind barriers, whistled, clapped and filmed the newcomers with their mobile phones.

"The people here treat us so well, they treat us like real human beings, not like in Syria," said Mohammad, a 32-year-old from the devastated town of Qusayr, whose eyes welled up with tears as he spoke.

While Germany has seen a spate of ugly xenophobic rallies and attacks against foreigners, it has also seen an outpouring of support, donations and volunteer efforts by people who believe Germany, given its dark history and current wealth, has a special obligation to help refugees.

At Frankfurt railway station overnight, food, water and clothes were piled high for the newcomers, while hundreds of people thronged the platforms.

When the doors of the trains opened, people cheered and whistled and a chant went up in English: "Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here."

One man, an Egyptian, who gave his name as Mustafa and said he had been living in Frankfurt for 20 years, was carrying an Arabic-language cardboard sign which he said spelled "warm welcome".

Lara Sabbagh, a volunteer for an organisation called Kleeblatt based near Frankfurt, acted as a translator for some of the Syrian refugees.

She told bystanders to stop taking photographs, saying: "They’re afraid. They say they've just fled from their country and their ruler and don’t want to be photographed".

She added that many of the migrants "didn't understand all the commotion here.

"They asked me, 'What are all these people doing here? What do they want?'

"They didn't understand that people were here to welcome them."

http://news.yahoo.com/thousands-refugees-receive-warm-welcome-germany-095925299.html

[Agartha]

I am truly amazed at the Germans as I always thought they were cold, distant and quite racist...... but their behaviour, compared to other nationalities, have really changed my mind and I have lots of respect for the Germans now.

In the UK many are complaining on facebook about getting more refugees.... I hope for them that they will never be again on the other side of immigration.

[Rockhopper]

The PM of Hungary is crazy! He refers to them as "Migrants". They're not... they are Refugees Mr. PM. He says that they should stay in their neighbouring countries like Lebanon and Turkey. His attitude is Islamophobic not realising the about 25% of Syrians are Christian!

Hungary has always been a strange country since the break with Austria after WW I. It was the birthplace of Fascism and where Benny Mussolini got the idea from.

Good on Germany for doing this and it's time Cameron stepped up too.

Tim.

[Kaere]

I am glad to see help arriving for those who need it.

[Agartha]

I have just closed down my facebook account for a little while.... some people I know have been posting some horrible things about this situation... all posts very racist, islamophobobic and against all immigrants in general. I have been trying to ignore them but I can't so I closed my FB to cool down a bit before I start arguing.....

[Kaere]

Aw Aggie, I'm sorry to hear that you can set it up so you can't see their posts at all, for when you feel ready to come back.

I think there will always be people who think and feel that way... it's unfortunate but seems to happen when there's a feeling of not enough to go around or just fear of change in general. I mean, sure there may be those out there who are abusing the system, not quite who they say they are, but perhaps that's still a reasonable price to pay to help those who are truly in need.

[Rockhopper]

Tis the joys of the Internet Ags. Gives people anonymity and they say things there they would never say to one's face. It's why I can't be bothered with any of the Soc. Med.

Tim.

[Stirky]

I too am getting very annoyed and irritated at people's attitude towards this situation, I have been quite vocal about this for a while now and hats off to Germany, and it looks like more countries will follow suit. These people need help, if the governments won't step into those countries and help then they have to help the ones that have left. I would quite gladly give a roof and food to a refugee even though we don't have the room and not much money, I would make it work. I know a lot of people that think the same. It is awful what these people have faced in their own countries, and the way they are now getting treated. It makes me cry. Especially when you think that our own countries have been bombing the countries these people are coming from, the governments should be so ashamed! These people are desperate and would not make the dangerous journeys if they didn't have any other choice. We just can't begin to imagine what they have gone through.

Yesterday I went to the Goddess Temple in Glastonbury and lit a candle for the refugees xx

[Rogue]

These people are desperate and would not make the dangerous journeys if they didn't have any over choice. We just can't begin to imagine what they have gone through.

Yesterday I went to the Goddess Temple in Glastonbury and lit a candle for the refugees xx

I totally agree with you Stirks, and what a really nice thing to have done!

[Stirky]

Thanks Rogue, I just felt it was something I needed to do, I just wish I could help them in some way.

[Stirky]

I have just closed down my facebook account for a little while.... some people I know have been posting some horrible things about this situation... all posts very racist, islamophobobic and against all immigrants in general. I have been trying to ignore them but I can't so I closed my FB to cool down a bit before I start arguing.....

I haven't been on facebook much recently being as we have been away a lot. But just been on there now and wow I see what you mean Ags! It's certainly got worse!! People saying that we and our children are at risk if we let these people in as they are just all IS!!! I mean for ***** sake these poor people are running from ISIS and civil war!!! We would do exactly the same if our country was like that, you would do anything!

Also I was wondering there has been an awful lot of media coverage on this issue (rightly so), but the media view seems to have changed. At first the coverage was a lot more against the refugees, saying what a problem they were and showing the days of queues of lorries for the channel tunnel, and basically saying that it was a problem that needed to be stopped. Even when there were boats sinking and people dying in the med, the view of them was very harsh. But now the media view has softened, and they are now reporting on the plight of these people. What has caused this sudden change? Propaganda working at it's best? It does make you wonder if there are any motives behind this? I mean refugees are not a new issue, it has been going on for years and years. I think something is stirring, but don't know what. As we know the media are puppets, and stories are reported in a certain way for a reason!

[Agartha]

K, I know I can unfollow people but knowing me I'll spy on those that are being so racist and I'll get upset anyway..... so I'm leaving my FB account deactivated for a little while, I'll be back as I use it to keep in touch with family and friends far away. But I can survive without facebook! lol.... and those special to me can still get in touch via other ways anyway, like here, whatsapp, phone, skype and, of course, face to face

Roc, on FB people are not anonymous like on forums, you know who they are and some of these people I considered my friends and some I'll have to see again at uni next week...... and I don't want to start my final year having an argument...... because they have shown their true colours now...

Stirks, see what I mean? Also some are posting stuff saying that they are not real refugees, that they are all terrorists in hiding..... haven't they seen the pictures of the children and women that have died trying to cross to Europe????????? I cannot believe that some people are going to be nurses in a years time and they are soooo racist and islamphobists... don't they realize they will have to care for these people they so despise?

And what a lovely gesture you lighting the candle

[Agartha]

And one more thing: I sincerely hope those people will never find themselves on the other side of immigration, because the way the world goes you never know!!

[Lenzabi]

Good to see that Germany is not listening to their "Republicans" aka soft spoken Nazi party on this issue and letting folks have a refuge

[Rockhopper]

I know what you're saying about Feckbook Ags. I had a look at it earlier on. They wanted too much information and I work on a need-to-know basis -- I need to know why they need to know.

Needless to say I didn't join up!

Stirkles: that was a decent thing to do, lighting a candle!  Jaks, who is Orthodox did something similar.

Do a search for the Wolfowitz Doctrine, there is a lot of info on the net about it. It will explain why there is a flood of refugees. Perhaps Tony Blair should donate all that "Speech money" he charges ($300,000 for each "speech") to help the refugees he helped to cause.

Hungary has a troubled history regarding Muslims. In 1516 the Ottoman Turks invaded Hungary and defeated the Hungarian Army at the Battle of Mohacs. Thousands of Hungarians were taken to the rest of the Turkish Empire as slaves. The Ottomans weren't stopped until Prince Stephen leading an army of Austrians and Swiss stopped them at the Gates of Vienna. His cousin another Stephen drove them out of Ukraine down into the Crimea.

Hungary was liberated by the Lithuanians some 80 years later and freed from Islam. Victor Orban is playing to the Hungarian fear of a repeat. He ignores the fact that most of the refugees are Christians, Yazidis and Druze. Only about half are Muslim.

Tim.

[Stirky]

OMG just knew that was coming! Get ready for the pictures of the twin towers on facebook with racist and awful comments about the refugees! Doesn't the word EXTREMEIST mean anything to anybody??? No, let's just tar everybody with the same brush!!!

[Rockhopper]

Yep Stirkles it's called "Terror Porn!" Some people just can't help themselves.

Tim.

[Agartha]

Yes, Stirks, that's the card some idiots are playing! Before I deactivated my FB on Tuesday the last thing I read was someone who posted: 72% of all those refugees from Syria are men between 18 and 30, where are the women and children? (they assume they are all terrorists). I was about to reply to her that thousands of thousands of Syrians have left their families in Lebanon, Turkey etc and they are coming here (to Europe) in the hope they can make a living and then get their families to join them. People have short memories: how long ago millions from Europe were traveling to the US and Argentina to escape a poor war torn Europe? And men left first leaving their families behind!!

Rock, thanks for that, I didn't know about the history of Hungary, but I have to be honest with you and say that many eastern europeans are really quite racist. I will read on the Wolfowitz doctrine at the weekend when I have time.

[Rockhopper]

Rock, thanks for that, I didn't know about the history of Hungary, but I have to be honest with you and say that many eastern europeans are really quite racist. I will read on the Wolfowitz doctrine at the weekend when I have time.

Yes they are. Mostly because of their history and because they have had little contact with others.

Not just white/brown but white/white too. I suspect that it comes from being insulated from each other for many years.

Tim.

[Stirky]

Aggie I saw somebody posting that post yesterday too! Funnily enough this person was a nurse and I thought she was a very fair, kind and tolerant person!

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