Long lines of buses have left Hungary's capital Budapest packed with people bound for Austria, which says it has agreed with Germany to let them in as Hungary gives in to crowds, including Syrian refugees, that had set out on foot for western Europe.
Hungary's government said on Saturday about 100 buses would pick up thousands of people camped in front of Budapest's main railway terminus and another 1,200 striding down the main highway to Vienna led by a Syrian refugee and chanting "Germany, Germany!"
Austria said they would be granted entry, regardless of European Union rules. Smiling refugees boarded the buses, waving goodbye to Hungarian volunteers and aid workers.
"Because of today's emergency situation on the Hungarian border, Austria and Germany agree in this case to a continuation of the refugees' journey into their countries," Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann said on his Facebook page.
Viktor Orban, Hungarian prime minister, a man full of fear has had to back down and let the refugees through. Which proves that his crackdown on the refugees and his diabolical trickery of cancelling the trains the other day was stupid and deceitful.
The individual countries within the EU have to readjust their sights and policies in regards to this dreadful situation. For example Ireland needs to increase it's present allowance from 1,800 refugees to 5,000 and more.
President Michael D Higgins has said the UN has failed to deal with the conflict in Syria and it must be addressed by heads of state and government.
President Higgins told RTÉ News at One the EU has also failed in not having being able to agree an adequate figure, with an implementable regime, raising the issue of a voluntary or compulsory compliance.
He said EU countries are going to have to talk about the number of refugees they are accepting, saying it is more likely two to three times the figure that was originally suggested to them.
President Higgins said racism and xenophobia are re-appearing in some EU member countries.
He said that people should not be afraid of an influx of refugees, saying they are people fleeing persecution, slavery and smuggling.
The President said that the Irish people have to do what is right and share the responsibility of a human tragedy unfolding, adding that families in Ireland are willing to make a contribution.
He praised those in hardship who are reaching out to those in need.
President Higgins said the UNHCR has said that the EU should be discussing a figure of 200,000, but the EU figure is, as he understands, at 120,000.
"The figure of 120,000, which opens the EU ministers discussions, if that figure is revised in terms of the UNHCR's figure of 200,000,that obviously doubles the different indications that countries have been making. And that is a matter for government.
“Different member countries are going to have to talk about two-to-three times the figure that was originally suggested to them."
Anyone who saw that wonderful elderly lady now living in Germany, who volunteered to hand out food to the refugees, and who when approached by the cameras and asked why she volunteered said that she herself had been a refugee when she was a very small girl. "You never forget" she said. That - and then that boyu dead on the beach - brought tears for me at any rate.
ReplyDeleteThank you Pat, yes it is the very often the visual images that have the greatest of impacts.
DeleteGood to see the refugees are finally getting somewhere --that there is kindness and acceptance displacing the hardship and disappointment they've encountered in their journey.
ReplyDeleteAgreed Geo. Austria and Germany lead the way and show by example and last night I heard that the Prime Minister of Finland has offered his private home to refugees - of course then there are the begrudgers who criticise all good work.
Delete