EUROPE-MIGRANTS/AUSTRIA-RED CROSS-POLICE Hungary intends to hand over migrants - Austrian police

Record ID: 141729

  • Title: EUROPE-MIGRANTS/AUSTRIA-RED CROSS-POLICE Hungary intends to hand over migrants - Austrian police
  • Date: 6th September 2015
  • Summary: NICKELSDORF, AUSTRIA (SEPTEMBER 6, 2015) (REUTERS) PEOPLE PREPARING AND DISTRIBUTING FOOD AT RED CROSS SHELTER VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS BEING GIVEN BAGS AND CLOTHES MIGRANT WOMAN MIGRANTS STANDING NEXT TO RED CROSS WORKERS WORKERS SORTING OUT BOXES OF CLOTHES AND SHOES SHOES VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS PICKING UP FOOD AND DRINKS WORKERS HOLDING BOWLS OF BREAD HANDS SPREADING NUTELLA-LIKE INGREDIENT ON BREAD YOUNG MIGRANTS SMILING YOUNG GIRL SMILING AND WAVING (SOUNDBITE) (English) RED CROSS MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE BURGENLAND REGION, TOBIAS MINDLER, SAYING: "The last days we had a lot of support from the Austrian population, so we get a lot of donations. They bring things here, they bring clothes and so on, they bring food, and we try to get all these together and give it to the people. A lot of help is here, you see around here, are from the population too." VOLUNTEER PLAYING WITH MIGRANT CHILDREN LITTLE GIRL (SOUNDBITE) (English) 23-YEAR-OLD STUDENT AND VOLUNTEER, SARAH, SAYING: "Quite a time ago the crisis was just far away and not so... touchable for us in Austria. And then we saw then on the borders and on the train station in Vienna, and it was like nearer, it was touchable. And so, I think that made the people change their minds and to... activate them to help the people." MIGRANTS WAITING FOR GOODS DISTRIBUTION MIGRANT MEN MIGRANT GIRLS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SYRIAN REFUGEE, ADNEN, SAYING: "These clothes, because the weather has changed for us. It's not like before countries, it's like summer, here it's too cold, that's why everyone here get a jacket, shoes. All what we want, we get it here." VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS RESTING IN SHELTER GIRL SUCKING ON MILK BOTTLE MIGRANT WOMAN SHELTER NEWS CONFERENCE WITH RED CROSS AND POLICE RED CROSS WORKERS SORTING DONATIONS (SOUNDBITE) (German) FEDERAL COMMANDER IN CHARGE AT AUSTRIAN RED CROSS, GERHARD FOITIK, SAYING: "Yesterday, around 12,600 people came over this border here to Austria, mainly on the train but also by bus, many were transported to Germany. Because of the quantity and the train connections, the transport to Germany was no longer possible last night, so we put them up in emergency accommodation overnight." RED CROSS WORKER SORTING DONATIONS (SOUNDBITE) (German) DIRECTOR OF BURGENLAND POLICE, HANS PETER DOSKOZIL, SAYING: "We have no information from our Hungarian colleagues about how many migrants are actually in Hungary, where they are and how the Hungarian colleagues are evaluating the situation. I expect that after what we saw today, that there are a lot of migrants travelling in the trains which are from Hungary to Vienna and Germany, that the Hungarians must know about this situation. They must know how the movement of the migrants is developing." RED CROSS WORKERS SORTING DONATIONS (SOUNDBITE) (German) DIRECTOR OF BURGENLAND POLICE, HANS PETER DOSKOZIL, SAYING: "We do not now expect that the Hungarian colleagues will care for the asylum seekers. We currently think that the intention is just to get the asylum seekers in Hungary across the border to Austria." RED CROSS WORKERS SORTING DONATIONS (SOUNDBITE) (German) DIRECTOR OF BURGENLAND POLICE, HANS PETER DOSKOZIL, SAYING (IN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE TAKING REFUGEES ACROSS THE BORDER IN THEIR CAR IS SEEN AS A CRIMINAL ACT): "It is definite that, if it's not a case of taking people over the border with the intention of making a profit, that it is not an activity that is punishable in court." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
  • Embargoed: 21st September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Austria
  • Country: Austria
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA887RZVPLV26H7OY72L466WQ54
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Thousands of migrants entered Austria via Hungary over the weekend, Austrian Red Cross said on Sunday (September 6), after Austria and Germany threw open their borders to the wave of refugees making their way north and west from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere.
    In the border town of Nickelsdorf, a shelter had been set up to house the weary migrants, who were offered food and clothes donated by the Austrian public.
    "Yesterday around 12,600 people came over this border here to Austria, mainly on the train but also by bus, many were transported to Germany. Because of the quantity and the train connections, the transport to Germany was no longer possible last night, so we put them up in emergency accommodation overnight," Gerhard Foitik, Federal Commander in charge at Austrian Red Cross, told a news conference.
    "The last days we had a lot of support from the Austrian population, so we get a lot of donations. They bring things here, they bring clothes and so on, and they bring food, and we try to get all these together and give it to the people. A lot of the help you see around here are from the population here," said Tobias Mindler, a Red Cross media representative from the Burgenland region.
    One of the volunteers at the shelter said Austria's public opinion towards migrants started to change when they appeared on its border.
    "Quite a time ago the crisis was just far away and not so... touchable for us in Austria. And then we saw then on the borders and on the train station in Vienna, and it was like nearer, it was touchable. And so, I think that made the people change their minds and to... activate them to help the people," said Sarah, a 23-year-old student volunteering at the shelter.
    A Syrian refugee, Adnen, expressed gratitude towards Austria for its treatment of the visitors.
    "These clothes, because the weather has changed for us. It's not like before countries, it's like summer, here it's too cold, that's why everyone here get a jacket, shoes. All what we want, we get it here," said Adnen.
    Ties with Hungary have been fraught after Austria and Germany threw open their borders to migrants at the weekend, citing a looming humanitarian crisis.
    "We have no information from our Hungarian colleagues about how many migrants are actually in Hungary, where they are and how the Hungarian colleagues are evaluating the situation. I expect that after what we saw today, that there are a lot of migrants travelling in the trains which are from Hungary to Vienna and Germany, that the Hungarians must know about this situation. They must know how the movement of the migrants is developing," said Hans Peter Doskozil, Director of Burgenland Police, told a news conference.
    "We do not now expect that the Hungarian colleagues will care for the asylum seekers. We currently think that the intention is just to get the asylum seekers in Hungary across the border to Austria," he added.
    Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann said on Sunday (September 6) it was time to phase out extraordinary measures allowing the unimpeded inflow of thousands of migrants from Hungary to Austria and Germany.
    He said Austria and Germany would play a central role in Europe "to ensure common securing of outer borders, ensure fair asylum procedures and achieve a fair distribution of asylum seekers via a European quota".
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