EUROPE-MIGRANTS/AUSTRIA-TRIBUTES "Refugees welcome" proclaim locals as Austria rocked by migrant lorry deaths

Record ID: 142346

  • Title: EUROPE-MIGRANTS/AUSTRIA-TRIBUTES "Refugees welcome" proclaim locals as Austria rocked by migrant lorry deaths
  • Date: 27th August 2015
  • Summary: EISENSTADT, AUSTRIA (AUGUST 27, 2015) REUTERS) CANDLES AND STUFFED BEAR ON GROUND STUFFED TOY/PEOPLE LAYING FLOWERS AND CANDLES VARIOUS OF PEOPLE LIGHTING CANDLES AND LAYING THEM ON GROUND SIGNS READING (German) "SAFE PASSAGE FOR REFUGEES NOW!" AND "STOP INCITING HATRED" PEOPLE HOLDING BANNER READING (English) "REFUGEES WELCOME" (SOUNDBITE) (German) ACTIVIST FROM CAMPAIGN GROUP AGAINST RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM IN BURGERLAND, JULIAN, SAYING: "Until now, all those people were drowning in the Mediterranean, conveniently far away from us. Now we are seeing what impact our catastrophic politics are having right in front of our front doors. And of course it is very easy to see who is responsible here -- we don't need to talk about criminal people-smuggling and how to fight against it, rather it is our border regime." PEOPLE HOLDING BANNER READING (English) "REFUGEES WELCOME" STANDING BEHIND CANDLES ON GROUND (SOUNDBITE) (German) ACTIVIST FROM CAMPAIGN GROUP AGAINST RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM IN BURGERLAND, DAGMAR SCHINDLER, SAYING: "Building up our borders or fighting ever more against people-smuggling cannot be be the solution. We need safe passages for these people. These people have nothing to lose, their choice is between taking the chance and coming to Europe or dying at home." BANNER DEPICTING PEOPLE FLEEING (SOUNDBITE) (German) ACTIVIST FROM CAMPAIGN GROUP AGAINST RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM IN BURGERLAND, DAGMAR FRUEHWIRTH-SULZER, SAYING: "There are no illegal human beings, and it is the most horrible thing for me that people are being treated like animals, who have to sit behind a fence and be fed. I am not saying that they should all stay here, but as long as they are here we should treat them with dignity." CANDLES ON GROUND
  • Embargoed: 11th September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Austria
  • Country: Austria
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA9ONA9LZ1RYGIMWOG9U2JW6RS9
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Locals in the Austrian town of Eisenstadt paid tribute on Thursday (August 27) to a group of refugees found dead in a truck near the Hungarian border, laying flowers and candles in memory of the victims.
    Police discovered the bodies of at least twenty refugees in a 7.5-tonne truck stopped on the A4 motorway near the town of Parndorf, and said the number of dead could rise to as many as 50 overnight as investigative work continued.
    As well as laying tributes, mourners held banners proclaiming "Refugees welcome" and calling for safe passage for migrants seeking safe haven in Europe.
    One local activist, Julian, from a campaign group against right-wing extremism, said the tragedy was a wake-up call for Europe's politicians.
    "Until now, all those people were drowning in the Mediterranean, conveniently far away from us. Now we are seeing what impact our catastrophic politics are having right in front of our front doors. And of course it is very easy to see who is responsible here -- we don't need to talk about criminal people-smuggling and how to fight against it, rather it is our border regime," he said.
    Fellow campaigner Dagmar Schindler called for a change in political direction regarding the refugee crisis.
    "Building up our borders or fighting ever more against people-smuggling cannot be be the solution. We need safe passages for these people. These people have nothing to lose, their choice is between taking the chance and coming to Europe or dying at home," she said.
    Another local activist, Dagmar Fruehwirth-Sulzer, said she was distressed by the situation facing refugees who made it into Austria alive.
    "There are no illegal human beings, and it is the most horrible thing for me that people are being treated like animals, who have to sit behind a fence and be fed. I am not saying that they should all stay here, but as long as they are here we should treat them with digity," she said.
    German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the discovery had shaken European leaders discussing the migrant crisis at a Balkans summit.
    Tens of thousands of people, mainly from Africa and the Middle East, have taken to the sea this year in the hope of reaching Europe, often dangerously packed into small vessels that were never designed to cross the Mediterranean.
    Those who make it ashore and others travelling by land have increasingly tried to make their way north via the Balkans, causing tension among countries along the route.
    Hungary plans to reinforce its southern border with helicopters and mounted police, and is considering using the army as record numbers of migrants passed through coils of razor-wire into Europe.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register