by Shelby Vcelka

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

BERLIN, Germany–

After ten long days of travel, the first wave of migrants traveling from Austria and Hungary reached Germany, with a second wave to follow shortly. Some 6,000 refugees had reached Munich by Saturday night, with another 1,800 expected to arrive by Sunday morning. Germans waived welcome signs and flags, and offered hot tea and food to those traveling, which was a change from the welcome they received in Hungary.

A refugee holds a picture of German Chancellor Angela Merkel as he enters the country. (Photo courtesy of NYT)

Earlier this week, violence and chaos broke out in Budapest, Hungary, as the Hungarian government refused to let the refugees pass through the country. However, many migrants refused to allow themselves to be registered as asylum seekers in Hungary, and wished to travel onwards to Germany, as the German government announced it would accept a significant number of refugees. Hundreds broke through security barriers and began walking towards the Hungarian border towards Austria, many of those with small children. Under international pressure, Hungary finally opened its borders and started providing shuttle service to the Austrian border. As many as 10,000 people are expected to cross the border over the weekend.

Hungary’s ultra-right wing government is in the process of erecting a barbed wire fence along its Serbian border to prevent illegal migration into the country. On Friday, lawmakers passed legislation to increase border security, and will vote on harsher legislation later in the month. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Hungary’s borders must be kept, or “tens of millions” will enter the country. “The supply of immigrants is inexhaustible,” Orban said Saturday. “If we let everyone in, we will destroy Europe.”

Austria has stated that they will not limit the number of refugees crossing the border, but will likely attempt to limit the number of asylum seekers who wish to stay in the country.

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, has announced that Germany has the capacity to deal with a large influx of refugees without raising taxes or jeopardizing its budget. Many refugees are seeking asylum in Germany for this reason.

In typical cases, the “Dublin Rules” would apply to asylum seekers. This EU rule states that asylum seekers must apply for asylum in the first country they reach. However, due to the nature of the crisis, Germany and Hungary have both agreed that the decision to open the borders was made for humanitarian reasons.

For more information, please see–

BBC–Migrants reach Austria and Germany after long ordeal— 5 September 2015

CNN–Thousands of jubilant migrants arrive in Austria from Hungary— 5 September 2015

Expatica–More migrants on march as refugees stream into Austria— 5 September 2015

New York Times– Germans Welcome Migrants After Long Journey Through Hungary and Austria— 5 September 2015

PBS–Photos: Thousands of migrants reach Austria as European officials call for comprehensive plan— 5 September 2015

Author: Impunity Watch Archive