In Vienna, Trains Packed With Refugees Are Welcomed and Ushered On

[ellenrr]

"About two hours later, at 8:20 p.m., another train from Budapest pulled into Track 9 here to a welcoming round of applause from hundreds of people who gathered in front of a banner taped to the glass door at the end of the train platform: “Refugees Welcome — Open Borders.”

The Viennese who assembled to greet the newcomers brought shopping carts and boxes full of bottled water, bread, diapers, cookies, fruit and candy.

“They have been traveling so long and must be very hungry and they have been treated so shabbily,” said Marlene Pramhas, a social worker. She and two friends brought as many loaves of bread as they could carry to the train station, where “it is more or less chaos,” she said.

“We felt we had to do something,” Ms. Pramhas said. “It’s a small thing but maybe it will help.”

When the doors of one train from Budapest opened, a stream of people poured off, many clutching bags of clothing and other possessions. There were children screaming as cameras flashed and several people on the station platform waved and called out, “Hi! Welcome!”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/01/world/europe/in-vienna-trains-packed-with-migrants-are-welcomed-and-ushered-on.html


----why can't the world be like this?

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. Well, you did notice how the vast majority were indeed 'ushered on' to a train back out of Austria

and headed for Germany, allowed to go without tickets.

So yeah, it's nice they were met politely and given water, food and candy, but most of them were still passed along to become 'somebody else's problem'.

[enough]

2. I think "ushered on" is the key phrase here.

Nice of those individuals to bring them some food and momentary friendliness, but they were immediately sent on their way out of the country. Kind of a weird use of the word "welcome."

[ellenrr]

3. oh well, I read it too quickly...

so nix that "can't the world be like this"

I thot they were being welcomed to stay in Austria.