The sorry saga of the treatment of refugees by the government of Hungary has a happy ending, at least for some. This weekend an estimated 5,000 - 10,000 asylum seekers will arrive in Germany, many passing through Munich railway station en route to temporary accommodation. Ordinary Germans lined the route from one platform to the other that would take them there, offering sweets and soft toys for the children and applauding their arrival.
For many the simple outpouring of kindness started in the Austrian town of Nickelsdorf, close to the Hungarian border and the railhead for their journey through to Germany. What looks like a small street market has sprung up with water, milk, food, shoes and clothes piled high. No prices though, these are the gifts of Austrians who recognize the needs of others. Others had already received help in the form of food and drink from ordinary Hungarians along their route from Budapest to the border.
The right-wing Hungarian government had been shamed into providing buses to transport those from the main railway station but others have been leaving their detention camps on foot. Some had been able to reach the border using local trains. They are being picked up from the Austrian side of the border by bus to take them to Nickelsdorf, a few kilometres away. While they wait, they are sheltering from the wind and rain in a marquee tent that had been used for a rock festival. From there, trains take them to the Austrian capital and on to Munich. They can also make asylum applications in Vienna. Earlier this week the public donations had become so much that the Munich police tweeted that there was enough to meet the expected need that day.
In Munich, volunteers have gathered at the city's Central Station to meet migrants with cheers of welcome and supplies of bottled water, bread, nappies, fruit and sweets. Banners were displayed with messages of welcome, echoing those held aloft at football matches across Germany last weekend.
Hundreds of people in Munich have come every day to the station to offer their time, said Colin, a volunteer coordinator. So much was donated that police politely asked the volunteers to stop for the day.
The German response to the crisis has been ongoing but the images of the lifeless body of 3 year old Aylan Kurdi being plucked from a Turkish beach has fired a public reaction across Europe. The situation is starting to move beyond the political into an emphasis on the moral responsibility of Europe to aid. The British government's response has been to makelarge donations for the refugee camps in the country nearest the conflict zones while taking a few of the most vulnerable direct from those camps to the UK.
Speaking after talks in Madrid with his Spanish counterpart, Mariano Rajoy, the prime minister announced that Britain will allocate an additional £100m to help refugees in the camps. This would make the UK the biggest donor in terms of financial aid in the EU, with £1bn committed to the Syrian refugees since 2012.
Cameron announced the extra funding after responding to widespread grief at the picture of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy found dead on a Turkish beach. He vowed that Britain will take thousands of extra refugees and Downing Street will give a clearer indication on the numbers next week. The UN refugee agency, meanwhile, has distanced itself from a suggestion that Britain was going to accept 4,000 refugees, a claim apparently based on a report by Sky News.
British attention had previously been focussed on the few thousand attempting to cross to the UK from Calais, risking life and limb to get on trains or into trucks and even walking through the Channel Tunnel as trains rushed by. This has been conflated with xenophobic messages about the number of EU citizens coming to work in the UK. Last year there were roughly 600,000, increasing the population by around 330,000. Despite them being a boost to the British economy and making it about the fastest growing in Europe, the UKIP has been doing its usual race baiting and Cameron as been dancing to their tune.
Ayan Kurdi may have changed all that. Already an official on-line petition demanding more refugees be accepted has received over 400,000 signatures. The number is sufficient to force the government to respond and for Parliament to consider a Commons debate. There is also a grass roots movement of individuals and local councils offering accommodation for those fleeing oppression in Syria.
There are three prongs needed to address this issue. The first is to support the UNHCR and the other organizations running refugee camps in countries neighboring Syria. The tented accommodation is inadequate for the hot summers and cold winters in the region - no wonder that many are try to get to Europe in their desperation for a decent life for their family. The second is to stop the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. Most of all, there is the need for all EU countries to live up to the moral and legal obligations we have to those seeking asylum.