IF you happen to be in Dortmund or North Rhine-Westphalia for that matter, flüchtlinge (refugees) is the word you would like to know these days. From the local newspapers to national television shows, everyone is talking about the unfolding refugee crisis.

Graffiti tells you how people are responding to Angela Merkel’s decision. One often stumbles upon slogans such as ‘Nazis Raus (Nazis get out)’ scribbled roughly over ‘Ausländer Raus’(Foreigners get out).

Dortmund is abuzz with the chugging of arriving refugee trains. The spectacle of Dortmund’s humanity witnessed last Sunday has raised the expectations of refugees on their way to this city today.

While most Germans, like Meriam Heinmann, a volunteer at Dortmund railway station, are compassionately waiting to welcome the people expected here shortly, administrators of refugee camps in Dortmund seem quite wary of talking to the press. One wonders whether this is about secrecy or security.

They might have their reasons. On Sunday the 6th, the Train of Hope transporting hundreds of refugees from Munich to Dortmund was greeted by a large crowd with bagfuls of relief goods. But a few dozen neo-Nazis also held a demo against the asylum seekers at the station. The protest of Dortmund’s far right party, Die Rechte, ended in a scuffle with the police.

It’s 6:30pm; Meriam tells me the train is probably late and tells other young volunteers, turning up in large numbers, how to escort the refugees from the central station to a nearby cultural centre. The welcoming crowd, though not as big as it was on Sunday, comprises mainly of young Germans, especially Turk-Germans who speak Arabic fluently.

Meriam thinks it’s her responsibility to help those in need since “it’s horrible to see families with kids living under the open sky in Europe. I haven’t seen such a thing before and I don’t want to see it happening. That’s the reason I’m here”.

Meanwhile, security is being beefed up. Apart from a heavy police contingent, soldiers of the German special forces are also walking around watchfully in their uniforms to deal with a possible disruption by Die Rechte, which has yet again planned an anti-refugee rally today.

Stefan Braun, a resident of Leopoldstrasse who has brought his family to receive the refugees, says: “These right-wing refugee-haters are idiots. No one listens to them. We have no problem with new people coming to Germany. We are a rich country, a few people coming to find a shelter here should not bother us.”

As the soldiers and cops form a ring around Platform 16, those awaiting start whispering “they’re coming”. If you look around you see women, men, young girls and boys and even two young children holding a welcome banner. Some of them are eager, others sceptical, while a few are mere spectators.

The train stops and people start getting off in droves amidst cheers and applause. A gust of body odour makes an old lady quickly pull out her scarf: “They’re all men, aren’t they?”

Yes, they are mostly young men in jeans and jackets, only a few women with their husbands or children. Most of them look exhausted but nevertheless try to smile into the cameras.

The organisers are singing and chanting in Arabic, while those who speak German just clap. This small caravan moves towards the hall of the Dietrich-Keuning Haus a few metres away.

On the way to the cultural centre I talk to two young men, Faheem and Suleman, originally from Afghanistan. They say they can’t speak English but know German. Clean-shaven and smartly dressed, they say they have come to welcome their “brothers” since they have also been living in Germany as asylum seekers for the past two years. “We are very happy that Germany is accepting the migrants from countries destroyed by wars,” says Faheem, who wants to be an engineer.

At Keuning Haus, teams of volunteers are ready to serve supper to their guests. A group of babysitters is also there to comfort fatigued mothers. Someone announces in Arabic that all the food is halal. Victor Kidess, who is in charge of the cultural centre, welcomes the refugees and says they’re now home. A German gentleman offers a pack of cigarettes to two men, and the offer is appreciated by a flock of smokers.

Victor believes refugees pose no threat to German society or security. “Instead, they are the future of the German economy that is falling short of manpower. Everyone from Syria or Iraq is not a terrorist. They all are humans and they should be treated humanely,” he says.

Waheed Ahmad and Hussam from Syria second this. “We have travelled all the way through Turkey, Greece and Hungary, often on a boat, because we wanted to run away from the war in Syria. People should help us, not be afraid of us,” they say.

An organiser requests that the newly arrived should be allowed to rest. Then, they will board buses to different cities of the region where they will be registered for asylum.

These refugees have finally reached their destination; but will the rest of the country reach a consensus on how to assimilate them?

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2015

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