Keleti train station Budapest Refugee crisis 2015.
For me this is where it all started, right place at the right time some would say, I have a small photographic tour here in Budapest, Keleti train station was always one of the places I would love to take students as there always would be something to see.
Night and day I would spend my time at Keleti train station, Fascinated by the sudden change of watching this train station turn into an open air refugee camp.
The building the refugee people are taking cover under is an old head quarter for the Hungarian secret police, Know by all as AVO, ruthless and feared during the communist yeara.
Koeztarsasag Square, Muslim men praying whilst locals walk on by.
Keleti train station become one of the largest turning points as the refugee numbers increased on a daily bases bringing the number of refugees to 14,000, for the Government of Hungary it became a game that they where never going to win especially when freedom is involved.
For many others who where still coming into Budapest via Serbia it became more of a struggle, not knowing which way to go, watching trains come and go, being told that they have to stay here in the train station without being given a reason as to what they are meant to do next.
We want to go to Germany they chanted, we are tied of being here, we do not wait to stay here in Hungary we just want to go to Germany. The following day a group of about 1500 people started walking towards the Austrian border as they grow tied of being told no by the Hungarian Goverment.
Depressed and exhausted people wait patently for trains to Austria.
Syrian man and his son share a moment of affection with each other,
For hours the waiting continued as the trains would come every two hours, and as the trains where sometimes booked out by people traveling and on holidays it would mean that the refugee people would need to wait much longer.
David the Hungarian police officer byes a train ticket for a refugee that had been waiting for hours to board a train. To me it was humbling to see this officer do what he did, this picture allows me to understand even more to never judge.
The mad rush started the moment the Hungarian police allowed refugees to board the train heading to Austria.
Running to get on the last train to Austria, everybody stumbling and pushing to find more room on the train, tempers flaring dignity lost, tied, hungry, looking to get to the place they can call home.
Waiting for the train to move out of Keleti train station, some that exhausted that they couldn't stay awake any longer.
Train starts moving, hands waving in a mist of smiles, to the refugees moving means freedom.
Unable to get on trains, people take to the under ground at Keleti train station to get sleep.
Refugee men debate with interpreters on what is being done, we just wont to move on towards Germany that's all we want to do they chanted.
Hungarian Riot police help escort refugee people onto buses that are head to Austria.
Out of know where hundreds of buses pulled up at Keleti train station, refugee people being woken up and told to get on the buses because Keleti is now no longer a refugee camp.
Hungarian shows his feelings towards refugees as they make there way out of the city center by bus.
The answer they where waiting for as they all yelled praise be to God.
Now after being in the bus for hours most have fallen asleep, one man remains awake to keep watch on what direction they are going.
Still sleepy the bus comes to a stand still and every body is told to get off.
Hungarian/Austrian border, refugees make there way across the border line happy and relieved to make it to what they fell is freedom.
Young refugee boy makes his way into Austria from Hungary. This saw the end of the refugees in Hungary's at Keleti train station.