Serbian Police Officer and Smiling Syrian Boy Show Europe How Welcoming Refugees Is Done · Global Voices
The image was accompanied by a tweet quoting a Syrian refugee in Belgrade: “#Syrians are full of praise for #Serbian police. ‘They're fair. They're the first who didn't treat us like animals.'” Photo by <PERSON>. Used with permission.
The photograph above first appeared online on the morning of September 9, and since then it has become a viral sensation on Twitter and Facebook. Two Serbian police officers stand at their posts somewhere in downtown Belgrade, one of them holding a Syrian toddler currently staying at the improvised refugee camp near the city's main train station.
The image was posted to Twitter by BBC Radio 4 senior broadcast journalist <PERSON>, who seems to have traveled to Serbia with a group of refugees from Greece. <PERSON>'s Twitter feed is filled with tales of the journey, from claims of refugees having been beaten by police in Greece to all-night bus rides and images of the makeshift camp in downtown Belgrade.
Arriving in a chilly Belgrade at dawn though, it's business as usual; tents and people sleeping wherever they can. pic.twitter.com/TwZ3RG312U
— <PERSON> (@ManveenRana) September 9, 2015
Central Belgrade. Many of the #refugees can't afford hotels. 463
Some have jackets, others are shivering in blankets. pic.twitter.com/w9RvCMeWtJ
— <PERSON> (@ManveenRana) September 9, 2015
They've even set up a clinic on the square in Belgrade where #refugees camp, to help with injuries from their journey pic.twitter.com/0D1nXX23YJ
— <PERSON> (@ManveenRana) September 9, 2015
Things are finally brightening up in Belgrade. #Refugees pic.twitter.com/WgLC42gRRh
— <PERSON> (@ManveenRana) September 9, 2015
While Syrian refugees passing through Serbia en route to Hungary and other EU countries seem to be experiencing generally better treatment than in other countries along the way, <PERSON> reports that these people are still vulnerable to groups trying to take advantage of their desperation. Some Belgrade residents have reported and complained about street venders selling blankets and old clothes to refugees near the downtown train station—at prices three-to-four times higher than you find in retail stores, no less. <PERSON> herself was charged some 70 euro by a man who was probably an unlicensed taxi driver (known colloquially as “wild taxis” in Belgrade) for a ride that would have run him about 10 euro in a licensed Belgrade taxi.
<PERSON> noted on Twitter that cab drivers seem to target refugees with these high rates, when driving them to their accommodations in the city.
#Serbian taxi drivers have been ruthless. They circle the area where #refugees camp and charge extortionate sums at the end of the journey.
— <PERSON> (@ManveenRana) September 9, 2015
After so many recent reports of police brutality and unfair treatment of refugees in some European countries, Internet users in Serbia and elsewhere have celebrated the image of the police officer holding a smiling Syrian boy. Within a few hours, the tweet attracted more than 800 retweets and almost 1,000 favorites, and it soon spilled over to Facebook and other social networks, as it continues to be retweeted some 50 times per hour.
For everyone cheered by the #Serbian policeman playing with the #Syrian baby, here are some bonus pictures..#refugees pic.twitter.com/BEdzPNdUom
— <PERSON> (@ManveenRana) September 9, 2015
Although its unemployment rate is approaching 28 percent and there are murmurs expressing fear of what might happen to the economy if many refugees decide to remain, Serbia and its people have been generally accepting and often helpful. Both the public and state officials and police seem to have embraced an open-arms policy in this unfolding refugee crisis. Serbian social media users have been praising the police officer, and many people say such compassion is what they hope to see from law enforcement throughout the country and in other nations.
Read more of our special coverage: Streams of Refugees Seek Sanctuary in Europe 463