Mass protests in support of refugees: 20,000 people say "we've had enough of suffering"

Last night, around 20,000 people demonstrated in Vienna to show support for refugees and to raise their voices against the poor treatment refugees face. The protest came shortly after last week's tragedy, when the bodies of 71 refugees were found in an abandoned truck on a highway, reports the Patria news agency.

According to a statement from the Austrian police, demonstrators first gathered at Westbahnhof railway station, then marched to a square, while a requiem mass for the victims was held at St. Stephen's Cathedral. Demonstrators also carried placards with messages such as "Asylum is a human right", "Refugees welcome", and "I don't want Europe to become a mass grave".

As the column moved, demonstrators sang Austrian pop songs about love and solidarity, and citizens who came to watch applauded the column, writes The Guardian.

Among the demonstrators were also a large number of parents with children in their arms, and police officers monitored the protests with their helmets off. The column stopped in front of the parliament building, where candles were lit.

"We've had enough of death, suffering and persecution," said Vienna's Archbishop, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, at the mass attended by key figures of the Austrian government.

The solidarity march and requiem mass took place after a train carrying hundreds of refugees arrived from Budapest at Westbahnhof station, who had been blocked for hours at the Austrian-Hungarian border, writes Reuters.