In September 2015, thousands of refugees, mainly from Syria, were flooding in at Wien Westbahnhof train station, after a long way from their devastated home on the so called Balkan route, commuting with trains from Budapest, Hungary. Most of them aimed to continue their journey to Germany, waiting at the station for their connection train. The influx of people was massive, thousands gathered in and around the station. Volunteers, from welfare organizations or spontaneous private initiatives were helping the arriving people, taking care of the children, providing food, clothes and translation services. The police abstained from rigorous controls, not to escalate the situation. The slogan "Refugees Welcome" was acclaimed many times by the people, welcoming the arriving ones with applause. Two years later, in 2017, the population voted for a populist, right-wing government coalition.