'We're all afraid': Austria moves to deport Syrian refugees...
Syrian refugee Khaled Alnomman said he made a big effort to integrate since he fled to Austria 10 years ago, learning to speak German fluently, getting a job as a bricklayer and applying for citizenship.
The youngest of his four children was born in Austria and the others feel more Austrian than Syrian having grown up in the Alpine country.
But as they celebrated the fall of the Assad regime in January, their lives were turned upside down when they received a letter from the Austrian authorities saying they wanted to revoke their refugee status.
"It's like a knife stab to the heart," the 42-year-old told AFP, visibly holding back the emotion.
Anti-migrant feeling has been surging in Austria, further fuelled when a Syrian was arrested last month for killing a 14-year-old boy in a suspected Islamist stabbing attack in the southern city of Villach.
Even though another Syrian refugee was hailed a hero for driving his car at the knifeman to stop the attack, Alnomman said it was a "catastrophe" for Syrians in the EU country. "It is really bad for us. Because of this idiot, now we all have to pay."
- Mass random checks -
Several European countries froze asylum requests from Syrians in December after the Assad dynasty was ousted after almost 14 years of bloody civil war that drove 12 million people from their homes.
But Austria -- which hosts almost 100,000 Syrians -- went even further. It halted family reunifications and started procedures to revoke the refugee status of some 2,900 people, according to the latest figures.
Syrian refugee Khaled Alnomman said he made a big effort to integrate since he fled to Austria 10 years ago, learning to speak German fluently, getting a job as a bricklayer and applying for citizenship.
The youngest of his four children was born in Austria and the others feel more Austrian than Syrian having grown up in the Alpine country.
But as they celebrated the fall of the Assad regime in January, their lives were turned upside down when they received a letter from the Austrian authorities saying they wanted to revoke their refugee status.
"It's like a knife stab to the heart," the 42-year-old told AFP, visibly holding back the emotion.
Anti-migrant feeling has been surging in Austria, further fuelled when a Syrian was arrested last month for killing a 14-year-old boy in a suspected Islamist stabbing attack in the southern city of Villach.
Even though another Syrian refugee was hailed a hero for driving his car at the knifeman to stop the attack, Alnomman said it was a "catastrophe" for Syrians in the EU country. "It is really bad for us. Because of this idiot, now we all have to pay."
- Mass random checks -
Several European countries froze asylum requests from Syrians in December after the Assad dynasty was ousted after almost 14 years of bloody civil war that drove 12 million people from their homes.
But Austria -- which hosts almost 100,000 Syrians -- went even further. It halted family reunifications and started procedures to revoke the refugee status of some 2,900 people, according to the latest figures.
3 days ago
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