Asylum seekers thank Amsterdammers in new televised ads

Refugees from Syria Iran, Eritrea and Afghanistan currently living in Amsterdam are grateful for the hospitality they receive. And they are expressing their thanks to Amsterdammers in three 20 second long televised advertisements broadcast on local channel AT5.

The ads feature refugees thanking Amsterdam in their own language. They were made by three organizations involved in asylum reception in the Netherlands - the Dutch Salvation Army, the Rainbow Group and HVO-Querido.

According to HVO-Querido, saying thank you was the refugees own initiative. They want to show how much the appreciate the Dutch citizens involvement. "Refugees know better than anyone that being in the Netherlands is not a given to everyone."

"In some media, but also by politicians, the image is made that the Dutch population is massively scared, angry or concerned about the recent influx of refugees. Everyday we see something different", Harry Doef of the Salvation Army said to Het Parool. He called the number of people spontaneously volunteering at refugee centers. "impressive" and heartwarming"