On 21 June 2015, thousands of people gathered in the centre of Berlin to mark World Refugee Day with a peaceful march under the slogan “Refugees Are Welcome Here.” The demonstration began in the multicultural district of Kreuzberg and continued toward the Brandenburg Gate, filling the streets with banners, music, and messages of support for people fleeing war, violence, and poverty.
Participants called for open borders, the protection of human rights, and an end to deportations. The march reflected the growing awareness of the humanitarian crisis unfolding on Europe’s southern borders, as thousands of refugees were arriving daily from conflict zones in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Eritrea. Berlin, already one of the main destinations for new arrivals, became a symbol of the emerging German “welcome culture,” in which volunteers and civil initiatives helped provide food, shelter, and translation for asylum seekers.
The demonstration united people from various social movements, NGOs, and local communities who viewed migration not as a threat, but as a shared European responsibility. The atmosphere was hopeful and inclusive, with participants of all ages walking together to express solidarity and compassion. Police reported several thousand attendees, while organizers estimated many more.
The event took place just weeks before the large-scale arrival of refugees later that summer. In retrospect, the Berlin march represented a defining moment of civic engagement — a time when empathy, activism, and openness shaped public discourse before political debates over migration hardened in the years that followed.
