Iraqi elderly couple who fled from IS to Germany recall experience
MEE's Mary Atkinson is travelling around north-west Germany talking to refugees and migrants about their journey to the country. In the town of Oer Erkenschwick, Atkinson met with an elderly Iraqi Christian couple from Kirkuk, who were staying at a refugee centre run by the Red Cross there.
The couple, along with their two daughters and six grandchildren, decided to leave Iraq and travel all together to Germany after their daughter read on the internet that Germany was allowing refugees to stay.
"We travelled from Kirkuk to Turkey, and then we came together by boat," Bayer recounted. "After that it was so, so hard. We travelled through Europe by bus at night." He broke down in tears, before adding, "Thank God we arrived safely."
The family plan on staying in Germany for the time being, describing the people there as "so good." Bayer, who used to work with many British people at the oil factory in Kirkuk, said he would have loved to go to England.
"But we know they will never give us residence," he said. "We have no idea how long we will stay in the centre, but what can we do? At least there is a Catholic church round the corner where we can go to pray."
"So many people have left Kirkuk, especially the Christians. We are very scared about our four sons who stayed behind in Iraq. But we were most worried about our daughters, because of what Islamic State does to women," Bayer said.