On Monday evening some 20,000 people took to the streets of Vienna to protest against the treatment of refugees across Europe, in particular the 70-plus people found dead in a lorry near Vienna.

The following day hundreds of refugees were transported from Hungary to Austria where they were greeted by locals and tourists donating food, clothes, medical supplies and money for tickets to further their journey. I left Vienna with a heart full of hope.

I entered Budapest Keleti station around 6pm on September 2, already wary of the “migrant crisis” I had read about. Nothing could have prepared me for the desperation and inhumanity I was to witness.

At first, the only evidence of the crisis was the lack of non-white passengers on the platforms.

At the entrance to the underpass was a set of prison-like bars that locked all refugees out of the station.

A line of armed police stood guard while tourists and journalists took photos through the bars. A human zoo.

Over 1,000 people, mainly Syrian refugees of war, were camped outside the station.

The crowds included people of all ages and genders, the youngest appeared to be only six months old. She lay on the concrete pavement next to her parents. All three looked exhausted and pained by their experiences.

There were hundreds more children and yet everybody there seemed so old. None of the children were laughing or playing as they should — they were lost.

Police were adorned with riot helmets, shields and guns, presumably protecting themselves against the unarmed people. Any attempt to get into, or away from, the station was met with force.

Suddenly, it erupted into chaos. Men, women and children spilled into the road, all chanting for freedom. They displayed no violence, just despair. Small children were lifted up onto shoulders and each one was met with a supportive cheer.

These people have faced death, not only on their route to Hungary, but in their own homes and cities, and still they remain peaceful.

They want their presence to be noticed, not for monetary gain, but simply for the freedom to live.

Syria has been ravaged by war, including being bombed by Her Majesty’s government.

We must not forget that these people are not migrants, as they have been labelled by the press, but they are victims. Each and every one has a different story to tell about traumas they have endured, but every single one is human.

They are no different to ourselves, they have hopes and dreams, they have families that they love and they want to live without the fear of death around every corner.

To see newspaper articles and statistics about this crisis is one thing. We can all be intellectually aware, but it really is something to see it first hand.

Britain has not been touched by the devastation that is festering here in Hungary but it is still our duty to humanity to give everything we can to prevent the inhumane suffering and death of these people.

• Mathilde Petford is a Nottingham University student from Wolverhampton who has been travelling round Europe on her holidays.