Syrian asylum seekers living in shelters in various parts of the Netherlands handed out roses to Dutch people on Friday morning to thank them for giving them refuge.

The initiative aims to show ‘we are people of peace and not terrorism’, Amer Alomari told DutchNews.nl. ‘We hope this event will change the negative thoughts about Syrian refugees.’

The roses were bought by the refugees themselves and were handed to travellers at stations in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Groningen, Utrecht, Zwolle, Nijmegen, Eindhoven, Arnhem, Tilburg, Heerlen, Emmen and Almere, Alomari said.