Photos of Danish officer playing with young Syrian refugee go viral

Amidst the European refugee crisis, heartwarming photos of a Danish policeman playing with a young Syrian refugee girl in the middle of a highway have gone viral.

Last week, pictures were taken on E45 freeway near Padborg, Denmark, by photographers Claus Fisker and Michael Drost-Hansen, who each captured the touching moment between the cop and the girl.

The young girl is from a group of refugees forced to walk along the highway towards Sweden after Denmark closed transit links with Germany to prevent refugees from crossing its border, BuzzFeed News reports.

Fisker told the news outlet that the girl was part of a group that were granted free transit to Sweden.

Danish officers followed the group along the Danish-German border and during a break, the cop chose to spend some time with the little Syrian girl by playing a guessing game.

The police officer would hide his wedding ring in one of his hands and let the girl guess which hand, 9 News reports. Telling from the pictures, she looks delighted to be playing and having a little fun.

“We have to [deal] with children who have experienced a lot of things, and who have travelled far, so of course we understand it, and if we can make life a little easier for them as in the pictures, then it’s worth it. It does not cost anything,” Police assistant commissioner, Knud Reinholdt, told the Danish Newspaper BT.

Despite media requests for interviews with the popular cop, it appears he wants to stay anonymous but wrote in a text message that the “picture speaks for itself.”

Over the past week, the Danish government warned migrants to stay away and has implemented new policy changes to deter refugees, Inquisitr reports. Social benefits for the newly arrived refugees were being reduced by up to 50 per cent along with many other conditions including, learning to speak the Danish language in order to obtain permanent residence in the country.

“I have no doubt that my photos can help make a change. The Danish government is under pressure – their policy is very hard on refugees – but these photos are being used by people in Denmark to encourage others to change their opinion,” Fisker told BuzzFeed News.