news unrolled

Post: Upahl between hope and skepticism

Categories

A refugee shelter for hundreds of people will be built in the town of Upahl in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It makes waves.


After a citizens’ meeting about the planned refugee shelter in the town of Upahl, of 500 inhabitants, in Mecklenburg, residents remain skeptical. After the town hall meeting in Grevesmühlen on Friday evening, Mayor Steve Springer said he had good hopes and had to.

Significantly more refugees assigned

Those in charge of the northwest Mecklenburg region are willing to make changes to previous plans in return. 400 refugees will be placed in a container settlement in the town. This is essentially necessary as significantly more refugees have been assigned since November 2022, according to the responsible area of ​​northwest Mecklenburg. This triggered serious pressure to act, because – unlike Ukrainian refugees who can look for flats on the open market – these asylum seekers are initially only allowed to live in shared accommodation.

Above all, Springer criticizes opaque communication: “This is the best example of how not to do this”. This disappointed him deeply. Disappointment was also evident on Friday evening among his compatriots, who repeatedly stated that they did not believe the allegations of those responsible. The disappointment deepens.

fear of crime

Some also fear the growing crime rate and economic disadvantages in the region. Citizens learned of the construction plans only a week ago and were overwhelmed. They are not alone in this: According to the county administrator, the county has been trying to find space for a new facility since last summer. However, according to the town and municipality district association, those responsible only applied to the relevant mayors of the eligible municipalities at the beginning of 2023.

According to statements made on Thursday, the district council learned of the decision in favor of Upahl, not beforehand, but together with those affected. However, district representatives made it clear at the town hall meeting that alternatives would continue to be sought to quickly relieve Upahl. It is requested that at least 200 people – permanent if possible – be built on a 5,000 square meter plot of land.

Entry for Upahl citizens only

The Circle also tried to clarify how much the situation has changed since 2021 and how much pressure people are under. At that time, according to reports, 15 people were arriving per month, the authorities are now expecting as many as 20 refugees a week in the future. The private housing market also remained empty due to the needs of refugees from Ukraine.

According to the police, about 100 people spontaneously demonstrated in front of the town hall. They shouted loud slogans and used megaphones. Calls for “fake press” could also be heard. Entry to the event was restricted to those who could identify themselves as Upahl citizens.

Violent protests a week ago

For the police, the evening went smoothly. Police were on duty with about 120 police officers in the gym. More than a week ago, there were violent protests at an extraordinary meeting of the district council in Grevesmühlen.

About 700 people demonstrated against the planned construction. Some had tried to access the non-public part of the session. The district council had approved the construction of a container shelter in the village of Upahl.

Source: ZDF

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *