DodoFinance Breaking News Made For You!
The open day of the center for asylum seekers in Budel was seized on Saturday by a group of people to demonstrate against the center for asylum seekers. The demonstrators, around fifty, want the center for asylum seekers to close as soon as possible. They are fed up with the nuisance of a certain group of asylum seekers. Most of the demonstrators returned home around two o’clock in the afternoon.
State Secretary Eric van der Burg wants the center for asylum seekers to remain open after 2024 and to be regularly in the municipality of Budel. But part of the inhabitants and the majority of the municipal council want the center to be closed.
The turnout is a bit disappointing for Richard Verbakel from Maarheeze this Saturday. “I had hoped for more. The rainy weather probably didn’t help, but hopefully the message will get through. We are more than tired of the daily nuisance of bike thefts, shops and muggings.”
“We don’t feel heard,” continues organizer Verbakel. “Nothing will change. We have to wait for the people of Budel and Maarheeze to start playing in front of their own judges. This happened recently when bicycle thieves from the asylum seekers center were caught red-handed. I predict that it will happen more often.”
“Safelanders”
A number of people want to welcome asylum seekers, but not as is currently happening in Budel. “Real refugees are welcome,” says Harm van Leuken of the protest group. “But after ten years in a center for asylum seekers, that was enough.” Earlier this year, the city council passed a proposal to close the center for asylum seekers in 2024.
1500 people live in the center for asylum seekers. A group of 100 to 150 people causes nuisance. They mainly come from safe countries in North Africa such as Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The village of Maarheeze has been disturbed by these “safe emigrants” for years. Some residents do not feel safe on the streets and at Maarheeze station. Earlier this year, the center for asylum seekers hit the headlines due to several stab wounds.
Organizer Richard Verbakel knows the numbers and that a small group ruins it for most other AZC residents. “I doubt there are only 150 ringleaders. Instinctively there are a lot more. It’s also frustrating that if they get arrested they often walk free the same day.”
nuisance
All asylum seeker centers in the Netherlands are holding an open day on Saturday to create greater understanding between local residents. The people who work at the center for asylum seekers in Budel want the center to remain open. They find it unfortunate that the asylum seekers living there are victims of a smaller group of nuisances. They also believe that the security situation is better under control thanks to additional surveillance and cameras.
Bert Scholtes is environmental manager of the AZC in Budel and understands the protesters at the gate. “Everyone is free to protest and is allowed to do so. There are people who are seriously concerned about safety and that’s a point.”
The center for asylum seekers will soon undergo a major renovation. For example, the entrance and residential buildings are being renovated. Sticky frames and holes in the floor are dealt with. Some politicians and residents of Cranendonck fear the renovation will mean the national government bypasses the city council and the center for asylum seekers will be forced to stay open.
READ ALSO :
After years of nuisance, Budel does not want to be forced to take in asylum seekers
Azc Budel employees: “Please don’t shut this down”
“Infuriatingly humble social media ninja. Devoted travel junkie. Student. Avid internet lover.”