The new refugee reception center for 800 people, which the government plans to open in the Netherlands, has been caught in the badger barrier.
The new refugee reception center for 800 people, which the government plans to open in the Netherlands, has been caught in the badger barrier.
The project has been suspended for the time being due to 3 badger nests in the area where the shelter will be built. This is because badgers are under protection in the Netherlands. Opposing the opening of a new reception center, extreme right-wing leader Geert Wilders, who is against immigration and refugees, shared “I love badgers” on his social media account.
Ter Apel, the only refugee reception center in the Netherlands, has not been able to respond to the need for a long time due to high demand.
The government attempted to set up new shelters at several points, but this did not happen due to the reaction of the local population.
In some regions, buildings that were to be turned into shelters were set on fire by anti-immigration opponents. The government then persuaded the county municipality of Heumen in the east of the country to create a new refugee reception center for 800 people.
However, this time the badger barrier appeared. The project has been stopped for the time being due to three badger nests in the area where the shelter will be built. Because badgers are under protection in the Netherlands on the grounds that they are in danger of extinction.
“Housing three badgers means we cannot house 800 people there,” said Eric van der Burg, Minister of State for Asylum and Immigration.
The Asylum Seeker Reception Centers Authority (COA) is preparing to apply to the court for an exemption so that construction can continue.
Train services have been disrupted in the states of Friesland and North Brabant in recent weeks as badgers burrow and dig under railroad tracks.
At the request of the railroads, these two states were granted exemption from badger conservation areas so that the lines could be repaired and train service could resume.
Minister Van der Burg defended the view that “If this exemption is possible for train passengers, it should be possible when it comes to the admission of 800 people.”
The state government of Gelderland and the COA, where the asylum center will be built, want a comprehensive ecological survey before a decision is made on the exemption.
PORSUK FOUNDATION WILL ALSO APPLY TO THE COURT
The nature conservation organization called the Badger and Tree Foundation (Das & Boom) is preparing to apply to the court to prevent the construction of a shelter on the nests of endangered animals.
Wilders, the leader of the far-right Freedom Party (PVV), which has based its policies on immigration and anti-Islam, is very happy that the construction of the new shelter has stopped because of the badgers.
According to Dutch media, the government’s headache regarding the shelter of refugees continues to increase.
A new place could not be found for the cruise ship, which had to leave the port in the town of Velsen after the reaction of the majority of the people, and where the refugees were sheltered. In September, the municipality of Velsen allowed the cruise ship to stay in port for only six months.
Many people at the Ter Apel shelter in the north of the country had to spend the night in the open air last year due to capacity problems.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday that people may have to sleep on the grass again this year in Ter Apel, due to high demand and lack of space. According to State Minister Van der Burg, things are not going well and asylum seekers cannot be prevented from spending the night outside.
According to Dutch media, the government is waiting for more than 70,000 refugees to arrive.
The number of asylum seekers arriving in Italy via the Mediterranean in the first quarter of this year increased by 300 percent compared to last year.