The municipality of Uithoorn made earlier this week known to want to take legal action. Councilor De Robles explains what this means: “If the municipality of Amstelveen issues a permit for this location, we will object to it. We have legal assistance for that.”
He is afraid that the 280 future residents will move to Uithoorn for their leisure activities and shopping. He also calls the location ‘indecent’. “Uithoorn is not against asylum reception, but it is against this location. You cannot house people next to the busy N201 and between the noise of aircraft.”
Amstelveen informs NH that this is the only suitable location within the municipal boundaries. A spokesperson emphasizes that Amstelveen remains responsible for facilities such as training.
‘Nasty area’
Uithoorn residents who go shopping at the Zijdelwaard shopping center on Wednesday afternoon are also concerned. It is noticeable that they prefer not to respond in front of the camera. “I think it’s a dirty area of Amstelveen,” says someone.
“There will also be an asylum center close to here, so it will be a lot,” fears a local resident. The arrival of the asylum seekers’ center already caused a stir in the municipality. A demonstration resulted in riotswhere arrests were also made.
De Robles says: “It is people’s right to demonstrate and we listen to people’s concerns, but this had little to do with expressing concerns. This was undermining a democratic process.”
Still resistance to asylum seekers’ center in Uithoorn
A group of Uithoorn residents who are against the arrival of both asylum seekers’ centers have hired a lawyer. They want to try to stop the asylum seekers’ center in Uithoorn. De Robles expects little chance of success: “It is a decision taken democratically by the municipality of Uithoorn, resulting from the implementation of the distribution law.”