“People felt as if they were suddenly in court,” says National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen. “They did not meet the mayor or councilor across the table, but a lawyer who spoke on behalf of the municipality. While these citizens had a complaint about the communication and actions of the municipality. Then they came to me. They wondered: are we actually being taken seriously?”
Insufficient, the National Ombudsman concludes in a report published on Wednesday about the actions of the municipality of Tubbergen. In 2022, the national government designated Landhotel ‘t Elshuys in the Twente village of Albergen as a shelter for three hundred asylum seekers. Fierce protests and even arson followed. Mayor Anko Postma, civil servants and council members were threatened and intimidated. The asylum seekers’ center opened its doors anyway, in September 2024, for one hundred and fifty asylum seekers.
Several residents had objected to the municipality. They filed a complaint about the way their objection was handled. During those conversations, “it did not feel safe if employees or directors were present themselves,” the municipality told ombudsman Van Zutphen. So the city hired lawyers, four of them. As a result, “some citizens felt unheard or even intimidated.”
Why did you look at Tubbergen?
“Many complaints I receive regarding the arrival of asylum seekers’ centers are from people who say that they were unable to exercise their right to demonstrate improperly. Whether you are for or against an asylum seekers’ center is of less interest to me. The situation in Tubbergen had an extra dimension: if you as a citizen complain about a government decision, it must always be taken seriously. You must be able to talk to the competent authority to tell them what is bothering you. In Tubbergen they inserted lawyers, that is not the way it should be. The complaints procedure also took far too long.
“I understand the dire situation in which municipalities like Tubbergen find themselves, I also see terrible things happening. But even if it becomes unfriendly, if it grates, that is no reason not to hear people with a serious complaint. We should not let the good suffer because of the bad.”
Residents of Albergen place a protest sign in front of the Morshuis meeting center, shortly before a private meeting for residents of the ‘t Elshuis hotel.
Photo VINCENT JANNINK/ANP
Does that happen?
“I am a hopeful person. Throughout the country I see good examples of people who discuss with their municipality how they can improve the lighting of cycle paths or allow asylum seekers to integrate more quickly. I also think it is important to emphasize that fortunately many Dutch people still have the view that we should receive people who come from war situations.”
“In retrospect, we realize that our approach could have come across as distant,” the mayor now says
Even at locations where the municipality itself chooses the location, there are regular protests or local administrators are threatened. Do you see parallels with Tubbergen?
“The conversation has come to a standstill and the debate has hardened throughout the country. The fact that people want to express their opinion and think that it is the only correct opinion was also seen with nitrogen and corona. Within the limits set, sharp language is fine.
“You must be able to have a say in what is happening in your village or city. Being listened to seriously also helps you to accept the final decision that a municipality makes. It is not a small group that decides. That is why the situation in Terneuzen is so serious [hier was fel protest tegen de komst van een azc, waarna de gemeenteraad tegen een vergunning stemde. Dat was voor de burgemeester reden om op te stappen].
“At the same time: if national politics had properly arranged the Distribution Act and every municipality would make a fair contribution to the reception of refugees, we probably would not have had these kinds of reception problems.”
The mayor of Tubbergen, Anko Postma, told the newspaper Tubantia responded to the ombudsman’s report. “In retrospect, we realize that our approach could have come across as distant,” he says.
And now?
“The mayor comes to see me, he wants to go through the entire report with me. The bottom line is that he and the residents have to talk to each other. Whether that is very friendly over a cup of coffee is something else. As mayor you have to be there for your residents and personal contact helps with that.”
Also read
Albergen is preparing for the arrival of asylum seekers. “I think they can come,” says one, while another bought a second dog
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