More than a hundred residents of Someren protested on Sunday afternoon on Wilhelminaplein against an emergency shelter for 450 asylum seekers in their village. They are afraid of nuisance and think the number of people being cared for is too large. “Who says there are no gaps in between? The municipality is pushing through its plans anyway, they don’t think of us,” resident Patrick Berker fears.
The municipality of Someren announced last week that it will receive 450 asylum seekers in group accommodation De Hoof in Someren from the end of November to the end of January. The location is in the outskirts of the village with more than 11,000 inhabitants.
According to the municipality, local residents have been informed by letter about the arrival of the shelter, and an information meeting will also be held shortly.
“We know Ter Apel, it is too much for such a small municipality. Start with about fifty people.”
But local resident Madike Haazen has not received a message, she says. “I haven’t heard anything about that meeting. They have insisted on it anyway, this demonstration is useless. They come to my street, I’m afraid to be home alone at night. I really don’t dare anymore.”
She thinks the number of people being cared for is too large. “If two hundred children stay in that group accommodation, there is already a lot of nuisance. The street is also not suitable, no lanterns, no zebra crossing.”
Wendy Struijk is the organizer of the demonstration. “There are many concerns among residents in particular, they find the size of the group in particular a problem for the relatively small number of residents. We know all the stories of Ter Apel, it is too much for such a small municipality. First start with a man or fifty.”
“There will be no asylum seekers center in Someren, but a crisis emergency shelter.”
She is also not good at communicating with the municipality. “Suddenly we get this on our plate. We are concerned about our children, their safety. We have a nice clean environment now.”
The municipality of Someren says in a response that it understands the concerns of residents. “Negative stories appear in the media, generally about asylum seekers’ centres. There will be no asylum seekers center in Someren, but a crisis emergency shelter.”
The municipality wants to contribute to the national refugee problem, whereby asylum seekers are received somewhere for a few weeks at a time. “Our municipality has a group accommodation that is very suitable for the stay of large groups. This option has been suggested in consultation with the owners.”
For the residents on the square, it is mainly the worries that prevail on Sunday. It will be a friendly meeting and the residents will talk to each other about what is going on. A few people are standing with an upturned Dutch flag in their hands and the police are monitoring from a distance.
The residents of Someren will soon hand over a petition to the mayor. This has now been signed about seven hundred times.
