Dozens of asylum seekers who are being received in the Van der Valk hotel along the A4 in Hoofddorp have been on hunger strike from last night until this afternoon. They expressed their concerns about the lack of clarity and uncertainty surrounding their asylum procedure.
Spokesperson Bob van ‘t Klooster of the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers confirms this to NH Nieuws following an anonymous tip. “This is a clear cry for help.”
In addition to the lack of clarity and uncertainty surrounding their procedure, the lack of activities for children – including education – prompted the refugees to go on hunger strike.
Families
The Van der Valk hotel along the A4 – which is officially called Hotel Schiphol A4 – has 475 beds and since last summer has accommodated several hundred asylum seekers for whom there is no place in Ter Apel. The asylum seekers – according to the COA mainly families – await their asylum procedure in the hotel.
The last asylum seekers ended their hunger strike around 2.30 pm this afternoon. This happened after it had been promised that ‘an information meeting about the process will be held in the short term, which should provide more clarity’. “It is the task of the IND to organize that,” said the spokesperson.
According to Van ‘t Klooster, the frustration among the asylum seekers has to do with, among other things, ‘differences between groups of refugees’ that they notice. Whether that comment specifically refers to the group of Ukrainians who work in the hotel, the COA spokesperson cannot confirm.
At the end of July it was announced that the asylum seekers received in the hotel had to make room temporarily for conference attendees. Although hotel owner Bill van der Valk contributes to alleviating the asylum crisis with the reception of the refugees, he also had several conferences on the agenda. At the beginning of August, the refugees were welcome again in the hotel.
Status holders
The Van der Valk hotel along the A4 is not the only hotel in the chain where newcomers are welcomed. This also happens in dozens of other hotels of the chain, spread throughout the Netherlands.
At the beginning of September, for example, it was announced that the (much smaller) Van der Valk hotel in Purmerend will provide shelter for a year to status holders, who are unable or hardly able to move up due to the housing shortage.