The Red Cross aid station in Ter Apel will reopen on Monday subject to ‘unforeseen extreme circumstances’, a spokeswoman said. The service point near the application center for asylum seekers was closed this week after a fight broke out on the site on Sunday.
According to the Red Cross, security has been increased and employees can return to work safely. The aid station will also be relocated and will therefore soon be more accessible for employees and asylum seekers, according to the aid organisation.
The Red Cross had previously said that the service point would reopen on Tuesday, but came back because it was not yet safe enough. At the already crowded registration center for months, it was more restless this week and people slept outside. Last night there were about three hundred asylum seekers.
The municipality of Westerwolde, which includes Ter Apel, today designated the forecourt of the application center as a safety risk area. As a result, the police can carry out preventive searches and intensify camera surveillance. The intention is that vulnerable women and children in particular, but also personnel working on the site, are protected, Mayor Jaap Velema explained.
The measure is being taken in consultation with the Public Prosecution Service, the police and the Groningen Security Region.