A busy information evening about the possible arrival of an asylum seekers’ center on the Runweg in Berlicum was quite derailed on Wednesday evening. Even before alderman Theo Geldens of the municipality of Sint-Michielsgestel could give his explanation, loudly calling out of the chaotic room sounded. Furious residents shouted their frustration: “We don’t want azc!” And “Everything is already regularly behind our back!”
In the center of Berlicum, where the meeting took place, dozens of protesters with banners, torches, bells and megaphones gathered. Inside it wasn’t much quieter. “Bag fillers”, “Kut-Coa”, and “We don’t want azc”, there was shouting.
The alderman tried to restrain those present, but was interrupted several times by shouting. When asked how he would react himself if an AZC came to his back garden, the alderman gave a strikingly candid answer: “I would find it very annoying and it would also frighten me.”
“It is just pushed through the throat.”
His words made little impression on the furious inhabitants. “It is simply pushed through the throat,” said an angry resident. “If it is not yet final, just say ‘no’ to the COA,” will be called.
The municipality announced on Monday afternoon that three hundred refugees and status holders should be given a place in a meadow on the Runweg for a maximum of ten years. Many residents feel attacked by this news and say that they are not involved at all.
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But alderman Theo Veldens emphasizes that no final decision has yet been made: “The location on the Runweg is most likely the location, but there is not yet a definitive agreement with the COA.” Yet his words did not calm the minds.
“I can’t guarantee that safety.”
Residents in particular expressed their concerns about safety. Partly because the police are no longer present in Berlicum. Veldens: “I cannot guarantee that safety, but the municipality will do everything to make good agreements with the COA.”
The alderman believes that the room has given “a very powerful signal about safety this evening.” “I see that it is a very big point of care, but I can’t offer a solution for that tonight. We see that it is important and we are going to be committed to arranging this as well as possible.”
“It is not yet known who is coming to Berlicum.”
The rumor that only single men would come, caused a lot of residents to worry. A resident asked for clarity: “Can we get the commitment whether it is about families who need help, or men who come to seek their happiness here?”
Alderman Velds could not give that guarantee. “It is not yet known who is coming to Berlicum.” A spokesperson for the COA emphasized that both single men and women and families are spread over different AZCs.
The information from the residents’ meeting is included in the final decision. When the municipality takes a decision, it is not clear. On April 2, the same meeting for the residents of Berlicum will follow.
