Unrest has arisen in Schoonebeek after a report on the local news site Schoonebeek Nieuws. In a message that has since been deleted, it was reported that there are plans to establish status holders at the location of De Witte Olifant catering business.
It was clear from the responses under the message that the news had led to a lot of unrest among residents. Inquiries with the manager reveal that this news has not been confirmed by Kruit or the COA (Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers). The post was deleted shortly afterwards.
These alarmed sounds also reached the village council, according to inquiries from village chairman Jos van Hees. According to him, there has been contact between project developer Jorgen Kruit, who bought the property two weeks ago, and the Inlia foundation (International Network of Local Initiatives with Asylum Seekers). Van Hees understands that no final decision has yet been made about the destination of De Witte Olifant. “We therefore contacted the administrator of the news site and asked to remove the news. Because it is simply not correct.”
Mayor Eric van Oosterhout says that the municipality formally knows nothing about it. “If a foundation like Inlia has such plans, they should raise the alarm with us via the COA.” The COA is the first point of contact for the municipality in these matters. Van Oosterhout recently had a conversation with COA. And they didn’t say a word about this plan. “We only know that Inlia does want something. But, Van Oosterhout immediately adds: ‘There are no asylum seekers at this location.'”
De Witte Olifant came into the possession of entrepreneur Jan Braam in 2019. At that time the establishment still bore the name De Wolfshoeve. The business in Schoonebeek closed its doors at the end of last year. According to Braam, the cause at the time was a lack of staff. Two weeks ago he sold the building to Kruit.
Kruit and Inlia were both unavailable for comment.