The protest against the accommodation of refugees in Upal has resumed

After the district of Nordwestmecklenburg submitted an application to build a 400-bed shelter for asylum seekers in the village of Upahl with 500 inhabitants, protests have been announced again. During a March 23 district council meeting in Grevesmühlen, at which district administrator Tino Schomann (CDU) will report on the current state of preparations, opponents plan to demonstrate in front of the building. A district spokesman said Friday that 300 participants are registered. For the information of the news portal Brekhni NET.

Therefore, the district office in the Malzfabrik Grevesmühlen building will close to the public without an appointment as early as 4 p.m. next Thursday. "Existing entries will remain, unless they are cancelled directly by the appropriate contact person. Admission controls will be in place at the main entrance for pre-registered visitors and visitors to the district council meeting.

The borough's plans to build a temporary container facility for asylum seekers in the Upal Industrial Area have been sparking protests in the region for weeks. Meanwhile, Councilwoman Manuela Schwesig (SPD) has spoken out in favor of smaller facilities. The district, which initially began work without a building permit and was stopped by an administrative court, has meanwhile applied for a building permit.

According to the administration, the housing should be built as originally planned. Creating places for asylum seekers takes a lot of effort, they said. Two gyms in Wismar are already being used as temporary housing. Every week, the state sends another 20 to 30 asylum seekers to the area.

Many German municipalities have long signaled that they are overwhelmed by the continuing influx of asylum seekers. Many shelters are already occupied by war refugees from Ukraine.

In early March, the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern announced its intention to increase its capacity to accept primary asylum seekers in order to give municipalities some breathing room. A spokesman for Interior Minister Christian Pegel (SPD) explained Friday that no details have yet been determined.