No shelter for 50 underage asylum seekers in Terwolde

There will be no shelter for fifty asylum seekers in Terwolde in Gelderland. A majority of the city council voted against that proposal last night.

The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) and the city of Voorst, which includes Terwolde, had plans to take in around fifty asylum seekers. The shelter would be for a period of five years. Voorst is still not receiving asylum seekers.

It was clear before that not all residents wanted shelter in the city. The opposition expressed that they were not satisfied with the communication method of the city and they were worried about the influence that a group of fifty young people had on the city with about 2,300 inhabitants.

The general public was not welcome at last night’s council meeting because, according to the town, there were signs that a riot would arise. Some civil servants and councilors would be up front afraid, afraid and in danger.

Dozens of residents still came to the town hall. They watched the council meet with a generator and a projector, which they put out in front of the town hall. They also made some noise including pots and pans.

“We have to show our faces, we can show,” said an activist Omroep Gelderland. She confirmed that the group is not against welcoming asylum in their town. “But we don’t support it like this. I hope it will be voted against.”

Residents were still able to follow the meeting via a projector in front of the town hall:

That also happened: the proposal for the shelter was rejected with eleven votes against and eight votes in favor. Councilor Peter Wormskamp is disappointed that the reception center in Terwolde has failed.

“As a council, we have implemented a step-by-step plan that has been prepared together with the council.” The plan arose step by step from the desire of the town council to do something regarding the reception of refugees in the town of Voorst. “Then you think, you have moral support and you have a process,” says Wormskamp.

According to Wormskamp, ​​the fact that the proposal is off the table does not mean that Voorst will not receive refugees. “We will see later what is possible,” he says. “Ultimately, we have an action – a legal action – to accommodate people. “