Attack against mayor for refugee housing

In Greifswald, a protest against a planned refugee shelter escalated on Monday evening. Some demonstrators had tried to attack the Mayor of Greifswald, Stefan Fassbinder (Greens). The police managed to stop this "with physical violence and by using a baton against a single person," according to the Anklam Police Inspectorate. At the top, 500 demonstrators had gathered at the site of the planned accommodation in the Baltic Sea district.

The reason for the unannounced meeting was a meeting of the district representatives in the Baltic Sea district on a planned container village for 500 refugees, which the mayor also attended at short notice. When he left the building, some participants sought the confrontation, it said.

About 50 people had come to a registered counter-demonstration. Verbal arguments broke out between the two groups. Two critics of the shelter also physically attacked a counter-protester. It was said that the rapid intervention of the police forces prevented further clashes. According to the police, calls had previously been circulating on the Internet to move to the politician's house.

Due to the large crowd, access to the meeting had to be limited. There was a crowd at the school gate. At the meeting, Fassbinder said he would also like more time to discuss housing. The plans only became known last week. "The schedule was originally different," said Fassbinder. But the district put pressure on it.

The district council spoke unanimously against the planned accommodation. "We don't want the accommodation at this location," said Chairman Uwe Liedtke (CDU). One wants to help refugees, but the dimensions and the location are wrong. Citizens criticized, among other things, the location in the immediate vicinity of a school.

The Vorpommern-Greifswald district council has meanwhile cleared the way for the plans. On Monday evening in Pasewalk, a narrow majority of MPs approved an emergency proposal from the administration so that the district could set up such accommodation in Greifswald with around 9 million euros. 25 MPs voted in favor, 19 against, 10 MPs abstained. "There is not enough free living space for decentralized solutions," said District Administrator Michael Sack (CDU). In addition, it was decided by a large majority that the district should not use gyms or sports halls as emergency accommodation for the time being.

Greifswald has not yet taken in the most refugees, Sack said after being heavily criticized for the plan by Left and SPD MPs. In Western Pomerania-Greifswald, the small town of Torgelow has so far taken in the largest number of immigrants. According to Sack, the district must accommodate the refugees that the country assigns to it. He had asked the cities about this and received two offers for land from Greifswald. In Greifswald, the main committee still has to approve the plan on Thursday. Around 200 people had arrived in the district in the first two months of the year.

According to preliminary information from the police, there were at least 20 people among the demonstrators against the accommodation in Greifswald who could be assigned to the right-wing extremist scene. The meeting was also not registered, but advertised in advance, which is why criminal proceedings were initiated. At least 30 counter-demonstrators protesting against racism also gathered. According to the police, they are investigating an act of resistance against the protective measures for the mayor. In addition, there is said to have been a dangerous physical injury between the two groups of demonstrators after the meetings.

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, there have been several violent protests against the accommodation of refugees in recent weeks. At the end of January, riots caused a stir at a meeting against the construction of accommodation for 400 migrants in Upahl, a town of 500 in the Northwest Mecklenburg district. The police were able to prevent people from gaining access to the district council building in Grevesmühlen, where construction was being discussed. According to the police, representatives of the right-wing political spectrum were also on site.

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