Chronicle
Again there is excitement around the so-called “waiting zone” for refugees in Spielfeld. Some of the people housed there went on hunger strike on Wednesday. They want to draw attention to their situation in the tents.
Around 30 of the 70 refugees who are currently housed in the large tents at the federal road border crossing in Spielfeld went on a hunger strike on Wednesday followingnoon.
The reason for this: weeks of waiting for onward transport to permanent quarters and the fear of being stuck in the tents over Christmas.
“Call attention to the situation”
Shortly following 4 p.m., around 30 of the 70 refugees currently accommodated in Spielfeld made their way to a nearby truck parking lot. Most of them come from war and crisis areas in Syria and Iraq and want to draw attention to their situation with a protest rally and a hunger strike, supported by volunteers from the Border Crossing association, says Omar, one of the refugees affected: “I come from Syria, from the war and have been stuck here in the tent for 15 days. I just want to know how things are going and ask that I be allowed to move into permanent accommodation before Christmas.”
Refugees go on hunger strike
Around 30 of the 70 refugees went on hunger strike at the border in Spielfeld on Wednesday. The refugees are accommodated in the large tents at the federal road border crossing. They complain regarding the weeks of waiting for onward transport to permanent accommodation.
Refugees look to the holidays with concern
Many people are worried regarding the upcoming holidays, says Petra Leschanz from the organization Border Crossing Spielfeld: “For the people here in the tents, the approaching holidays are a threatening scenario. There hasn’t been a transfer to permanent accommodation for days. And with the holidays and vacation time now approaching, there is a fear that there will be no further transfers until the end of the year or even following that. People are mentally broken. They want nothing more than a transfer to permanent accommodation. What was particularly disturbing for people is that yesterday, for the first time in several days, new people were also transferred here. So obviously no sign of closure.”
“The worst thing is the uncertainty”
The worst thing is the uncertainty, say the refugees. Nobody can tell them how long they have to stay in the tents. How long the hunger strike will last remains open for the time being, because according to the federal welfare agency responsible for the accommodation, it is currently not possible to say when the next transport to permanent quarters will be possible.
