Dozens of Germans protested in the city of Kirchheim in Bavaria after the government constructed a new container village to accommodate refugees. The village was built on a site originally intended for a daycare center, sparking outrage among local residents. They voiced concerns about the presence of refugees in their neighborhood, citing fears of safety and potential knife attacks.
Around 150 residents of Kirchheim participated in a demonstration opposing the construction of a container village, which consists of 32 two-story units designed to house 192 asylum seekers. The village is set to be ready for occupancy by mid-October 2024.
Local authorities have invited residents to visit the newly built container village, located in the heart of a residential area. The village will border the gardens of nearby terraced houses. “A childcare center was supposed to be built here, and now we have a refugee village instead,” one protester remarked.
“No one wants to have a facility like this in front of their house,” said Reinhard Bauer, one of the protesters. “We are all afraid of being stabbed.
The government has indefinitely postponed plans to build a daycare center at the site, with locals fearing that the project will be permanently scrapped and replaced by semi-permanent housing for refugees. In an effort to ease concerns, local politician Christoph Goebel, the district administrator, assured residents that the containers would only house Ukrainian families until 2026. However, this promise failed to fully reassure residents, particularly regarding who might occupy the containers after 2026.
He addressed residents, emphasizing the urgent need for more housing to accommodate the growing number of refugees. He highlighted both the sharp increase in refugee arrivals and the significant financial burden of providing shelter. “We’ve already made it clear that we’re at capacity. There are currently 8,000 refugees, and we’ll need to find space for an additional 2,000 by 2025. We have 266 properties in the area, but we desperately need more.”
Local residents remain skeptical about the promise of housing exclusively for Ukrainian refugees. One resident voiced concerns, stating, “We’re certain that Syrians and Afghans will also come here, and we expect busloads of them to arrive in the area.”
This initiative marks the beginning of the government’s plans to establish multiple container villages for refugees without local consent. Several German cities are anticipated to experience similar protests. In Sion, for instance, residents have already demonstrated in front of the local council against a proposal to accommodate 500 migrants, a significant number for the city’s population of just 4,000.
