Winter now brings greetings to Tyrol: while it was already turning white at higher altitudes, it plunged into the valley at night with temperatures well below ten degrees. In Absam (Innsbruck-Land district), where there has been a dispute between the municipality and the federal government over the accommodation of asylum seekers for days, it was freezing for refugees. On Thursday evening, about 30 people were again accommodated in the controversial asylum tents. Can we finally agree on a solution today, Friday?
About 20 to 30 people from Morocco and Tunisia were brought from Upper Austria to the Wiesenhof police school in Absam on Thursday evening. “They arrived between 8 and 9 pm and slept in the tents,” Absam’s mayor Manfred Schafferer (SPÖ) said in a telephone conversation with the “Tiroler Krone”. The local chief contradicted media reports that the refugees had already been housed in the school gymnasium or elsewhere.
Gymnasium has been approved
“If the refugees are to be housed there, it is important that they are housed safely there,” Schafferer said. That is why the gymnasium is being examined for fire protection – including with the fire brigade and experts. What will come of it, Schafferer could not say for the time being.
Are tents broken down?
According to the mayor, the tents themselves must be demolished today. As is known, the municipality had taken a stand against the accommodation of refugees in the tents by means of a message to the BBU. The requirement contained therein: The dismantling of the tents within three working days. Immediately after the tent camp was set up, Schafferer spoke of a “black building”.
In itself, however, people stay at the indoor resort and want to use the tents on the site. The decision of the building authority has already been appealed.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) reiterated in the APA interview that the tents are being used because the federal government no longer has places to stay and it is necessary to avoid the refugees seeking independent housing, for example near schools and kindergartens or in village squares.
Tyrol comes to the fore when it comes to specifications
The special pressure in Tyrol is probably also due to the fact that the state is at the bottom of the list when it comes to meeting federal/state requirements when it comes to receiving refugees. The quota is currently being met at only 63 percent. In other words: Tyrol receives 2,854 fewer refugees than it should. Only Carinthia has a value almost as bad. The quota is currently only met in Burgenland and clearly in Vienna.
A video conference will take place on Friday morning between the mayors and Interior Minister Karner. Absam’s local boss Manfred Schafferer will of course be there, he emphasized. Can you agree on a solution?
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
