Amstelveen to take hundreds of refugees after community protests

Amstelveen agreed to take in a maximum of 400 asylum seekers in the municipality. The refugees will be housed in an emergency shelter which will be set up in the empty office building on Laan van Kronenburg. The first refugees are expected to arrive in February 2016, RTV Amstelveen reports. According to the broadcaster, the central agency for the reception of asylum seekers COA reached an agreement with the owner of the building. Over the coming months, the office building will be turned into a shelter that complies with legal requirements. The building will be used as an emergency refugee shelter for at least one year, with an extension option of up to three years. Last month the The Central Jewish Board raised concerns about the arrival of refugees and possible antisemitic incidents that may occur, given that the asylum center will be located less than a kilometer away from Buitenveldert, home to the largest Jewish community in the Netherlands. “Let there be no doubt that the Jewish community is overwhelmingly for the reception of war refugees. But we have major concerns”, chairman Ron van der Wieken said. “These people come from countries such as Syria and Iraq, who traditionally take an extremely harsh tone against Jews. These people are largely brainwashed to hate Jews. You should not underestimate it.