Man arrested after fight at Ter Apel asylum center following aid groups’ withdrawal
It has now been reported that a 29-year-old man from Budel was arrested after fights broke out Saturday evening at the asylum registration center in Ter Apel. The arrest came as safety concerns continued to grow following two stabbing incidents in two days. The Dutch Red Cross and VluchtelingenWerk Nederland have suspended their assistance at the center because they said the situation had become unsafe.
Because Ter Apel is overcrowded, only the most vulnerable asylum seekers are currently being admitted, which are mainly women and children. Single men are often left waiting outside the gate. During the day, people who cannot enter the center gather on the grass field outside the entrance, as the center has reached its maximum capacity of 2,000 people. In the evenings, groups of men often remain outside, and the atmosphere can reportedly become tense.
According to an ANP reporter at the scene on Saturday night, an older asylum seeker was suddenly kicked by another man. A physical confrontation followed. Police did not say whether the arrested man was staying at the asylum seekers’ center in Cranendonck, Budel, or whether he was from the village itself.
The evening remained tense, with several clashes and fights reported. Police intervened multiple times after a small group of men repeatedly sought confrontations with asylum seekers from the registration center.
Westerwolde Mayor Velema, whose municipality includes Ter Apel, told NRC that 150 additional emergency shelter places had been arranged for the weekend. He expects more people to return to the entrance starting Monday.
Velema said authorities are working on a solution that would allow aid organizations to safely resume their work.
“For weeks, it has been clear that the situation was becoming increasingly grim. But the COA and the ministry did not intervene. Without pressure, without urgency, nothing happens. It is an endless repetition of the same thing,” Velema said.
The organizations involved have blamed each other for the situation. NOS contacted the municipality of Westerwolde, the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA), and the Ministry of Justice and Security several times over the weekend.
The COA said it is not responsible for the situation on the grass field because the area is outside the gate of the registration center. The municipality said it is also not responsible because the people involved are asylum seekers seeking help from the COA.
The Ministry of Justice and Security is expected to announce new measures Tuesday to address problems caused by disruptive asylum seekers. At the end of May, Minister Van den Brink again called on municipalities to create more emergency shelter places for asylum seekers. However, the response was not sufficient.
