Red Cross Flees Dutch Asylum Center Over Safety Concerns
The Red Cross has withdrawn humanitarian workers from the Netherlands' main asylum center at Ter Apel after staff faced harassment and violence that made conditions too dangerous to continue operations.
The Ter Apel asylum seeker registration and application centre, which functions as the principal entry point for asylum claims in the Netherlands, has deteriorated to such an extent that the Red Cross determined it could no longer ensure the safety of its staff attempting to assist migrants at the location.
Harm Goossens, regional director of the Red Cross, acknowledged the severity of the decision but stated the organisation had been left with no alternative after a small group of troublemakers created dangerous conditions for both aid workers and those seeking assistance. He emphasised that a structural solution was urgently required.
The charity disclosed that in recent weeks its personnel, including emergency responders, had faced harassment from a small group of men at the asylum reception facility. This harassment left workers feeling unsafe and concerned that the situation could spiral out of control.
Goossens argued that additional accommodation space for asylum claimants represented the only viable solution. He noted that the Red Cross had been providing assistance for seven weeks on the grounds in front of the registration centre, with people forced to move from place to place and spend hours on the grass regardless of extreme weather conditions such as heat or heavy rain.
The Red Cross director issued an urgent appeal to all municipalities across the Netherlands to come forward and provide emergency shelter locations, stating that such facilities would offer relief for Ter Apel and ensure people had safe accommodation during daylight hours. He pointed out that the requirement involved only several dozen people per day in a country of 18 million inhabitants.
According to reports in the Telegraaf newspaper, the Ter Apel centre has suffered from severe overcrowding since approximately mid-May, forcing dozens of asylum seekers to remain outside during the day and depend on the Red Cross for basic provisions including food, water, and blankets.
An asylum seeker from Nigeria speaking to the newspaper expressed uncertainty about how people would survive without the aid organisation, though he acknowledged significant problems with individuals at the centre. He described daily fights and the placement of people with severe mental health issues among the general population, creating unpredictable and dangerous situations.
The past week alone witnessed multiple stabbings at the asylum centre, including one incident that occurred shortly before a scheduled visit from Minister of Asylum Bart van den Brink, whose arrival was consequently delayed.
A former security guard at the facility revealed that his experience working at Ter Apel fundamentally altered his perspective on asylum seekers. He described how initial sympathy evolved into serious doubts after just weeks on the job.
Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders responded to the crisis by calling for all asylum seekers’ centres in the country to be closed and for all asylum profiteers to be deported to their homelands. Wilders dismissed concerns about laws, treaties or judges, insisting on immediate action and declaring that necessity breaks the law.
With information from Breitbart News
