Welcome to Friedland! So… what next?

There were twice as many asylum applications in Germany in the first half of 2015 than the whole of 2014. There were also twice as many xenophobic attacks on refugees. It is expected that Germany will receive 800,000 new asylum applications throughout 2015. By late summer 2015, refugee camp Friedland was bursting at the seams. Refugees are being housed in tents and containers, while many are forced to sleep in hallways of the office buildings. The camp is designed to accommodate up to 700 refugees but often finds itself with a staggering 3000. “We’re really pushed to the limit of being able to provide adequate care for the refugees,” says manager Heinrich Hörnschemeyer.

While countless people all over the world go out of their way to find diverse and creative ways of supporting refugees, there are still those who fight to stop them being housed in their communities.

A long road to an uncertain future

People who oppose asylum seekers, including many Germans, often forget that their own grandparents (or even parents) may have once fled from war and exile, seeking asylum in refugee camps just like Friedland. Most of Germany’s current asylum seekers come from Syria. The Balkan countries, Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, Nigeria and Pakistan are also among the most common homelands of refugees.

Their arrival in Germany only marks the start of their journey, which could send them in any direction across this unfamiliar country. They are placed temporarily in the nearest refugee reception centre, which could be Friedland. A government formula determines how many refugees each German state must accept, and this depends on the population size and tax revenues. A few weeks after their arrival, the refugees are distributed into collective accommodation across the different states. They spend a further three months there before they are finally assigned permanent accommodation somewhere in that state – whether that’s in a refugee home or regular accommodation is also entirely up to the state. Then all the refugees can do is sit and wait to hear if they will be allowed to stay in Germany; it currently takes an average of seven months to process an asylum request.

Welcome to Germany…

Many refugees have been traumatized by war and exile. They then have to endure the painstaking process of an asylum application, as well as the constant upheaval of moving from one home to the next. All of this takes its toll psychologically, not to mention the hostility they suffer in many parts of Germany. The news is full of reports of protest rallies, arson attacks on asylum centers and violent crimes against refugees. According to figures from Germany’s Interior Ministry, there were more reported attacks on refugees during the first half of 2015 than the whole of 2014. Around 85% of the attacks reported had clear right-extremist motivations. Other xenophobic movements such as Pegida in Dresden (and other copycat groups throughout the country) incite public hatred against refugees and even against Muslims who have lived in Germany for a long time. Alarmingly, the line between right-extremists and middle-class conservatives is also becoming increasingly blurred.

Sensible accommodation

There are calls to change the asylum laws and the climate in which political discussions on refugees take place. It is argued that the system which distributes refugees needs to be rethought, because a state’s tax revenues and population do not give a clear indication of whether refugees can be reasonably housed there. Can healthcare and support be sufficiently guaranteed? Will language classes be offered? Will the refugees be able to utilize their skills? Asylum centers in remote areas have also faced long-standing criticism because of the potential for conflict when people with different backgrounds and requirements are forced to live together in such confined spaces. It seems more beneficial to place asylum seekers in proper accommodation in the middle of communities. Germany has no choice but to stand up and campaign for a more ethical, people-oriented asylum policy. This will mean more investment both in integration methods and educational support. Top priorities should include reducing fear and xenophobia, as well as solving the root causes of these attitudes. This is just the kind of work people do for refugees in places like Friedland, and it should never be taken for granted.