Explosives and vandalism were found on Thursday morning in a building in Nuenen, Brabant, where an asylum seeker center will open this summer. This is reported by the East Brabant police. Construction workers working on the asylum seekers’ center under construction found a broken window. They saw suspicious objects in the building.
The police have confirmed to various media that it concerns a fireworks mortar and a pipe bomb. No one was injured. Specialists from the police and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service of Defense are currently investigating the circumstances.
The mayor of the municipality of Nuenen, Freek van Genugten, responded via the municipality’s website on the news. He finds it “unacceptable” that a “dangerous situation arises for the people on site and local residents”. Moreover, according to the mayor, the incident goes against the “hospitable municipality” that Nuenen wants to be for people who need help. “We are there to offer them safety and shelter, which does not include these forms of aggression and violence. We want a safe and pleasant living environment for all our residents.”
Resistance
The new asylum seeker center in Nuenen was scheduled to open its doors in mid-August for a maximum of 159 asylum seekers. The reception location would serve as a reception location for a maximum of ten years.
That announcement was met with resistance among residents. No fewer than 1,059 objections were received against the environmental permits granted for the establishment of the temporary reception centre. Not all of these objections were declared admissible by the municipality. The objections made by people living 260 meters or more away from the emergency shelter were declared inadmissible.
The municipality did take measures to accommodate local residents. For example, the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers provides security 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The reception location is also constantly available by telephone. In addition, regular meetings will be organized by the municipality and COA for local residents.
