“Anyone who travels in the train station district will more than once see people lying there who make you wonder whether they are still alive” – that was the answer from the capital’s mayor Lydie Polfer (DP) on Wednesday morning to the question daily newspaper, what city officials say Death of a homeless man on Saturday say. The mayor previously briefly stated that the city did not know more about the incident than was publicly known.
The police were called at around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday about a man who was sleeping in the blazing sun on rue de Strasbourg in the train station district. However, she did not find a “health-worrying condition”.. A few hours later, a resident called the police again because the 75-year-old was no longer responsive. He was found dead in a backyard around 6 p.m.
“We don’t know what he died of,” emphasized Lydie Polfer on Wednesday. According to initial findings, external influences have been ruled out; investigations into the cause of death are ongoing. “The Laboratoire National de Santé (LNS) is still working on it,” the justice press office said on Wednesday when asked.
The mayor took the opportunity at the “City Breakfast” to point out a long-standing demand from the city of Luxembourg: “It would be absolutely necessary for a ‘Samu Social’ to take these people, if they are not yet dead, and to be able to nurture them, so to speak.” Ever the politician, she emphasized that there was no legal basis for this.
reaction to criticism
When asked generally about the situation in the Bahnhofsviertel, for which Lydie Polfer in particular is now even receiving criticism from her own ranks, the mayor said: “I haven’t heard anything yet that I haven’t said myself in recent years.” She preferred to speak of “findings” rather than “criticism”. In the past few weeks we have had this City council member Anne Kaiffer and Alderwoman Corinne Cahen (both DP) called for an overall concept for the district in the media.
“It’s an unacceptable situation, and I’ve been saying that for years,” said Lydie Polfer on Wednesday. At the same time, she emphasized that you also hear “good and nice things” about the district: “It is a lively district, sometimes too much.” More than once, situations would get out of hand. Then “it would have to be possible to intervene differently,” said the mayor.
First Alderman Maurice Bauer (CSV) emphasized that the city had taken responsibility over the years to help those affected. “It would be interesting to see where else there are social structures,” he said, referring to the city of Luxembourg’s long-standing criticism that a large part of the offers of help are concentrated in the capital.
