Protest in Dahlem: Uni vs. refugee accommodation

Protest in Dahlem: Uni vs. refugee accommodation

The property on Thielallee 63 in Berlin-Dahlem, which is currently still being used as a parking lot, is to be converted into a container village for 260 refugees, according to Senate plans. Free University of Berlin, which is actually planning to build a building for teaching and research there, is outraged by this decision. The university feels over, since the university management was not inaugurated. A spokesman at the university emphasized that the university was fundamentally willing to support refugees, but the site was intended for its own construction measures from 2023.

The special representative for refugee questions at the Senate, Broemme, who is looking for free space for refugee accommodation, emphasized that as long as the property remains unused, it was a suitable option for the accommodation of refugees. The dispute over the planned use of the site led to discussions online, where criticism of the reluctance of the university was expressed. Some users pointed out that the FU Berlin is usually presenting itself as cosmopolitan, but in this case the refugees are not on hand.

At the end of March, the Senate decided to build 16 other container villages for the accommodation of refugees, since the need for living space for refugees is still high. The governing mayor emphasized that despite the challenges, an overall package was put together to improve the situation. The planned locations mostly concentrate in the eastern part of the city, which increases the imbalance in the distribution of refugees. Despite the resistance in some districts, the need for decentralized accommodations for refugees remains.