University discussion around Containerdorf in Berlin-Dahlem

University discussion around Containerdorf in Berlin-Dahlem

The planned container village for 260 refugees on a fallow unibles in Berlin-Dahlem ensures controversy. The Free University (FU) has expressed concerns about the project because it actually wants to build a building for teaching and research on the site. The university management feels over and emphasizes that the area is needed for its own construction work after 2023. The university proposes to use empty buildings of the Federal Real Estate Agency nearby, which were used earlier for the accommodation of refugees.

The Senate decided at the end of March the establishment of 16 other container villages in order to counteract the acute lack of living space for refugees. Despite the challenges and resistances, an overall package was put together, which also requires further measures. The locations for the new container villages are largely concentrated on the eastern part of the city, which leads to an intensification of the imbalance in the accommodation of refugees.

The protests against the planned container village on the universe area in Steglitz-Zehlendorf have caused mockery and anger on the net. Some criticize the Free University for its resistance and demand solidarity support from providing temporary accommodation. The discussions on the Internet illustrate the tensions between the role of an institution like the FU as a place of tolerance and openness and its actions in concrete situations that can indicate resentments and prejudices. The debate raises questions about the limits of cosmopolitanity and solidarity and addresses the challenges in dealing with social conflicts and political decisions.