University dispute over refugee camps in Berlin-Dahlem

University dispute over refugee camps in Berlin-Dahlem

The property on Thielallee 63 in Berlin-Dahlem, which is currently being used as a parking lot, is to be used by the Senate for the construction of a container village for 260 refugees. This encounters vehemently resistance at the Free University (FU). The university plans to build a building for teaching and research on the grounds and feels over, since the university management of the measure has not approved. The President of the FU, Günter Ziegler, expressed that the university was fundamentally willing to support refugee people, but pointed out that the area would be needed for its own construction work from 2023.

The FU suggested that vacant buildings of the Federal Real Estate Institute could only be used a few hundred meters away as an alternative location. Despite the high need for renovation and extensive construction planning of the FU, there are currently no other areas available. The special representative for refugee issues at the Senate, Broemme, emphasizes that the accommodation of refugees on the fallow site is possible as long as it is not used elsewhere. The FU Chancellor was asked to state a time frame for the construction of the new building in order to enable the accommodation of refugees.

In the meantime, the Senate has decided to build 16 other container villages, since the need for living space for refugees is not sufficiently covered. These new locations are mainly planned in the eastern part of the city, with some districts such as Pankow already house a large number of refugees. However, the decision for new locations encounters criticism and resistance, especially in elegant districts such as Dahlem.

The discussion about the use of the Uniigeländ in Dahlem has led to controversy on the net. Some users criticize the FU for its supposed resistance to the accommodation of refugees, while it otherwise presents itself as cosmopolitan. This debate shows the challenges and tensions in dealing with the refugee crisis and the search for adequate accommodation options in increasingly stressed cities like Berlin.