Hünenberg,01.09.2015

Locals express their concerns about asylum-seerkers' home

As reported last week, some 16 asylum-seekers are to be housed in accommodation at number 12 Haus Zollwied in Hünenberg (photograph), close to the municipality of Sins in the neighbouring canton of Argovia.
 
At an information evening held on Monday evening, some 40 local residents as well as Josef Huwiler, the mayor of Sins, and fellow councillor Marco Meier, attended to hear Jris Bischof, the head of the Cantonal Office of Social Affairs and Hünenberg mayoress Regula Hürlimann explain more about the home to allay locals’ fears.
 
Bischof explained that it was the canton’s intention to house families there, though she could not promise this would be the case as a large number of individual young men asylum-seekers from Eritrea, Syria, and Sri Lanka were currently coming to Switzerland, but she could not say exactly where the refugees to be house in Zollwied would be from.
 
She emphasised that there had been no problems relating to crime in relation to asylum-seekers so far. “At present the canton of Zug is housing refugees on 65 sites and so far we have had no negative experiences,” she said.
 
As to the reaction of locals present, a number of them were critical of the fact that they had only recently been informed about the use of this house on Zollwied for this purpose. Some of the immediate neighbours in this outlying area complained that they would have to live in close proximity to 16 refugees, whereas only one flat had been made available to asylum-seekers in the more central area of Hünenberg.
 
“What annoys me is that no-one consulted us at all about housing refugees here,” said one resident. In their response, Bischof and Hürlimann said that the canton had the right to decide where it would rent such accommodation. “It is quite normal,” added Bischof. “What is more, it is not on every occasion that information evenings like this one are held, either. This is more an exception.”
 
Not unexpectedly, concern was also expressed by the mayor of Sins. “It is in our municipality where the refugees will be catching the buses and trains. This means there will have to be additional checks. And who is going to pay for these?” he asked.
 
Bischof replied that asylum-seekers were free to move around as they wished. “We cannot tell them where to go and where not to,” she said, though she also promised to look into this, adding that her department already worked very well with the police. “If anyone comes across a problem, do not hesitate to contact us or the police,” she said. “It is better people call too often than not enough.”
 
As the discussion heated up, Hünenberg councillor Christian Keller rose to speak and explained how he lived next door to a couple from Eritrea and that he had only had positive experiences as a result. “While we cannot choose our neighbours, I appeal to you to approach these asylum-seekers in a welcoming way as you would anyone else,” he said.