Germany does it again: First cities ready to accept migrants - Lukashenko accepts Munich offer

Berlin - Several German cities have agreed to accept migrants from the Belarusian-Polish border area . "The developments on the border between Poland and Belarus are also worrying from the point of view of the city of Giessen," said a spokeswoman for the city when asked by Junge Freiheit. “The city will of course fulfill all obligations that it has to face in the context of supporting and accommodating refugees.” Gießen is already in talks with other municipalities in connection with the “Cities of Safe Haven” alliance.

The city of Göttingen announced: "In principle, the city of Göttingen is ready to take in refugees regardless of their origin." Göttingen is also involved in the “Seebrücke” alliance and makes itself available as a “safe haven”.

Cologne and Freiburg ready too
The city of Cologne referred to its "multiple readiness to accept refugees in precarious humanitarian situations". This applies in principle to all “refugees from crisis regions” and “beyond the refugee admission quota”, said a spokeswoman to JF. "With regard to the people stuck in the Belarusian-Polish border region, who have to endure under the most precarious conditions when frost and cold set in, nothing else applies in principle."

Freiburg stated that as a municipality it had no way of bringing Belarusian migrants to Germany. But: "We are ready at any time to accept people in need of protection within the framework of the established procedures." Several other cities have not yet responded to corresponding inquiries.

Lukashenko responds to the Munich offer
Munich's third mayor, Verena Dietl, announced last week: “For the state capital Munich as a safe haven, saving human lives and protecting human rights have top priority. That is why we are once again offering to take in people who have fled the border area quickly and unbureaucratically with us in Munich and to grant them access to proper asylum procedures here."

Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko assured on Monday, according to the state news agency Belta, that his country is encouraging migrants to return to their countries of origin. But they didn't want to. In this context, Lukashenko also mentioned Munich's offer of admission. The state airline Belavia could fly the migrants to Germany if Poland did not set up a "humanitarian corridor" for this. "We will send them to Munich with our own planes if necessary."

Meanwhile, the escape aid organization "Seebrücke", which had previously mainly campaigned for the reception of Mediterranean migrants, demanded on Monday that the stranded be brought to Germany from the border area between Poland and Belarus. "We demand the immediate admission of those seeking protection at the Polish-Belarusian border, legal and safe escape routes and a more solidarity-based migration policy."

Demonstration for admission in Berlin
Seebrücke supporters also demonstrated in Berlin before the next coalition round of the SPD, Greens and FDP and politicians such as Greens leader Annalena Baerbock were reminded of earlier statements. For example, she shouted “We have space” from an election stage in the summer.

In August she also called for the new federal government to defend human rights and the right to asylum after the election. Conditions like those in the camps on the Greek islands meant a break with European values ​​and human rights.

Baerbock and kipping for aid organizations in the border area
Baerbock had already asked the Polish government on Sunday to allow aid organizations into the border area. “There is a threat of a humanitarian drama for the people stranded in the border region of Belarus. The supply situation is poor and the cold is getting to them - especially unbearable for children, families and the sick. Emergency humanitarian aid is now the most urgent."

Several German refugee workers had tried in the past few days to bring migrants from the border area to Germany by car, but were stopped by Polish authorities.

Not least because of this, the rumor spread among those stranded from the Middle East that vehicles would be waiting at the Polish border this Monday to bring them to Germany. After a large column of migrants gathered at the border crossing in Kuznica during the day, they informed Polish border guards over loudspeakers that the border would not open for them and that no buses from Germany were waiting.

Source: Junge Freiheit