Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Dispute over the use of a sports hall as a refugee quarters

Wismar (dpa/mv) - After the destruction of the refugee accommodation in Groß Strömkendorf near Wismar by arson in October, the district wants to turn a sports hall into an emergency accommodation - but this is met with rejection from the sports fans concerned.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Dispute over the use of a sports hall as a refugee quarters

Wismar (dpa/mv) - After the destruction of the refugee accommodation in Groß Strömkendorf near Wismar by arson in October, the district wants to turn a sports hall into an emergency accommodation - but this is met with rejection from the sports fans concerned. After the decision of the district of Northwest Mecklenburg to use the hall of the Vocational School Center North in Wismar as refugee accommodation, five clubs concerned protested with a joint letter, as the district announced on Monday. After the corona lockdown and the use as emergency accommodation in the spring, the hall should again not be available for use by clubs and for sports lessons for a long time, they complained.

District Administrator Tino Schomann (CDU) stated on Monday that the district was obliged to accommodate refugees, the number of which was increasing. It was not possible to find other capacities in the short term. With the fire in the accommodation in Groß Strömkendorf in October, more than 150 places were lost.

A firefighter from the area is said to have started the fire and several others in the area in the weeks before. He has been in custody since last Wednesday.

According to the district, local politicians, vocational school management, representatives of the clubs concerned and the district and state sports association met in Wismar on Monday. It was discussed whether and how the lost training and school sports times can be compensated for in other halls in the Wismar area. A changeover model is therefore planned in order to spread the burden over many shoulders.

The managing director of the state sports association, Torsten Haverland, criticized that the municipalities were left alone with the problem of housing refugees. "The situation nationwide is that clubs, mayors and municipalities no longer know what to do. But a solution must come from the federal level, because the levels below are overburdened by the number of admissions."