Saxony: attack: district office sticks to accommodation plans

Bautzen (dpa/sn) - Despite the arson attack on a planned refugee home in Bautzen, the district office is sticking to the plans to accommodate refugees from Ukraine in a former hotel.

Saxony: attack: district office sticks to accommodation plans

Bautzen (dpa/sn) - Despite the arson attack on a planned refugee home in Bautzen, the district office is sticking to the plans to accommodate refugees from Ukraine in a former hotel. It can be assumed that the damage caused by the fire can be repaired, so that partial occupancy of the accommodation is conceivable, the office announced after an extraordinary session of the district council on Monday evening. In the first week of November, 30 refugees were supposed to move into the former "Spreehotel" on the outskirts of the city.

So far, however, it is unclear when the accommodation can be put back into operation, the message said. According to a spokeswoman for the district office, the families who should come to Bautzen these days are in the emergency accommodation of the Saxony state directorate. A total of up to 200 people should be accommodated in the accommodation.

In the future, the police will guard the house, which is located on a reservoir, even more closely than before, it said. In addition, further security requirements would be coordinated with the police and the State Criminal Police Office and implemented. The amount of property damage caused by the attack is still being determined, the district office said.

According to the district office, 88 refugees from a wide variety of backgrounds have so far been accommodated in another accommodation in downtown Bautzen. The district took in a total of 3,700 Ukrainians. Asylum seekers had already found accommodation in the former "Spreehotel" between 2014 and 2017.

On October 28, unknown persons smashed the window panes of the building and set it on fire. Several people were there at the time, but were unharmed. After the crime, the police counter-terrorism and extremism center began investigating serious arson.