Dresden (dpa/sn) - The Saxon Refugee Council has warned against scaremongering in connection with the increasing number of asylum seekers. "Instead of bad news that distorts the actual situation, what is needed is a reminder of the solidarity that emerged with Ukraine at the end of March," said Dave Schmidtke, spokesman for the organization, on Thursday in Dresden. Anything else fuels fear and xenophobia. "Panic is the worst advisor. The past few years have proven that the policy of sealing off the EU does not lead to less migration, but only to more suffering on the part of those seeking protection."
Schmidtke reminded that more than 100 million people are currently fleeing the world. Only a fraction want to or make it to Germany. The fact that many people from Syria are currently leaving Turkey is related to the deportation plans of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. "Following a peace agreement with Syrian dictator Assad, the Turkish government plans to "voluntarily return" up to a million people to Syria."
The spokesman for the refugee council criticized the fact that different classes of refugees were becoming clear again in the current debate. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) emphasizes on the one hand the willingness to take in people from Ukraine and on the other hand wants to prevent so-called illegals from fleeing.
The refugee council sees another problem with the issue of accommodation. When it comes to migration, politicians usually don't think long-term. There is a misconception that recording capacities must be reduced to a minimum. It would be important to create "stand-by capacities", i.e. to maintain facilities, even if the numbers are falling, said Schmidtke. More places in community accommodation could be created by accommodating those seeking protection in a decentralized manner.
