Austrian mayor defies Vienna and orders migrant tents to be dismantled
The mayor of a small Austrian village has defied the federal government and ordered tents housing migrants to be dismantled, in a standoff over the rising number of asylum-seekers in the central European nation
After a weeks-long conflict, St. Georgen Mayor Ferdinand Aigner had more than a dozen tents removed that were set up in his village last month.
Workers started taking down the 17 white tents on Monday after the mayor ruled they were unsafe, “inhumane” and wouldn’t survive the next storm.
“It’s very clear, this method of just putting up tents -- I’m still convinced it’s the most stupid solution -- putting up these tents in municipalities which are already doing enough, I won't allow that,” said Aigner.
He claimed some residents were feeling threatened by the presence of asylum-seekers, many of whom are young men.
The Austrian government has repeatedly criticised the village's resistance toward housing asylum seekers in tents, saying that most Austrian regions, including the state of Upper Austria where St. Georgen is based, did not fulfil their required quotas of taking in asylum-seekers.
Across Europe, the number of people applying for international protection has reached highs not seen since well over a million people sought refuge on the continent seven years ago. That has placed strains on national asylum systems, especially when it comes to housing.
In Germany, officials in Berlin have turned a former airport into a temporary refugee shelter for up to 3,600 migrants as regular shelters became overcrowded.
In Austria, even the UN refugee agency got involved, urging the federal government and St. Georgen to find a compromise so the migrants will not end up homeless during the winter cold.
“Despite all the challenges
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