The German city closes its doors to Ukrainians

Bad Griesbach is overloaded with migrants who should be distributed more fairly, says mayor Jurgen Fundke

The mayor of the Bavarian town of Bad Griesbach, Germany, has refused to accept new Ukrainian refugees, arguing that the location has been disproportionately affected by the exodus of migrants, local media reported Friday.

Jurgen Fundke has clashed with Passau district authorities, according to the Passauer Neue Presse, a local newspaper, saying his resort town has been accepting too many newcomers and has instructed local officials to stop registering them.

The mayor emphasized that he does not “He wants to give the impression that the people are xenophobic,” He adds that the locals are very happy to help the Ukrainians who ended up fleeing their homeland. “However, refugees must be distributed more fairly among towns and communities.” he said

Fundke noted that all the local schools and kindergartens are now full because of the refugees and there is no more room to accommodate them. The mayor said the turning point came when nearly 40 of the asylum seekers arrived to stay in a former hotel that was already housing about 100 Ukrainians. At the same time, he noted that there are a number of other locations that can accommodate a total of 108 refugees. The city feels “totally unfair deal” Fundke added, calling for an equitable distribution of responsibilities.

District authorities were not thrilled with the mayor’s refusal. A spokesman for the administration, although he has acknowledged that it is “aware of the challenges associated with hosting refugees,” he said the city authorities were “required to provide adequate shelter to persons seeking protection from war and violence”.

The district also threatened the mayor “consequences” if he fails, as quoted by Bild. Meanwhile, Markus Kleinmann, city manager, noted that the district could also issue a decree ordering the registration to be done by someone else, with officials required by law to do so.

As of June 2024, Germany has taken in almost 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees, making the country their top destination in the EU, with Poland trailing behind with more than 950,000, according to Statista. Russia has hosted more than 5.3 million Ukrainians, according to official data as of early 2023.

Germany has also continued to receive additional migrants from other countries amid crises in the Middle East and Africa, with total refugee arrivals reaching 2.67 million and 1.93 million in 2022 and 2023 , respectively.