Köpping calls for ban miles around refugee shelters

Saxon Social Affairs Minister Petra Köpping (SPD) has called for the establishment of a ban mile in front of refugee accommodations because of increasing marches by right-wing extremists. In a letter to Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU), she referred to the practice in Brandenburg, where a zone of 200 meters has been set up in front of accommodations for refugees, where no gatherings are allowed. In the second quarter of this year alone, 44 of 52 marches registered nationwide had taken place in Saxony.

There are always marches in the immediate vicinity of accommodations, explained Köpping, who is also responsible for integration. This creates a considerable fear and threat potential for those affected. This threat situation is unacceptable and can no longer be tolerated, she said. "That is why I ask the Minister of the Interior to use all available options. This includes the establishment of protective zones around sensitive objects and the appropriate cooperation of assembly and police authorities."

Köpping recalled that marches and demonstrations in front of Saxon refugee shelters sometimes gathered several hundred people. In view of such scenarios, an immediate threat to shelter residents could be prevented with a protective zone around the buildings, she said. The accumulation of these often racist and inhuman marches is unacceptable. Refugees have a right to safety and protection from violence, Köpping stressed in her letter.