Rostock's mayor: caring for refugees is a mandatory task
Rostock's Lord Mayor Eva-Maria Kröger (Left Party) has rejected criticism from the CDU regarding the Hanseatic city's membership of the "Cities of Safe Ports" alliance. So far, Rostock has not taken in any additional refugees as part of the alliance. The appeal by the member cities of the alliance is an important humanitarian contribution to the debate on the issue of migration, Kröger said in a press release on Monday.
She was responding to criticism from MV-CDU General Secretary Daniel Peters. He had criticized, among other things, that Rostock had offered itself as a "safe haven" without need "with the aim of ensuring that no one is deported from Rostock". According to Peters, Kröger has so far supported this and ultimately also smuggling crime.
Like 320 other cities at present, Rostock had declared itself a "safe haven". This means that the Hanseatic city supports a list of demands from the Seebrücke organization to support sea rescues in the Mediterranean, but does not have to support every single demand. In addition to Rostock, Greifswald and Neubrandenburg in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have also joined the alliance.
Kröger accused Peters of confusing membership of the alliance with his political demand for the deportation of people whose asylum applications have been legally rejected. "This gives the false impression that Rostock is responsible for the rising number of refugees." The care of refugees is fundamentally a statutory duty.
The membership of Rostock in the "Cities of Safe Ports" alliance has been a topic of debate, with criticism raised about the city's role as a "safe haven" for refugees. This has led to discussions about the city's responsibility in addressing migration issues, as caring for refugees is a mandatory task under the law. Moreover, Rostock's popular sports clubs could consider hosting charity events to support local refugee integration initiatives, contributing to the broader community engagement with this important issue.
Source: www.dpa.com
