A protest in Brussels against the EU refugee policy. Photo: Shutterstock The protest is a reaction to the situation in Moria, the Greek refugee camp, says Tom van Dalen (24), a masters student of International Land and Water Management and one of the initiators of the protest. ‘Earlier this year, there were pleas to bring 400 orphans to the Netherland, but the government refused. Now that Moria has burned down, 13000 refugees are homeless, and we are sheltering just one hundred. We think that is too few. Especially as this number is sheltered at the expense of space for other refugees, and all this, while Wageningen, along with several other municipalities, indicated there is enough capacity for additional refugees.’
‘This year, we commemorate 75 years of liberty’, Van Dalen continues. ‘And, Wageningen is the city of liberation. If you really value freedom as a nation, you show this through deeds, and not just in words. That is why we demand attention for the current situation and the current approach to refugees. We want to push the cabinet to alter the policy for refugees because it is this policy that allowed the present situation to develop. The Netherlands is an EU country, and as such, holds a shared responsibility for the situation in Moria.’
The protest, originally planned for last Saturday, 19 September, was rescheduled in consultation with the police and municipality to Thursday, 24 September. The event will start at 18.45 hrs in park Noordwest.
