The heavily contested temporary asylum shelter in the half-vacant Loosdrecht town hall is closing again. The first asylum seekers have moved to reception facilities outside the municipality, and the others will follow in the coming period, Mayor Mark Verheijen announced in a letter to Loosdrecht residents this week, NH Nieuws reported.
Violent protests broke out this summer when the municipality announced that it intended to temporarily house asylum seekers in the half-vacant town hall in Loosdrecht. The demonstrations often turned into riots, and riot police had to intervene on multiple occasions. During one riot, locals set fire to bushes right next to the town hall while there were asylum seekers inside.
The letter from the mayor states that the emergency shelter will be cleared out in the coming days and the building will be restored to its original state by October 31.
He invited locals to come to the town hall on November 2 to verify that the shelter has indeed been closed, and to have a coffee with him. “To thank you for your understanding and patience over the past few months.”
“We realize that this has given rise to questions, concerns, or disturbances,” Verheijen wrote. “At the same time, many residents of our municipality have shown great engagement and willingness to help.”
From January 1, the Loosdrecht town hall will be repurposed into a facility for educational use, the municipality said.
Defend Loosdrecht, the name under which many opponents of the asylum shelter organized, is pleased that the shelter is closing. “Hurrah, the end is in sight,” the group wrote on Facebook.
Loosdrecht currently falls under the municipality of Wijdemeren, which will merge with Hilversum next year.
