(STH) Approximately 50 refugees currently housed in the Luxexpo-halls in Luxembourg-Kirchberg blocked the access road to the foyer on Sunday in protest. According to police, they wanted to draw attention to their discontent over the preparation of their meals during this 30-minute protest. This however, is not the whole story, according to Marc Crochet, Deputy Director General at Croix Rouge, who spoke to “Luxemburger Wort”.

On Sunday, the refugees received roast beef among their meals. Some people, not familiar with the produce, thought it was bad meat, according to Crochet. After the misunderstanding was resolved, the situation quickly eased.

Not all dietary requirements can be met

Religious aspects were no determining factor in Sunday's incident. Although the OLAI (Luxembourg Office for Admission and Integration) is trying to respect as many dietary requirements as possible, Crochet admits that not all can be met. This would certainly be a subject worth discussing, the tendency for easy answers should however be avoided.

Either way, the Deputy Director General at Croix Rouge regrets what is being termed a "shitstorm" in social media following first media reports about the incident.

The question remains, how the situation could develop into a protest this quickly. In hindsight, Crochet believes, one could argue that the misunderstanding about the roast beef was not the only cause. One should also take into account the fact that the Luxexpo foyer, which initially only served as a first admission center, is becoming increasingly crowded.

Rising refugee numbers

Presently, the Luxexpo halls are the temporary home to close to 200 people, four times as much as before. In some cases, two families have to share a single tent. Initially, first arrivals were not supposed to spend more than 48 hours in the centre. Currently, their stay can last up to two weeks.

There are various reasons for this, among which are the delays of the construction of some new foyers due to opposition to them.

Another reason are the increasing numbers of refugees in Luxembourg. An additional 300 people asked for international protection in Luxembourg in October alone, almost twice as many as in the months before.

Further closures of provisional foyers could lead to new shortages in the remaining structures, risking more conflict potential in the future. OLAI is therefore looking forward to the opening of a foyer for 300 people in Diekirch, promising at least some relief.

OLAI is currently managing some 70-80 centres throughout Luxembourg, sheltering a total of 3,400 people.