Approximately 40 asylum seekers in Germany refused food in their asylum accommodation in the coastal city of Rostock, with some throwing their plates to the floor. The incident then escalated after certain migrants began threatening employees at the asylum accommodation, which resulted in a police operation being launched at the location to restore order.
According to a police report, a group of Afghan asylum seekers were served pork, which according to Islamic law, is forbidden to eat. However, the group of men did not just complain about the pork but also complained about what they said was the monotony of the food selection, wilted salad greens, and the sanitary conditions of the facility.
During the argument, some of the residents of the facility demonstrated loud and threatening behavior and threw their food to the floor. Police arrived on scene in 12 patrol cars, but no arrests were made. The facility currently houses 281 people.
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Rostock’s social senator, Steffen Bockhahn, appeared to accede to the men’s demands by organizing new food from outside the location, which calmed the situation. Additional social workers and security guards have also been hired, which will help better ensure order at the location, but at additional cost to the taxpayer.
Initial reports indicated that the caterer who delivered the pork was fired, but Norddeutsche Rundfunk reports that as of now, the caterer has not been terminated.
Germany is dealing with an ongoing migrant crisis. In March alone, 80,000 asylum applications were filed in the country. If current trends hold, nearly 1 million migrants may file for asylum this year. The influx of migrants has helped fuel a massive housing crisis and strained public services. Other asylum centers, such as in the city of Freiburg, have seen violent riots take place that have necessitated large-scale police operations.
