While recent changes in Luxembourg’s asylum policy, which recently led to refugees pitching tents under Pont Adolphe, have raised concerns about the impact on the organisation’s work, Virgine Giarmana from Inter-Actions asserts that there has been no significant change in the Gare neighbourhood: “We haven’t seen any notable impact from the new rules, except for a few isolated cases where individuals have sought assistance with finding accommodation.”
Security around the central railway station, a topic of contention during the recent elections, remains a dynamic issue. Christof Mann, in charge of social affairs in the capital, explains: “The situation is constantly evolving. We know that we can’t make certain groups in Luxembourg City disappear, given its status as a European capital. However, our goal is twofold: to prevent individuals from experiencing undue hardship due to their social circumstances and to address any disruptive behaviour that may disturb residents and workers in the area.”
The ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world are having a ripple effect, with Luxembourg not being an exception.
“Wars are causing refugees to arrive,” Mann explains. “We are taking in these people, but we are also facing a context of poverty, including in Europe, which is not improving. When people all over the world can easily access information about Luxembourg’s relatively high standard of living, they start flocking here. We need to find a way to address this situation collectively, and solidarity is key.”
Luxembourg, as the autumn approaches, is experiencing a familiar trend leading up to the annual Wanter Aktioun (“Winter Campaign”). Mann describes a recurring pattern of individuals from abroad seeking shelter in the Grand Duchy during the colder months, along with “Roma communities who come begging.” This, according to Mann, “adds to the existing challenges faced by the – so to speak – ‘traditional’ homeless population and drug addicts.”
As the weather worsens, people seeking shelter will become more visible, particularly as they are no longer able to stay in the parks. “And now, there are also the refugees,” Mann sums up the current situation.
