German village of 102 residents ordered to take in 750 asylum seekers

German village of 102 residents ordered to take in 750 asylum seekers
By Euronews
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A German village of 102 inhabitants has been ordered to take in 750 asylum seekers. The German village of Sumte, population 102, braces for an influx

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A German village of 102 inhabitants has been ordered to take in 750 asylum seekers.

The German village of Sumte, population 102, braces for an influx of 750 asylum seekers https://t.co/sFaMqplF4Vpic.twitter.com/4kIdHfIv3S

— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) November 1, 2015

The influx will raise the population by 700 percent overnight.

A charity in Sumte, Lower Saxony has converted a former office space into a shelter:

The director is Jens Meier:“If I thought we couldn’t handle the challenge, I wouldn’t be here. I think we’re working very well together here in Sumte and that we’ll handle this challenge and succeed.”

The village has no shops, no school and no police station.

Initially Sumte was told to accept 1,000 asylum seekers a number that would overwhelm to local sanitation system.

This man is happy to see #refugees arrive next door to his farm. But says facilities at Sumte aren't up to the job. pic.twitter.com/10Pv7POene

— BrianGing Al Jazeera (@brianging) November 2, 2015

Some of the migrants are helping to finish off the shelter:“I came here to build my new life. I don’t want to stay and wait. I want to help because I was looking around, and everybody was helping us, so I had to do something. It is small, but I had to do it,” said Rouhi Safwa from Syria.

Many Sumte residents are concerned that the situation in the village could play into the hands of far-right extremists.

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