On Tuesday, 5 July, a group of more than 40 Romani refugees from states in the Balkans occupied the cathedral in the Bavarian city of Regensburg on the Danube. The local Catholic parish has decided to leave the refugees in the building and is not requesting police to intervene. The parish has provided support to the refugees by feeding them and giving them material aid.
The refugees have been fed and have been given blankets and field beds by the employees of Malteser International. There was a minor verbal conflict in front of the church between sympathizers of the demonstrators, who set up an information stand at the scene, and some passers-by. Hartl said police did not have to intervene on that occasion. Hygienic conditions in the church, however, appear to be a problem β there are only sinks and toilets there, not showers β as is the fact that cultural events held for the public are not exactly compatible with the long-term residence of the refugees in the sacred building, according to the parish.
The diocese is offering the refugees the option of moving into the nearby vicarage, where they can also take showers. Supporters of the refugees held a press conference on Wednesday.
Police on that occasion agreed with the administrator of the memorial and with the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma to partially use force to disperse that demonstration.
We are discriminated against in our home countries, our children cannot go to school there. In recent years, thousands of refugees from all over the world have found temporary refuge in hundreds of German churches. The state tolerates this, for the most part, when cases of individual families are concerned.
