The following video shows that the unfortunate people who associate most closely with migrants in the Netherlands are well aware of the essential realities of cultural enrichment. Unlike the misty-eyed “Welcome Refugees” crowd, asylum center workers get a first-hand look at the consequences of mass migration.

The asylum workers are unionized, and the FNV (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, Federation of Dutch Trade Unions) has intervened on their behalf concerning the unsafe working conditions the asylum center staff now have to endure.

Many thanks to C for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

Video transcript:

20:11 Threats, thefts and fights. Working in refugee shelters

20:15 has become very unsafe for staff, says [union] FNV.

20:21 A growing minority of North Africans creates a situation in refugee shelters

20:25 that’s unsustainable for other asylum seekers as well as staff.

20:28 The director of COA, the organization that houses refugees, will join us shortly, but first,

20:33 3 of his employees who have been working there for a long time and have now reached their limit.

20:38 By their own request, they’ve been made unrecognizable, because

20:42 they’re not officially allowed to talk to the press.

20:46 I’ve been working for the COA for 28 years. I’ve seen many incidents,

20:50 but what is happening now is just completely unacceptable.

20:53 The daily situation is not safe, and,

20:57 well, next week I might get a knife between my ribs.

21:02 Although this type of footage is the exception.

21:06 the staff working at refugee shelters have to deal with violence and threats on a daily basis.

21:13 They feel a line has been crossed. I’ve experienced

21:17 that they threaten each other with knives, stabbings.

21:20 They’ve completely destroyed their own living quarters.

21:23 Doors are broken; they’ve kicked holes in them.

21:27 It looks like a pigsty; it’s just unacceptable.

21:31 The frequency and seriousness of the incidents keep increasing.

21:34 Blood is often spilled; knives are involved.

21:40 Look, in most of the cases other occupants are the target of the aggression,

21:45 but when things get out of hand, it might be the turn of one of my coworkers.

21:52 For two weeks, the FNV gathered reports of incidents

21:56 by COA staff who work throughout the Netherlands.

22:01 Over 60 disturbing reports were received about unsafe working conditions.

22:06 People report that they deal with aggression on a daily basis,

22:13 not isolated incidents, but one situation after another,

22:18 and these are situations in which they themselves are threatened with murder,

22:23 fights among the occupants themselves, incidents with knives, guns,

22:28 drugs on the premises, so that people have to work in a climate of fear.

22:35 Lately we’ve had a lot of people coming in from safe countries, like

22:41 Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Algeria.

22:44 and these types of people from North Africa have nothing to lose.

22:48 They can try to apply for asylum, but the procedure probably takes 6, 7 months. They know this.

22:54 They’ll try to stall for time as much as possible, and then they come here,

22:58 they start to plunder, they steal, they threaten the other refugees, the staff.

23:06 We heeded the call to work at COA, because we want to help refugees, people

23:12 in a difficult position, and this group is not receptive to that, to put it that way.

23:20 And even if you have just 10% of such people in your shelter,

23:25 they require 90% of your time and attention.

23:28 So the people who really need it don’t get enough attention.

23:34 The situation that the COA staff describe is that there is

23:38 a growing minority of men from North African countries,

23:41 who abuse the shelters for criminal activities,

23:45 and involve the innocent legitimate refugees as well.

23:48 Through violence and intimidation they manipulate the situation to their advantage.

23:53 In one corner there’s a brawl, an incident,

23:58 so security investigates, and coworkers go there, while in another corner

24:02 a few guys are plundering the others’ living quarters.

24:06 What must be done to improve security, according to you?

24:10 There should be more staff on permanent contracts.

24:13 We need more security personnel on location, with more authorization [to use force].

24:21 And the locations themselves should be made safer. —And why are the locations unsafe?

24:26 People. The locations are set up in such a way

24:32 that staff can easily be surrounded and cannot escape an unsafe situation.

24:38 Although in the meantime special shelters have been set up for violent asylum seekers,

24:43 the so-called EBTLs, the staff in regular shelters have not seen any improvement.

24:48 And although the COA is aware of the situation,

24:52 it isn’t doing enough to lighten the staff’s burden.

24:55 From [the organization’s] top to bottom layers, the problem has been made public,

24:59 and some measures have been taken. And we’ve been told the secretary of state

25:03 has sent another letter to parliament, announcing new measures.

25:08 But for us on the ground, none of this helps us, of course.

25:11 How does this affect you, such a job? —It makes me angry, because sometimes I wonder,

25:16 What is the purpose? What am I working for? I want to offer help

25:20 to people who need it, what the system was meant for.

25:23 I don’t want to work in a shelter where I see lots of crime,

25:27 and where there is no respect for the staff.