00:00Migration in Germany. It's shaped the country over the past decade.
00:11Many places have seen a shift in mood from open arms to far-right votes,
00:17like a village in northern Germany that's navigating this changing landscape.
00:22In Brustadt, we met with people working to keep their village together,
00:27building bridges between locals and asylum seekers.
00:30We'll take a closer look at what can be done to counter polarization.
00:48For more than a year, this room in Brustadt has been home to Farid Fayez and his family.
00:54They fled the Taliban in Afghanistan, a place with no education for women and girls, unimaginable for this family.
01:03We left our country because of the education of our children.
01:06You know, inside the country, the girls can't join school.
01:11This is what the Taliban said. We are really happy to be in Germany now.
01:16My two daughters are going to school inside the camp,
01:20and one of my sons is going to the Neumunster school.
01:27The family of five lives in this state-run shelter in Brustadt in northern Germany,
01:33a small village between Kiel and Hamburg.
01:42Around 1,000 other asylum seekers live here as well.
01:46People like Farid and his wife Victoria have to wait at least three months to receive a work permit.
01:52You know, if we sit in the room, that is not good for us.
01:59Me, I really like to do something, because I like to work.
02:05I want to integrate to the society.
02:11Farid Fayez has been helping out as a translator in the camp.
02:15His daughter, Norma Fayez, has big dreams.
02:22It's good to go to school, but I don't want to be in Afghanistan.
02:28I want to be like a doctor or a pen.
02:34But there's no guarantee the family will be allowed to stay in Germany.
02:39Busstedt, the village the family calls home for now, has nearly 6,000 residents.
02:51At times, up to 2,000 asylum seekers were housed in the shelter nearby.
02:56Someone who understands the opportunities and challenges of this situation is Hartwig Puhlmann.
03:01The retired police officer has made it his mission to act as a bridge between asylum seekers and locals.
03:10I think some politicians just don't understand what needs to be done locally.
03:16He listens to everyone's concerns.
03:19Some locals told him they felt torn.
03:21They wanted to help people fleeing war, but they were also afraid.
03:26It had gotten out of hand. Everywhere you went, there were masses.
03:30Walking in groups of 10, 20, even hundreds. That was intense.
03:34It's too many for a village like Busstedt.
03:41To ease concerns, Puhlmann got involved directly, choosing a practical approach to solve problems on the ground.
03:49Since 2015, he's met with representatives from local schools, the church, and migration authorities.
03:57Their regular roundtable addresses the concerns.
04:00Hartmut Dawid is from the village Protestant parish.
04:04We've organized various events at the roundtable to show the village that the big dangerous people imagine,
04:11the ones circulating in people's minds aren't actually that serious.
04:17Often, you can't even grasp them clearly.
04:20They're mostly emotional issues.
04:22There are fears that are simply there.
04:24We have to work with them.
04:26We can't just argue them away.
04:29Two issues kept surfacing.
04:31Trash and safety.
04:33But it's not easy to get people talking.
04:35Many fear being labeled far right, says former headteacher Dagmar Drummond.
04:40To the critics, I'd like to say, I wish they would come to the roundtable and express their criticism here.
04:49That would be very helpful for us, because it would allow us to engage in discussion and address and work through these points.
05:00When they can, they go on to offer solutions.
05:03Since there were complaints about increased levels of trash, they organized daily cleanups with asylum seekers and Red Cross workers.
05:11Among the helpers is Farid Fayez, who we met earlier in the shelter with his family.
05:16We, people who live inside the camp, clean outside the camp because we are living here. Everyone should do this.
05:31Every day they walk through the village, reducing trash and leaving a positive impression.
05:37I think this is really positive. There's much less trash now, and that's definitely a good thing.
05:46Every day they clean the routes most asylum seekers take from the shelter to the supermarket or sports court.
05:54I mean, there's no trash here.
05:58Locals also pitch in, like groundskeeper Peter Pirla, who works at the village sports court.
06:07I think it's good. They have something to do now. And they don't feel so left behind. That's a good thing. Otherwise, things might have escalated even more.
06:20We do have a lot of people here who are far right. Just look at the last election. 23% voted for the AFD. That gives you a rough idea of the political leaning.
06:34In Bustadt, one in four voters backed the far right AFD, the alternative for Germany in the last federal election.
06:42Over the past ten years, the AFD has become the second biggest party in Germany's national parliament.
06:49Their main focus is on crime and migration, aiming to spread fear.
06:54Fear is exactly what Pullman's group tries to address. Social workers increased their presence when people began feeling unsafe.
07:02One place they always check is the local supermarket.
07:07There had been complaints about thefts and groups of asylum seekers hanging around at night.
07:12Social outreach worker Buhalel el-Beshri recognizes the problem.
07:18And how are things? Very good. We have a few people here, but everything is calm. People used to sit around here, but much less now. Everything's clean. People are keeping the peace. They go shopping and then leave right after.
07:34And they say, everything's clean.
07:36A small group of boys from the shelter catches his attention.
07:41Yeah, okay, we'll go back.
07:43Do you want to stay here? Park your bikes there, and you can chat over there.
07:48Okay, thank you.
07:49Then straight home in your Mercedes.
07:52But for some, the issues are still unresolved.
07:56We hardly ever shop here. It just wasn't peaceful.
08:00When you constantly hear about thefts and how the police are treated by those who steal, it's not a pleasant situation.
08:11Local crime statistics tell a different story. Crime in the village has gone down in recent years. Shoplifting cases nearly halved.
08:21We've managed to improve the sense of safety for some people. But fears persist, because foreign cultures are present here in significant numbers.
08:36Yet, despite these feelings, we've managed to keep street crime almost non-existent. Still, the situation is fragile. What if something does happen?
08:49The next day, Pulman visits the camp to meet round table members.
08:57While walking through the camp, he meets Mohamed Reza Nabawi from Afghanistan, who's been living here for a year.
09:04They know each other from soccer.
09:07I can't speak German very well. But I have to practice every day. And maybe I'll get better.
09:21You're still at school? Yes, my German course is at the vocational school. But I can't start an apprenticeship yet.
09:31But I would like to do one. Maybe in IT. I like computers.
09:36IT. I like computers.
09:39Just like the Fayez family, Mohamed doesn't know if he'll be allowed to stay in Germany. His asylum case is still pending.
09:49When we have people here, I think we need to become a bit more flexible in our thinking, instead of always being afraid that we're strengthening the right wing.
10:01If we keep taking away people's prospects for no good reason, we're destroying them.
10:06Just look at him. What a wonderful person. And then what? That's not acceptable. And it certainly doesn't align with my view of humanity or my understanding of this state.
10:21The person who's had to make some tough calls is the mayor, Hartmut Koenig.
10:26He believes migration can be a force for good, but also sensed when the mood in the village shifted as numbers grew.
10:34He calls for limits.
10:37I want to help, but sometimes it's just too much of a good thing.
10:42When it becomes too much, I can't create acceptance for what I believe is important. I just can't do it.
10:49That's why I have to talk to people and say, I'm working to change things. That's really the point.
10:59When I'm at the camp and I come here to play soccer, it's really good for me.
11:02When I'm at the camp and I come here to play soccer, it's really good for me.
11:05Less stress. I meet my friends. And it's very good for me.
11:10I meet my friends. And it's very good for me.
11:11For ten years, Koelman has been in a group of asylum seekers.
11:12Welcome.
11:13And Ali is here.
11:14Ali is here.
11:15Ali is here.
11:16Hello.
11:17Hello.
11:18Hello.
11:19Mohammed also joins the trainings.
11:22When I'm at the camp and I come here to play soccer, it's really good for me.
11:27Less stress.
11:28I meet my friends. And it's very good for me.
11:37For ten years, Koelman has been building bridges and finding solutions. And it looks like he'll keep going.
11:46I grew up here. And I'm deeply connected to this place. To the people. You get so much back in return. Sure, it's exhausting at times, but what you get back is incredible. You can see it today. I see it in every encounter. There's respect and appreciation. It's just great.
12:11There are many positive aspects to the coexistence of Germans and migrants. But also challenges. In Bostad and across Germany.
Be the first to comment