The story is true. The last couple of weeks there has been a large number of fires in buildings planned to be used for asylum seekers, and also some already in use.
Let’s start with the latter; those “arsons” are the only cases apparently solved so far. Fires have been due, in most cases to carlessness - drying clothes on electrical heaters, smoking etc. Only a few cases are still being investigated, and there are at least suspicions that fires have been started by migrants themselves. No arrests have been made.
The other kind of fires, affecting buildings not yet occupied but scheduled to be used for asylum seekers, are more of a mystery - at least for our authorities. There is a history here: In the 1990’s during the heavy migration from the Balkans, we hade a similar spate of fires. According to a serious researcher, Helen Löw, the majority of the arsonists were middle aged men, well established in the local community and NOT affiliated with any extreme political movements.
It is not difficult to understand their motives; most of the migrants are placed in small rural communities. The social and economic impacts are huge, not to say devastating. So if the old school. sports hall or hotel burned down before anyone could move in - well, wouldn’t that be a shame?
So far the police has not been able to solve a single of these cases. The government and immigation authorities are very worried, but keep directing their ire and propaganda vs racists and neo-nazis. (At worst a very very small number.)
Threats of curtailment of freedom of expression in the press, ether media and of course the Net abounds. And in the meantime the influx of migrants from the ME and north Africa just continues.
This will end very badly.
Many thanks for the info!
I hope you'll continue to assess the events and keep us informed and updated as events unfold in that country.
Leni