02.01.21: Submission of the petition to the municipal council of Gipf-Oberfrick.
Excerpt from the petition to the municipality of Gipf-Oberfrick
“The petitioners request the municipal council to inform the canton that the municipality is prepared to take in three […] refugees. They expect the communal council to show solidarity in this matter and to give feedback on its decision.”
13.01.21: Rejection by the municipal council.
“The municipal council takes note of the petition. In principle, it supports all measures that alleviate the plight of the refugees in the various camps. However, it is not within its competence to take in refugees itself and to bear the costs.
Decision of the Municipal Council of 13.01.21
In its statement of reasons, the municipal council points out that it is the responsibility of the federal government. Moreover, it could not decide on the admission of three refugees without the consent of the communal assembly, as this would cause additional annual costs of around CHF 100,000. The municipality is already involved in the care of refugees beyond the required quota.
This initiative is part of the campaign “500 people for Aargau”.
The refugee camps in Greece are in dire straits. Several tens of thousands of refugees are locked up in camps under the most degrading conditions. Their situation is so unbearable that at Easter 2020, the three national churches of Switzerland jointly appealed to the Federal Council to alleviate the tragedy and accept 5000 refugees from Greece into Switzerland.
The campaign “500 people for the municipalities in Aargau” takes up this appeal and wants to achieve that municipalities and cities voluntarily increase their quota for taking in people. In this way, they can create the necessary capacity in and with the canton for the government to register the “free space” with the federal government for the admission of people from precarious camps. Numerous communes have already given positive feedback.
Ask your municipality in Aargau to take in people too. The requests are coordinated by the association Netzwerk Asyl Aargau.
Letter template “500 people for the municipalities in Aargau”.
