For the hunters, the forests have already become worthless – for the asylum mafia they are a gold mine. What is currently happening on Austria’s borders is unbelievable. The population is unsettled, politicians are at a loss. The only thing that is clear is: “It can’t go on like this” …
“There is a route across the forest area and you can see a strategy of the traffickers’ mafia. First small groups come across the border to tie up forces, and then large groups cross the border somewhere else,” explains Roman Kainrath ( Social Democratic Party of Austria), mayor of Lutzmannsburg. “I am not someone who says ‘we shouldn’t help’, but how should this continue?”
In the forest, the migrants often leave clothes and rubbish behind. “The hunters are already desperate, the area is worthless. They already did a rubbish collection, there were tons of clothes,” Kainrath reported. He was also told by a resident that she was surprised by a refugee in the garden, eating grapes: “He didn’t steal them, he was hungry. But these individual cases are unsettling.” Another, she says, was hiding in the woods on a walk when 15 to 20 young men came towards her.
Those apprehended are transported onwards by coaches every day. “The conditions are unimaginable, day after day,” the mayor said and sees the police and the armed forces at the limit of their capacity.
Johann Weber ( Austrian People’s Party), mayor of Eberau (district of Güssing), also lives in a border municipality, but he does not consider the situation to be as dramatic. Apart from one incident in which a trafficker is said to have shot at soldiers, he is not aware of any incident in his locality. “There are refugees all the time, but because of the presence of the Austrian Armed Forces, the population does not notice so much. You often see them sitting around waiting to be transported on,” Weber said.
In Eberau, the “green border crossings” like field paths have been made impassable for vehicles. They can now only be used by cyclists or hikers. The army and the police were doing a good job, and as mayor he was also kept informed.
The strong presence of the army and the police would give the inhabitants security. He also noticed a greater number of people in the past weeks. “The Balkan route was closed, but at the moment it is very active. It would be better if they didn’t come at all. But it is difficult to get a grip on this,” Weber also sees the need for a solution at the European level.