With European cities, suburbs, and even rural settings increasingly home to asylum centers, which are often fiercely rejected by residents, there appears to be little that can be done to stop this sea change. However, one wealthy neighborhood in Berlin, known for its left-wing politics, has found a potential solution.
Yesterday, Pankow won an injunction against building an asylum center for 420 migrants, with the court citing the “environmental impact,” which would disrupt a colony of bats at the site, along with other bird species.
Never underestimate wealthy, Green-voting White people dead set against diversity in their own neighborhood. Lawfare suddenly becomes a weapon in their favor, especially when it has a nice, environmentally friendly veneer that can appeal to left-wing locals and a judiciary worried about looking racist.
The planned refugee shelter was supposed to be built in a green courtyard in Berlin-Pankow near Kavalierstrasse and Ossietzkystrasse. Protests against the refugee center and the various legal battles challenging its construction have long been the subject of newspaper and television reports.
Now, the asylum home has been temporarily blocked once again by an administrative court over species concerns for bats and birds. The court ruled that an exemption issued by the district in the case, which would have allowed the construction, was unlawful, since it was “not sufficiently specific” regarding the species that would be affected by the project.
Not only were many local residents against the project, but nature conservation groups also came out against the project.
Despite the ruling, the Berlin Senate and the housing association are still planning to move forward with construction, according to Stern. An appeal can now be sent to the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg.
This NIMBYism seen in Pankow is on full display across the Western world, with often wealthy left-wing White people screeching whenever the diversity gets too close to their own neighborhoods. Then, suddenly bat populations, precious insects, and tree species must be protected, not to mention the “unique character” of the neighborhood or some historical building, or some zoning code.
Yet, the residents of these neighborhoods overwhelmingly vote for the left, in many, many cases.
In a separate Remix News article report published today about migrant violence targeting youths growing up in Pankow and neighboring Penzalaer Berg, Remix News notes that Pankow features a high proportion of White left-wing, pro-migration voters. In the 2025 Bundestag elections, the left parties (SPD, Greens, and the Left Party) all took home close to 54 percent of Pankow’s vote.
So, a tip for those communities dealing with the construction of new asylum centers in Europe: Create bat-friendly habitats, invite in rare insects, plant endangered tree species, and so on. It might just be the key to landing a court victory to “protect the environment.”
Obviously, the premise of this article is tongue-in-cheek, but in theory, neighborhoods cannot simply say they do not want an asylum home. They must come up with novel solutions, and in many cases, courts and governments do not care in the end. They need to put the millions of foreigners who have come to Europe somewhere, and your neighborhood seems like it could use some diversity anyway.
In the case of Pankow, it probably helped that they have a lot of wealthy lawyers concerned about conserving their property values. Notice that tiny rural villages outside of Berlin, often lacking the resources, lawyers, and activists in a locale like Pankow, are not nearly as successful at fighting the construction of asylum accommodations. Still, bats also like rural settings, so bats might be a legal long shot worth a try.
There are, of course, also real benefits that come with more bats, more species diversity, and a nicer green space. Berlin, in particular, still features plenty of green spaces and parks, but in many instances, the immigration-fueled building boom has already eroded much of the “open” character of the city. This unfortunate development is already far further along in many other cities across the Western world, including Paris, London and New York.
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