Refugees seeking asylum in Austria may arrive to their agreed temporary accommodation in the Slovak village of Gabčíkovo before a local referendum on their arrival takes place, said Gabčíkovo mayor Iván Fenes. The town's residents are afraid that their safety may be compromised by the asylum seekers. "The residents have justified worries, as we see what the situation is like in the world. People want to live in peace and safety. If the migrants arrive in Gabčíkovo, they could endanger those living here. In the name of the residents I reiterate that we don't want a refugee camp to be set up in our town", said Fenes, adding that people will legally express their opinions in a referendum set for Sunday (August 2). The referendum was announced after 3,148 people signed a petition against the asylum centre. "In my view it [the referendum] will be valid, and 80 percent of the residents will attend. If nothing happens after that, we can say that our Government isn't interested in the people's opinion but rather prefer refugees", said Fenes, adding that, "We know nothing about the current refugees. We don't know what countries they come from, we don't know their exact numbers. Nobody has officially announced when they are supposed to come. The worst thing is that they'll most likely have freedom of movement". Sunday's referendum will ask voters the following question: "Are you against the establishment of a temporary refugee camp for migrants at the special facility of the Slovak Technical University?"
