Activists occupy vacant hostel in Berlin, demand shelter for refugees

Activists occupied a vacant hostel in Berlin on Saturday demanding the building to be used as independent accommodation for refugees.
The hostel, located at the Alte Schönhauser street in the Mitte neighbourhood, and all other empty buildings should be expropriated by the state government and made available to refugees, the activists said in a statement.
Banners with the words "occupied" and "Refugees Welcome" were hung on the building.
The Russian war in Ukraine is forcing hundreds of thousands to flee - not all of them have a Ukrainian passport, but all of them need a home, the initiative Hostels to Housing said in a statement. It is unacceptable that vacant premises remain unused, it said.
Police confirmed that a small number of people were in the building. There was also a gathering of a few dozen people in front of the hostel, a spokesperson said.
There were about 30 officers on the scene. Usually, the owner of the building is contacted to agree on further steps, a police spokesperson said.