Poland welcomed the Ukrainian refugees and Spanish socialism left them helpless

@ElentirENG ES 11·19·2022 · 7:09 0

For years, the left has been boasting of solidarity and accusing the right of being "unsupportive." The facts once again dismantle that discourse.

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The admirable help of Poland to the Ukrainian refugees

The Russian invasion of the Ukraine caused a flood of Ukrainian refugees into Europe. The vast majority went to Poland. At the beginning of April there were 2.4 million Ukrainian refugees in Poland, in addition to those already residing in that country. Let's remember that by mid-2018 there were already more than 2 million Ukrainian immigrants in Poland, a migratory wave that has not generated many integration problems since Poles and Ukrainians have two Common denominators: both are Slavic peoples (with a relatively similar language) and mostly Christians.

The help given by the Polish people to the Ukrainian refugees is being admirable. In many cases they welcomed them into their homes, in a gesture of solidarity that is unprecedented in European history and for which Poland should receive international recognition. In addition, the Polish government -of the conservative Law and Justice party, partner of the Spanish party Vox- acted quickly with an urgent bill to help such refugees on March 7, when no they had not completed two weeks of the start of the invasion. This project not only provided financial aid to the refugees, but also gave them access to social services in the country.

The deception of the Spanish leftist government to those refugees

Unlike what happened in Poland. The influx of Ukrainian refugees to Spain has been much smaller, largely due to the geographical distance that separates both countries. April 8 there were 120,000, according to official government information. Around those dates, the president of the Spanish government, the socialist Pedro Sánchez promised them "all possible protection and opportunities" so that they "feel at home". Sánchez is known for his tendency to lie, and seven months after that promise, we can already affirm that he miserably deceived the Ukrainian refugees .

This week, 19 associations of Ukrainians residing in Spain have published a statement denouncing the lack of support at an official level for the refugees arrived from Ukraine because of the Russian invasion. The signatory associations point out that "only a small part of the refugees have been able to enter official programs that provide them with basic conditions, but the rest, the vast majority, continue to need help and have been waiting for it longer. 8 months old", which is why "for more than 8 months they have had to survive on the help of their Ukrainian relatives or heartily thank the solidarity of the Spaniards that they welcomed them."

"Ukrainian citizens have not received aid from the Spanish state"

The associations that signed the declaration add: "There are many Ukrainian citizens who are not included in the official programs and who subsist thanks to the help of other people, and who do not have any another source of income to supply their basic needs". The lack of aid has pushed a part of the refugees to return: "This situation has even forced many people to return to their country, Ukraine, where despite the risk of losing their lives, they do have social and family support, as well as a roof (as long as it has not been destroyed) that can provide them with the lack of social coverage in Spain."

The manifesto states: "During all this time Ukrainian citizens have not received aid from the Spanish state, and the aid announced in August by the authorities, at this time, has not been completed either to manage so that the refugees obtain, even a minimum of help for their basic needs". The associations add: "We know that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a challenge for all countries, also for Spain and for Spanish citizens, but the most vulnerable victims are Ukrainian citizens, who, unfortunately, they are in their country, Ukraine (because of the Russian attacks) but also in Spanish territory, because they have been trying to cover their basic needs for more than 8 months."

The associations that signed the declaration appeal to the cabinet of Pedro Sánchez: "We urge the Government of Spain to take all measures, not only to give instructions to local authorities, but to ensure compliance of the regulation, which ensures aid to Ukrainian citizens who are not beneficiaries of official aid programs. The time to help Ukraine and its citizens is now, in order to protect the displaced, to give them a minimum of dignity to cope with the situation and to give them the opportunity to rebuild their lives or give them the necessary impetus to do so."

The Sánchez government does support Islamic immigration from the Maghreb

The most astonishing thing is that this lack of aid to Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children, is not causing integration problems in Spain (ours is a culturally Christian society, just like Ukraine), contrasts with the million-dollar government aid for immigration from the Maghreb, which did not come from a war (the majority come from Morocco and Algeria), which does create integration problems -since they come from a very different extra-European and Islamic cultural environment ours- and that even is giving rise to serious security problems.

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Photo: La Moncloa.