Illustrative Image
“These people are not people we are used to… these people are Europeans.”
Written by Dr. Binoy Kampmark
In the history of accepting refugees, countries have shown more than an erratic streak. Universal human characteristics have often been overlooked in favour of the particular: race, cultural habits, religion. Even immigration nations, such as the United States and Australia, have had their xenophobic twists and turns on the issue of who to accept, be they victims of pogroms, war crimes, genocide, or famine.
The Russian attack on Ukraine has already produced refugees in the hundreds of thousands. By March 2, with the war one week old, 874,000 people were estimated to have left Ukraine. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that up to four million may leave, while the European Union adds a further three million to the figure.
This is already producing a growing capital of hypocrisy on the part of receiving states who have shown deep reluctance in accepting refugees of other backgrounds from other conflicts. Tellingly, some of these conflicts have also been the noxious fruit of campaigns or interventions waged by Western states.
Offers of generosity – least to fair Ukrainians – are everywhere. Poland, which will be a major recipient and country of passage for many Ukrainians, is showing ample consideration to the arrivals as they make their way across the border. They find themselves playing moral priests of salvation.
A report from the UNHCR notes facilities at various border crossings stocked with “food, water, clothes, sleeping bags, shoes, blankets, nappies and sanitary products for people arriving with only what they can carry.” Anna Dąbrowska, head of Homo Faber, notes the sentiment. “Our two peoples have always had close relations… Of course, we help our neighbours!”
Such solidarity has been selective. Those of African and Middle Eastern background have faced rather different treatment at the border – if and when they have gotten there. The number of accounts of obstructions and violence both within Ukraine and at the border, are growing.
Polish authorities have also been accused of explicitly targeting African students by refusing them entry in preference for Ukrainians, though the Polish Ambassador to the UN told the General Assembly on February 28 that this was “a complete lie and a terrible insult to us.” According to Krzysztof Szczerski, as many as 125 nationalities have been admitted into Poland from Ukraine.
The sceptics have every reason to be doubtful. Only last year, Minister of the Interior Mariusz Kamiński, and the National Defence Minister, Mariusz Błaszczak, gave a very different impression of welcome, suggesting that refugees of swarthier disposition – those from the Middle East, in particular – were immoral types tending towards bestiality. Such arrivals were also accused of being weapons used by the Lukashenko regime in Belarus as part of a program of “hybrid warfare”. President Adrzej Duda also signed a bill into law to construct what has been described as “a high-tech barrier on the border with Belarus to guard against an influx of irregular migrants.”
It’s all well to accuse the Russians of disinformation, but Polish authorities have not been averse to sowing their own sordid variants, targeting vulnerable arrivals and demonising them in the process. In 2021, those fleeing Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Yemen were left stranded by their hundreds in the freezing woods along the Polish-Belarusian border. Eight individuals perished.
In this cruel farce of inhumanity, the European Union, along with Poland and the Baltic States, notably Lithuania, must shoulder the blame. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, has been openly calling Lukashenko’s fashioning of irregular arrivals as “a hybrid attack, a brutal attack, a violent attack and a shameful attack.” Doing so makes it easier to care less.
Globally, the war in Ukraine is now giving countries a chance to be very moral to the right type of refugee. They are fleeing the ravages and viciousness of the Russian Bear, the bully of history; this is an opportunity to show more accommodating colours. If nothing else, it also provides a distracting cover for the more brutal policies used against other, less desirable irregular arrivals.
This is a strategy that is working, with media outlets such as USA Today running amnesiac pieces claiming that Ukrainian families, in fighting “Putin’s murderous regime”, were engaged in a “battle … for life and death; there is no time for debates about political correctness.”
Countries in Western Europe are also showing a different face to those fleeing Ukraine. The UK, which is seeking to adopt an Australian version of refugee processing – the use of distant offshore islands and third countries, lengthy detention spells and the frustrating of asylum claims – has now opened arms for 200,000 Ukrainian refugees.
Distant Australia, whose participation in the illegal war against Iraq which produced refugees and asylum seekers that would eventually head towards the antipodes, is now offering to accept a higher intake of refugees from Ukraine and “fast track” their applications. The same politicians speak approvingly of a system that imprisons asylum seekers and refugees indefinitely in Pacific outposts, promising to never resettle them in Australia. The subtext here is that those sorts – the Behrouz Boochani-types – deserve it.
In the words of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), “The Morrison Government has presided over the dismantling of Australia’s refugee intake, leaving Australia unable to adequately respond to emergencies”, with 2022 “marking the lowest refugee intake in nearly 50 years.” True, the global pandemic did not aid matters, but COVID-19 did little in terms of seeing a precipitous decline in refugee places. Australia’s refugee intake cap was lowered from 18,750 persons in 2018-2019 to 13,750 in 2020-2021.
The reduction of such places has taken place despite Canberra’s role in a range of conflicts that have fed the global refugee crisis. Australia’s failure in Afghanistan, and its imperilling of hundreds of local translators and security personnel, only saw a half-hearted effort in opening the doors. The effort was characterised by incompetence and poorly deployed resources.
The grim reality in refugee politics is that governments always make choices and show preferences. “Talk of moving some applications ‘to the top of the pile’ pits the most vulnerable against each other,” opines the critical founder of the ASRC, Kon Karapanagiotidis. “This is a moral aberration and completely out of step with the Australian public.”
Sadly, the good people at the ASRC are misreading public sentiment. This is an election year; accepting Ukrainian refugees will be seen as good politics, just as indefinitely detaining boat arrivals from impoverished and war-ravaged lands – many Muslim majority states affected by the policies of Western states – will continue to be praised.
Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He currently lectures at RMIT University. Email: bkampmark@gmail.com
We are doing everything to demonize the Russians. Showing every concern for Ukrainian refugees is part of it. It s ironic too seeing as how the EU UK US created these crises.
Another reason we see the refugees as worthy of compassion is that they are not Muslims but Christian. They also are not permanent refugees.
They are also women and children not military age males like the ones charging our southern border.
EU was once the crucible of the words “same rules for everyone”, was – before the fashists took over the boat. Just look at all these society rejects like Penis Holm, Nazi hans et. al.
Apparently you don’t respect the ethnic makeup of Europe and seek to pervert its blood through the denial of their Blut und Boden (blood and soil).
No race is pure. Today I saw a black child which was funny and he almost stumbled on me.
Oh, a “black child” almost stumbled on your fat Zion nose huh.
My nose is straight. I am not sure about yours.
“My nose is straight”
“stumbled on your fat Zion nose”
You are dumber than apes.
You meant hook nose but it is straight.
You fall into their plans:
https://odysee.com/@TheTruthWillSetYouFree:a/Kabbalah-Jews-Are-the-ENEMY-of-ALL-Humanity:3
The EU, UK, and US are anti-White, dumbass!
https://odysee.com/@martinezperspective:2/Dugin-Mongol-Agenda:3
You think they aren’t permanent refugees… ;)
But Ukraine is already the poorest country in Europe and is going down further down the drain.
Also, the bitch is comparing NATO-yanquis 11 to 20 years wars to 3-4 weeks war in Ukraine.
Like holy fuk.
They would become permanent refugees if the war lasts for fuking 11 to 20 years like the NATO-Yanuqis war in M.E.
https://twitter.com/poppoppopkt/status/1499652955943092227
Is this toilet expensive? I feel the urge to take a dump in it
Difference is, those refugees are using official border and we are their first safe country. Refugees from Belarus tried to do it illegally and they were passing multiple safe countries.
So cry me a river.
One day you’ll be a refugee. Everybody thinks it won’t happen to them
Most people will never be refugees. Why must we make a fetish of refugees and endless immigration?
What fetish?
I smell nazism. Identify yourself.
jebo ti pas mater
The difference is, IT IS PR MOVE you fuking rtded fuk.
The EU doesn’t want ANY refugees and they aren’t hiding it, you fuking moron.
Why do you think they don’t use the “official borders”? because it doesn’t fuking matter at all, but maybe those g0ys leaders should change the law of EU borders at the point BUT yeah it is a PR move and nothing more – clueless monkeys like you eat the shit up.
Maybe stop making wars? stop aiding terrorists? stop supporting g0y and Wahhabis?
And we wouldn’t HAVE REFUGEES at the borders.
You are a child, you are blaming and not questioning why we have to deal with a high amount of refugees.
Was it like that before g0y started making war? No huh, funny isn’t it.
Maybe do something that doesn’t make people leave their countries. But you can’t so cry me a river.
Also, I feel like you are stupid so here is the definition of a PR move,
“Action taken for public relations (PR); usually contrived to create a false impression of good will or concern.”
Afghans have been fighting Afghans, Syrians have been fighting Syrians, Yemenis have been fighting Yemenis since decades ago.
All of those “civil wars” are actually US made wars.
I say “actually” as if I was teaching you anything… but in fact you know perfectly well who makes those wars happen and why.
Don’t talk to a rtded kid. Trust me people ignore him for a reason.
US just exploited the situation
Oh g0y die.
You are a goy too
Moron, maybe do some history before talking out of your Zion nose.
You are right. Iran and Saudi Arabia should take Muslim refugees.
“Swarthier” people arrive a long, long way from their first safe country and are the source of nation destroying cultural and religious attitudes and cost huge amounts of money. They should not be allowed to go wherever they want in the West. Why should the West commit suicide? The globalists must stop the wars. That’s the solution.
Most of them stay in the first country they arrive but the problem is the NATO-Wahhabi-G0y never want their wars to stop, the rich get richer as wars go on.
I hope Russia never leaves Ukraine and takes it for themselves – if they leave the g0y NATO comes back, btw they have to make some money after all.
NATO-Yanquis-G0ys stay in Afghanistan for 20 years, they are still fully supporting terrorists in Iraq and Syria for YEARS.
ISIS was created by the CIA, Mossad, and MI6 fully supported by NATO and Wahhabis.
That is why the EU has so many refugees from M.E – those wars still going and they can’t go back, the longer the war goes on the more people leave and migrate to other countries.
So, Russia should make NATO pay for it, the yanquis, g0y, and Wahhabis were smart but the morons in the EU were stupid and wanted to be the clowns of the world.
They most feel the pain to stop their wars around the world.
It also helps morons like you to see people move to other countries, to “better countries”, Poland is a leech shit hole and so are their people. Trust me, once the war lasts for 20 years you see Ukrainians around the world and other people be pissed at them as well.
But can you fuking blame them? No, but at the same time, you could be racist.
Do you think the West is not part of the problem? NATO has been the dog of yanquis, g0ys, and Wahabis.
“NATO is a defensive alliance” Kiss my ass, wtf they going in Iraq or were doing in Afghanistan? being the dog of yanquis.
NATO expansion threat to Russia – THE WEST STARTED THIS WAR. They started 20 years of war in Afghanistan – the Iraq war, and Syria.
You fuks want to be seen as “good or better than others” you aren’t, you people are satan’s dog on Earth.
Starting wars and acting as victims – You pigs knew Ukraine was Russia’s red line and just jump to start a war with Russia and act as if you are the victims now.
You are saying I hate people from M.E because they are different than you. Those people from Ukraine are okay they are white and we somewhat have the same culture.
So just change the EU borders laws. No one is buying BS from war criminals anyway.
Just say it like yanquis – we want white only.
The M.E must kick all satanic dogs out in body bags as well.
NATO is a war criminals organization and the West fully supports terrorists to achieve global power.
Also, 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon
“Nearly 11 years since the revolution in Syria began and violence escalated, around 1.5 million refugees remain displaced in Lebanon – accounting for nearly a quarter of Lebanon’s total population, the highest proportion of refugees anywhere in the world.”
1 in 4 people in Lebanon is Syrian.
It says a lot.
Lebanon is sanctioned, getting harassed by West’s gods Zion and you don’t hear them crying about refugees as much as some others. They didn’t support ISIS unlike Zion, NATO, and Wahhabis as well. They are even fighting Zion, NATO dogs in Syria.
They fighting to end the war as NATO supporting Wahhabis-Zion openly and attack Syrian government and want to create Zion 2.0 in Syria and Iraq with Kurd-zion.
Afghan,
“According to UNHCR, in 2020 Iran sheltered more than 3.4 million Afghans, including nearly two million undocumented migrants and 800,000 refugees. Iran and Pakistan together house about 90 percent of the five million Afghans displaced outside their country.”
Pakistan and Iran host 90% of Afghan refugees.
Your two beloved countries are beacons of moderation it seems…
Yeah, unlike some other countries and their people who believe they are “better” Zion-Wahhabis satanic cuck sucker in reality.
What happened? Russia and Germany have to do everything, if there was no EU or NATO you fuking killing each other to this day, Germany feeds other poor fuking countries and still takes shit for it. Russia has to stop wars in the EU to this day that are created by Zion and yanquis.
You’re mad because you are a half Zion pig.
You make no sense. You have to repeat.
You should go to school kiddo, I don’t have the time to explain to a rtded kid.
“Majority of ultra-Orthodox men in Israel lack basic English skills”
You are the proof of that.
Now I am ultra-Orthodox Jew?
Lebanese civil war has existed long before the Syrian one.
Look at the clown people, what was your point useless shit?
Why did you comment for?
I was talking about Syrian refugees in Lebanon the moron on drugs talking about something else. Die g0y.
“Lebanese civil war has existed long before the Syrian one.”
Jens is smarter than you, you are just rtded kid.
Lebanese civil war started in 1975. However, the Ba’athist coups started from 1954.
Oh my god, Jens English is better than you.
“Majority of ultra-Orthodox men in Israel lack basic English skills”
Just look at the poor white neighborhoods in South Africa and the poor black neighborhoods in America.
That answers your question as to why some are welcomed an some are not.
Last paragraph is pure genius. Of course the Australian public is NOT progressive.
They range from racist liberal to outright fascist like in the rest if the imperialist world if not more so.
The US Empire of endless refugees.
“Tens of thousands of Ukrainian citizens leave for Moldova. Residents of Moldovan border districts are surprised to note that most of the cars that cross the Ukrainian-Moldovan border are expensive ones, unaffordable to the budget of an average Moldovan family. Almost all this cars were empty when passing the border, while the Moldovans came to the border on their own cars to help elderly people and wemen to get to the cities. At least half of the refugees to Poland are young men of conscription age.”
Just saying not all young men are stupid to fuking die in a war they don’t want to be part of…
“At least half of the refugees to Poland are young men of conscription age.”
Also, SF you guys spelled women wrong.