Archives (21st August 2017): Poles continue their hostility towards refugees

01/12/18 01:53

If statistics are to be believed, then some bad news from Poland again (bad news from my perspective). The recent study by CBOS (Poland’s National Statistics Company) suggests that 61% of Poles believe that the country should not allow refugees to enter its territory. What is even more interesting and sadder is that the if you are religious, this percentage goes even higher. Atheists are more likely to be ‘friendlier’ to understand the needs of the refugees and help them, but still only 50% of people who are less religious do not want to see refugees coming to Poland.

The results of the survey are not a surprise for me, but I still feel devastated by my countrymen. I feel sad that we cannot and do not want to distinguish between victims of wars and persecutions and migrants and are readily happy to assume that refugees and asylum seekers are responsible for security threats.
Responsible acceptance and integration of refugees is a challenge, and difficult, but an overwhelming hysteria and lack of compassion of an ordinary Polish person to people who need help disgusts me. Subconsciously, I keep on hoping that things will get better, but each time I read news from Poland, things just appear to be worse.

The only consolation that I am able to find at this moment is that I have decided to move out of the country permanently. Our stand, as the society, on refugees (read: lack of basic human solidarity with those who need it) does not allow me to be associated with Poland - however painful it may be at times. And no… no argument (related to security, or losing the cultural identity) that has been formulated so far managed to change my opinion so far. I understand that we worry about safety, but I fail recognising how punishing those who are already punished would make us safer and better people at the end. I just really do not get it.

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Archives (21st August 2017): Poles continue their hostility towards refugees