photo by Catherine FarchOn 7 February, amazing all interested, the large Norwegian non-governmental humanitarian organization Norwegian exile Council announced that by the end of February it closes the only inactive operational reception centre for refugees arriving in Warsaw from Ukraine and its temporarily occupied territories. Thousands of war victims per period will thus be deprived of any real help
In addition, for completely unknown reasons, the letters addressed to organisations helping refugees who benefit from the NRC's hospitality announced that evacuation buses with refugees would only be accepted until the end of the week.
This is simply a tragic message for thousands of Ukrainian refugees utilizing the aid of this facility a period (since March 2022 it has accepted more than 100 000 people so far), most of whom are women with children, seniors, sick people and with disabilities, mostly without any means of livelihood.
Warsaw is the world's largest transfer hub for Ukrainian refugees going to safe Western European countries, whether they are driving straight from front areas in Ukraine, or by buses of non-governmental organizations that aid them get out of occupied areas and Russia itself (there was a necessity according to UNHCR about 2.8 million citizens of Ukraine) by the Baltic and Belarus countries.
According to the statistic of our foundation, whose squad cooperates with organisations providing global relocation of refugees, specified as the Rubikus Foundation registered in Germany, or the Ukrainian Helping Foundation based in the Czech Republic, presently 95% of people do not stay in Poland, but go further, to those EU countries and the Schengen area where aid is simply better than in our country.
The centre at the East Railway Station provides the chance to supply assistance to refugees arriving in Warsaw by trains as well as these incoming evacuation buses (last year's average is 4–5 per week, each of 50 people). NRC's letter presents a imagination of redirecting buses with refugees to the centres run by the provincial authorities and placing posters with infoline number at the stations. This demonstrates the complete ignorance of reality, due to the fact that – firstly: there are no reception centres run by the voivode, there are centres for long-term stays outside Warsaw, intended for those who want to stay in Poland, and not for those who want to leave Poland, and secondly – “dobrojadzko” to call somewhere, you request to have a Polish telephone card (refugees usually do not have a penny) and this 1 for free they receive... in a centre close Warsaw, thirdly – there are 100 places for transit refugees left in Warsaw, and we drive them to these places with a rented bus, due to the fact that they are not able to scope there, due to the fact that – again, money – there has not been free public transport for refugees since the summertime of 2022, which has not solved the problem of refugees who are sick or with disabilities who will not arrive anywhere without help, with tickets or without tickets. If a exile can get a free communication ticket at all, then again at the hotel at East Station, on a telephone that cannot be called (if he has a phone), he will not get a ticket. Fourthly, the Warsaw authorities have long closed access to their long-term residence centres and there are no short-term ones at all.
What do refugees gotta do to stay here for a fewer days while waiting for their departure? Organisations saving them from bullets and Russian business are barely adequate to buy tickets (no 1 supports them) to the West, they have no origin of funds to supply basic needs for refugees, which is the work of the state, which, in order to be more interesting, saves on the fact that they are relocated further and spends more if they do not have funds in Poland. This will consequence in the closure of the only reception centre in Warsaw.
The capital of Poland will become a disgraceful exception among the capitals of the countries providing assistance to Ukrainian refugees, in Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland and Norway there are peculiar reception centres for them (for sleeping, food, medical assistance, childcare, aged and disabled people. With us there will be nothing – in the capital of the country, through which it travels for apparent geographical reasons, let us emphasise erstwhile again, 90% of refugees from Ukraine, and these are many millions of people – the largest migration in the post-war past of Europe.
Asymmetrists have been present from the very beginning at the NRC centre, in cooperation with Ukrainian and European organisations, to aid relocate tens of thousands of war victims, providing them with the chance to scope countries where they can look forward to the end of the conflict in decent conditions. We aid day and night. Specifically, the 689th day in the East, including 253rd day without any remuneration and no financial assistance from the state, local government, global structures or large humanities.
Now we call on the government, provincial authorities, local authorities, politicians and politicians, the media and the public to respond immediately: in Warsaw there must be a reception point for refugees from Ukraine, equipped with accommodation facilities, food and medical assistance. The victims of war come to us all day, even though most of us “forget” about it after almost 2 years. We cannot afford that, it is our humanitarian, political and legal duty. We must make a coalition of goodwill that will aid to overcome this humanitarian crisis quickly. Asymmetrists and all NGOs cooperating with us service with this help, sacrifice and know-how.
However, at the minute we request an immediate reaction of the Polish government and immediate contact with organizations that actually deal with reception and relocation of national and abroad refugees in Poland.
Kajetan Jan Wróblewski, Head of global exile Relocation Programme
Rastsislau Permiakou, coordinator of the global exile relocation programme
Justyna Grabowska, president of the Asymmetry Foundation
The appeal was published on the website Asymmetry.
