General Article Ukraine: The good, bad and ideal refugees

Topic Selected: War and Conflict

Ukraine: The good, bad and ideal refugees

Refugees who are foreign nationals, especially those from the Middle East, Asia and Africa are being discriminated against at the borders. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Yvonne Su, York University, Canada

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February has already caused two million refugees to flee the country. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees predicts that another four million will be displaced if the conflict continues.

Although all neighbouring European Union countries have pledged to accept refugees from Ukraine, as people flee across borders, a complicated story emerges of who are perceived and received as good, bad and ideal refugees in modern Europe.

Take Poland — a country that is being praised globally for accepting over one million refugees from Ukraine — only months ago it was condemned for serious human rights violations after engaging in pushing back and firing tear gas at asylum seekers and migrants from the Midd...

Would you like to see the rest of this article and all the other benefits that Issues Online can provide with?

Sign up now for an immediate no obligation FREE TRIAL and view the entire collection