European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Poland should not choose which refugees to admit and should accept Muslims and other groups.
President Juncker said that Poland did not show the proper ‘solidarity’ with the rest of the political bloc because it has only allowed in large numbers of Ukrainian migrants and not Muslims, Swedish broadcaster SVT reports.
During a meeting with new Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Juncker praised the country for allowing in many Ukrainians displaced by the country’s internal conflict; however, he later said: “We are in talks with Hungary and Poland. I do not accept them saying, ‘we do not accept coloured people, Muslims, or homosexuals in our territory’. It is a major violation of European fundamental values.”
Jakub Dudziak, an official in Poland’s migration department, said: “In the streets, you can not tell if people are Poles or Ukrainians, we’re very much alike. It may be that the Poles are afraid of people coming from other parts of the world.”
EU Prez Juncker: ‘Borders Are The Worst Invention Ever’ https://t.co/DdCBVfuEn3 pic.twitter.com/VrurbTqhqV
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 22, 2016
Around one million Ukrainians have arrived in Poland recently as part of a six-month work visa programme introduced by the government. While some Ukrainians in Poland do not consider themselves to be refugees, a few hundred Ukrainians have been granted asylum status.
Poland has been a firm opponent of the European migrant redistribution scheme since it was announced, along with Hungary. The government has gone as far as releasing an official video in November of last year to show the negative impact of mass migration in Western Europe to clarify their stance on the issue.
The EU, in turn, has made motions to sue the Polish government, along with Hungary and the Czech Republic, for “non-compliance with their legal obligations on relocation”.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.