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I think the key difference, more so than racism, was context. The Middle Eastern refugees got there as an attempt to undermine Poland and the EU. They were tran
by blagie 5y ago
I think the key difference, more so than racism, was context. The Middle Eastern refugees got there as an attempt to undermine Poland and the EU. They were transported there by Belarus explicitly as part of a geopolitical game.
You treat an attack very differently.
If Poland let the refugees in, I expect Belarus would pull more stunts like this. It was no good for anyone.
There is some mild tension with Ukrainians coming to Poland as low-cost labor, but at the end of the day, it's the same culture. Or at least it was before Poland started to Westernize its culture. Honestly, I think the right solution here is to reform the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine really ought to be one country. If Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia, or Moldova want to join in, the more the merrier. Belarus and Russia, when they're ready.
Estonia, by the way, is the odd man out. It has the least cultural or ethnic connection; much less than you'd expect. But I think it'd be a happy marriage. It's a compatible kind of diversity, where each side brings something complementary rather than conflicting and both sides benefit.
- janmo 5y agoAlso one difference is that The Ukrainians only let children and women leave the country. Men 18-60 are not allowed to leave. So the people coming over are truly vulnerable.
- blagie 5y agoNo, that's not a difference. Poland has been preparing to welcome Ukrainians long before the invasion started. It had opened up its borders and had logistic ready to receive them as soon as Russia invaded. All of this happened before Ukraine closed its borders to fighting-age men.
- eru 5y agoI don't think making bigger countries is a good idea. (But then, I like my adopted city state home. So I might be biased.) Tear down the borders between countries instead as much as possible. Like eg the EU does (despite all its other faults).
- trasz 5y agoIt’s not about “letting them in”, it’s about protecting the border without breaking the law. Poland chose to do illegal pushback instead, effectively killing some two dozen random civilians. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2021/09/poland-belarus-border-crisis/ https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2021/09/poland-be...
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- rmbyrro 5y agoEstonia is much more integrated to Finland these days...