Czechs to send hundreds of Ukrainian Roma refugees to Hungary!
The Czech Minister of the Interior, Vít Rakušan, is urging Hungary’s Minister Sándor Pintér to receive Roma refugees. Read our article to find out what Rakušan’s reason is.
On Thursday, Vít Rakušan called on Hungary to speed up the verification of Roma refugees. They possibly possess Ukrainian-Hungarian dual citizenships. Rakušan said people from Ukraine with dual citizenship are not entitled to refugee benefits, reported 444.
It is understandable that those who are not in dire need of humanitarian aid should not receive this kind of help. Magyar Nemzet wrote that refugees will need to show an official stamp that they have indeed crossed the Ukrainian border, starting 16 May.
Since the start of the war, close to 335 thousand refugees received special visas. This gives refugees one year to live in the Czech Republic. Based on this, they can get a job, have health insurance, and children have the ability to go to school. Refugees also receive various social benefits from the state.
Rakušan’s message to Hungary
Here is what Rakušan had to say to the Czech News Agency following his consultation with the Hungarian Minister of the Interior over the phone:
“What I asked from Hungary was to carry out the dual citizenship investigations not only quickly but consistently. This is to ensure that the Czech Republic has official knowledge about whether the persons concerned have Hungarian passports or not,” quoted the Czech News Agency.
However, Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic are apparently not left without aid. Rakušan offers all refugees with valid Hungarian passports a train ticket to Hungary.
The situation in Prague
There are hundreds of Ukrainian Roma people who have fled the Transcarpathian area from the war. They are denied support from the Czech Government only because of their Hungarian citizenship. Local NGOs say that these refugees reside at the main railway station where their situation has taken a turn for the worse.
Refugees must stay in waiting rooms or inside designated train cars, with a lack of hygienic facilities.
Over a dozen of NGOs, with the assistance of RomanoNet, sent a joint letter of complaint to Prime Minister Petr Fiala. They are calling for a crisis consultation on assisting the refugees from Ukraine. NGOs have already discussed the problems several times with government officials. The government harbours a negative attitude towards Roma war refugees staying in their municipalities.
Source: 444.hu, magyarnemzet.hu
Well if they have Hungarian citizenship – they belong in Hungary, right? We should help them repatriate!