UK's Ukrainian refugees do not want to live with Muslim migrants

A crew of a television channel has interviewed several Ukrainian refugees who are fearful of living in neighborhoods full of Muslim residents.

WORLD JUNE 15. 2024 14:22

Ukrainian refugees are refusing to stay in subsidized accommodation in various British cities because they do not feel safe in neighborhoods predominantly inhabited by residents of Islamic faith. This issue was highlighted by Channel 4 News, whose program states that many Ukrainian women find it difficult to integrate into communities that are more culturally diverse than those they are used to in Ukraine.

The UK government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme pays homeowners to house refugees from Ukraine if they have spare rooms. One such homeowner shared his experience with a Channel 4 reporter. He explained that

one woman who was staying with him complained that there were „too many Muslims” in the area.

„We were quite shocked at how problematic she found the different cultures. Too many Muslims, too many people of different colors,” the homeowner said, describing the words of the Ukrainian woman who moved into his home with her young child. The Ukrainian refugee repeatedly mentioned that she was scared and felt unsafe in such a neighborhood. The woman and her child eventually sought accommodation elsewhere.

A Ukrainian woman named Olga spoke to the news channel after a meeting of a support group set up to help Ukrainians better understand Britain’s multi-ethnic culture. She said it was „amazing” to see so many people from different backgrounds and that she was simply not used to living in such an environment. Another Ukrainian woman, Oksana, said that she had moved from „the best neighborhood in Kiev to the worst neighborhood in Birmingham” and admitted that she was very scared.

The reporter told Oksana that „many people would be very offended” that she did not feel safe in the neighborhood, to which she replied that she had looked into police crime records reporting incidents of Islamic terrorism. The report also revealed that Oksana had moved from Birmingham to a new neighborhood

But it is not just the social structure that makes Ukrainian refugees want to go home—or move to another country. As V4NA has highlighted in a recent article, a growing number of Ukrainians are choosing to risk their lives to go home to their doctor because they cannot get timely treatment in the British health system. For example, one Ukrainian refugee who arrived in London from Kiev complained of chronic toothache shortly afterward. He wanted to see a doctor, but the British National Health Service (NHS) telephone helpline failed to provide him with any meaningful information, and then the Accident and Emergency department failed to attend.

„After four hours of waiting, the doctor wouldn’t even look at me and told me to take paracetamol. That didn’t help, and I was still in a lot of pain,” the woman said.

As she had been in severe pain for several days, she decided to risk her life and travel home to Ukraine via Poland, where she said she was treated within a day. As it turned out, she had to have her wisdom tooth pulled urgently because waiting a few more days could have had serious consequences.

The Ukrainian woman said that she knew of three other people living in London who had decided to return to war-torn Ukraine for medical treatment, rather than wait until they could use Britain’s public health system.

Another Ukrainian woman, who lives in Glasgow, Scotland—a city whose health system is run by the devolved left-wing Scottish Government—has also traveled home for medical treatment. This issue was raised by Alex Cole-Hamilton, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, with Scotland’s First Minister earlier this week. Cole-Hamilton said a 22-year-old woman had failed a single lab test in the country. She was waiting for a blood test to check her thyroid and avoid unnecessary medication. So it was with a serious dilemma and at great risk that she traveled home to Ukraine to receive medical treatment.

„The air raids, drone strikes, and missile attacks were less daunting than the wait at the NHS in Scotland. This is shocking. These are the risks people are taking for their health, and all because of a lack of access to primary care,” the Scottish First Minister was stung by the politician.

The UK healthcare system is suffering from an unprecedented shortage of doctors and nurses, our news agency reported in detail in this article.

WORLD

Tags:

uk, ukraine, war