Doctors Without Borders, War | They said “no thanks”. It was only Ukraine who wanted to help them

The Ukraine crisis has made it clear that basic human rights do not apply to all people seeking asylum and security on our continent.

Human dignity is not inviolable, for all lives are not of equal value. Some runaway children freeze to death at Europe’s outer borders, while others are given a free pass for a tram when they arrive in Norway. Some of them were beaten by border guards and closed with barbed wire, while others were picked up and given accommodation upon arrival.

“Carried on a golden chair,” some might say.

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Some are sent back to war in a country they’ve never been to, while others get quarantine and vet fees for their cats. Some are forced to sit in limbo in an island camp in Greece, while others get to work and school in record time.

«No thank you”

So not all people deserve the same amount.

I learned about this when I received an email from a donor who has given us hundreds of thousands at MSF, but who changed his mind because we sincerely asked not to allocate them to Ukraine, but to go to war and conflict in other countries. Wars that are now forgotten under this war in Europe, which naturally gets a lot of attention.

They said “no thanks”. It was just Ukraine that wanted to help them, so they gave another organization, which without problem received unlimited earmarked money for Ukraine.

At MSF, we rarely choose personalization because we don’t want a humanitarian hierarchy based on political goals or emotional needs.

The war in Ukraine has normalized a disturbing “them and us” narrative.

This war is definitely worse “because it affects a civilized country and people,” I hear on the radio. Read in the newspaper that they are fleeing with pets and suitcases “because they are people who have lived lives like us”.

Yesterday someone said, “They have jobs, the kids go to school.”

Those who lose competition

People who live in the war-torn countries where I’ve worked, like the Central African Republic or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are civilized, too. They have jobs, they go to stores, they have kids in school. Some have cats and wonder who will give them milk now that they have to flee.

War is war. People are dying. Lives destroyed. People flee. Hate and evil flourish.

People find together, persevere, and help strangers. Finding strength they never knew they had. Face the sadness that is tearing you apart. The hatred that makes them evil in the face of the enemy has grown. They lose hope, but find it again at a moment when the sun is shining. Falling asleep and getting up again, although they may have to sleep in a new place every day.

Also read: If there is a Swedish Hypocrisy Championship, I have an idea of ​​the outcome

It was always the insignificance that made the greatest impression on me in the war. How does it go on every day. Get up and lie down. wash clothes. Argue with your husband. Looking for a place to charge your phone? You feel like a cold beer. Have a cold beer. Go crazy about a song you hear on the radio. Wash your hair. fall in love.

Nothing can be said about this now without making mistakes. I will be accused of pitting the weak against each other.

They’ll say it’s not a competition. But isn’t that exactly what he has become?

And those who lose out on competition are those who are not like us. Those who do not bring pets across the Mediterranean, but who, on the other hand, do not trust them just because they carry a mobile phone. Because they can’t be real refugees, can they? Then you don’t have to worry about them, right?

I don’t point your finger

I wonder what those held in Lithuania think about Europe’s response to the influx of refugees from Ukraine. What the forcibly returned Afghans write in their diaries and in their hearts.

The problem, of course, is free streetcar passes, pet care, or flexible, coordinated mergers. I wish this to every Ukrainian who fled a terrible war. The solidarity with which they show, and the open arms with which they meet you, makes me happy.

Everyone on the run deserves to be welcomed like this!

Also read: We must remember our shared history

People who are willing to help others, as I see now in the Ukraine crisis, are essential to any society. Who we choose to be in the face of the suffering of others defines who we are.

If we are selective about where we are affected by human suffering, that is also specific.

A refugee is a refugee. He is human. am I. Are you

I am not standing on my index finger but my heart is in my hand and I am asking you to see yourself in the other and realize that what you do matters! Your time is now – you can make a difference.

*Text is an excerpt from the booklet launched by Médecins Sans Frontières Secretary General Lindis Hurum on Wednesday 19 April 2023.