SOLIDARITY ACADEMY

JOURNALIST AWARD 2016

The “Solidarity Academy Journalist
Award 2016” is the second edition of
a competition for young journalists, the
graduates of Solidarity Academy since
2013, who publish texts on issues related
to international relations with the care of
quality and reliability.

Winner
AGATA MAZEPUS
“POLAND AND REFUGEES:
SOME PEOPLE ARE MORE WELCOME
THAN OTHERS”
(Graduate of 2016 edition)

Co-author:
LORENZO BERARDI

Published in: visegradrevue.eu

Polish society is currently strongly divided
into those who support and those who
oppose refugee assistance, with the
latter seemingly being the majority. While
the topic has stayed in the newspaper
headlines, the government has been
resistant to adapt to new realities, or
search for an EU-wide solution to the
problem. It is mostly small groups of
individuals who are filling the gap, coming

up with concrete ways to help re-envision

a new European solidarity.

Jihad, a Syrian refugee now living in

Berlin, admits that he would not have

considered Poland as a place to settle.

“When I decided to go to Germany, it was

because I knew that it would be easier

to integrate and start a new life here,”

he tells the V4Revue. Jihad explains that

Poland did not seem like a good place

to go because, “officials openly state

that they do not want refugees in their

country. And if someone tells you that

you are not welcome, you will not think of

going there,” he explains.

Karam, who also came to Germany from

Syria, knows a lot about Poland. He is a fan

of Polish culture and art: “Poland brings

to mind great artists such as Chopin,” he

says. Karam admits that coming to Poland

was an idea that crossed his mind before.

However, after he arrived in Germany he

saw videos on the Internet that featured

Polish politicians talking about their

refusal to take refugees, and he realized

that: “In Poland, just as in any other

country, the politicians try to fool their

people. This is true for many countries,

but I have a feeling that for Poland this

is even more true – using the weakest

people who cannot defend themselves, to

achieve political purposes,” he says.

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