After two years of a pandemic, which were marked by numerous disputes, it is admirable to see so much solidarity with Ukrainian refugees, said Gilbert Pregno. The level of compassion is different than it was for people fleeing Syria due to the greater proximity of Ukraine, the psychologist further explained.
Pregno also noted that there are primarily women and children escaping Ukraine, which increases sympathy levels: “Refugees from Middle Eastern countries have a different skin colour, religion, and culture, and there were unfortunately rumours that they only come here to benefit from us, which was not true. I hope that in the future, we can meet those people with the same compassion that we now have for Ukrainians.”
As a human rights advocate, Pregno hopes that his position is not understood as a criticism of the solidarity with Ukraine, but as a plea to extend this courtesy to everyone. He referred to the Mediterranean Sea as a graveyard where more than 20,000 people have lost their lives trying to flee from a conflict. Even if some make it to Luxembourg, there remains the great challenge of integration, underlined the president of the Human Rights Commission.
Pregno welcomes the decision to grant Ukrainian refugees temporary protection and allowing them to immediately enter the job market. However, he also stressed that this represents a mechanism that can and should be applied to everyone.
When asked about Russian President Putin, the psychologist expressed his belief that the leader is failing to recognise that he has been cornered. Pregno also noted that the Russian President is dangerous and considers thousands of deaths a mere statistic. It is therefore of upmost importance to offer him a way out where he does not completely lose face, otherwise we risk dragging out this conflict unnecessarily.
