By
Iliana Sarafian
Lecturer in Medical Anthropology, UCL
&
Agnieszka Caban
PhD Candidate in Anthropology, University of Warsaw
In 2023, we embarked on a research project exploring the experiences of Ukrainian Roma refugees in Poland. Our study delved into the intricacies of deservingness intertwined with solidarity in visible and obscured ways. Until recently, Poland maintained stringent migration policies towards refugees from conflict-ridden regions of Asia and Africa, particularly those stranded at the Polish-Belarusian border. However, a significant shift occurred in February 2022, as these policies were overturned for all Ukrainian nationals, heralding a new era of responsibility and boundaries, consequently giving rise to a previously unforeseen category of refugees: those deemed deserving of solidarity.
A vast humanitarian emergency transpired since the start of the conflict, driving a substantial flow of Ukrainian refugees into Poland and neighbouring countries (Iyer 2023). Poland’s response included the provision of multiple forms of assistance such as shelter, medical aid, and transportation, amongst others as a demonstration of solidarity towards its neighbour. Yet, amidst an overwhelming demonstration of solidarity towards Ukrainians fleeing conflict, instances emerged highlighting a less overt trend of discriminatory attitudes towards people of colour seeking refuge (Liber 2022) , and notably Ukrainian Roma crossing Polish borders (Mirga-Wójtowicz et al. 2022). Reports emerged detailing the segregation and denial of essential aid to Ukrainian Roma refugees at border crossings and transit points, exposing the underlying complexities and contradictions inherent within the solidarity narrative (Strzyżyńska 2022).
Who are the Ukrainian Roma?
Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, an estimated 400,000 Roma predominantly inhabited conflict-affected regions such as Odessa, Donetsk, and Kharkiv (Mirga-Wójtowicz et al. 2022) Roma communities faced multifaceted challenges, including discrimination and antigypsyism, exacerbated by the prevailing conflict dynamics. Our interviews with Ukrainian Roma refugees shed light on their experiences of displacement. Respondents vividly articulated the disruptions caused by war, logistical hurdles due to a dearth of official documentation, and challenges in resettlement. Language barriers and financial constraints compounded difficulties in accessing healthcare, while discriminatory practices based on their ethnicity limited employment opportunities, impeding socio-economic integration. Many expressed a pervasive longing to return home once the war ended. Remaining close to their families was they only semblance of security. As articulated by a Roma woman in her fifties, “I stick with my family. Who else can I trust? I am foreign, I am dark, I am Roma, I don’t speak the language. It is my family, my children whom I trust, no one else“, underscoring the importance of familial mutuality amidst adversity.
Nevertheless, this coping mechanism of relying on kinship networks for security and support was interpreted as a sinister Roma cultural trait and as deceptive behaviour by local officials and volunteers rather than a legitimate safety mechanism. The commonly held stereotypes in mainstream depictions portraying Roma as perpetual wanderers, as ‘bogus asylum seekers’ (Iyer 2023), and leading to exclusion and justifications of state policies, affected our interviewees. They were keenly aware of the historical and contemporary stigmatization faced by Roma communities, recognizing their portrayal as ‘not real’ refugees or as troublemakers crossing borders as an undeserving collective. Logically, they ‘stuck with’ their kin for support. Indeed, the Roma people we met tended to remain in relatively large groups, mainly consisting of women and children, who otherwise would be deemed vulnerable due to heightened risks of physical harm, exploitation, and violence, including trafficking and sexual abuse.
Solidarity for whom?
Amidst the backdrop of what is often termed the ‘refugee crisis’ and the escalating influx of asylum applications within the EU, solidarity has emerged as a central theme. Ostensibly, migrant solidarity seeks to transcend differences grounded in mutual support. Durkheim’s theorization of solidarity underscores this symbiotic relationship of commonality between individual and collective interests (Cladis 2005). But this idealized perception of solidarity is worth probing further by tracing its entanglement with notions of deservingness. Solidarity, we found, is not merely a manifestation of benevolence and empathy but also a socio-political construct influenced by existing structures of knowledge and stereotypes reinforcing the marginalization of Roma communities. Solidarity in our research was inherently partial, contextual, and a selective display of affects and actions, underpinning a dichotomy between refugees deemed deserving of assistance and those relegated to the periphery. Unfortunately, the plight of Ukrainian Roma refugees in Poland mirrors historical instances of discrimination encountered by Roma populations, particularly during the Balkan wars. Comparable anti-Roma sentiments and practices have been documented in other countries, with Roma refugees subjected to forced expulsion and marginalization upon seeking asylum. Ultimately, there is an imperative for further inquiry into the moral assumptions and justifications underlying contemporary expressions of solidarity.
References
Cladis, Mark S. 2005. ‘Beyond Solidarity? Durkheim and Twenty-First Century Democracy in a Global Age’, The Cambridge Companion to Durkheim 383–409.
Iyer, Padmini. 2023. ‘Further into the Margins: A Regional Report on Roma Communities Displaced by the Ukraine Crisis’.
Liber, Elena. 2022, March. ‘Standing with Ukrainian Refugees Must Mean Standing with All Refugees’, African Arguments.
Mirga-Wójtowicz, Elżbieta et al. 2022. ‘Human Rights, Needs and Discrimination: The Situation of Roma Refugees from Ukraine in Poland: Report on Research and Intervention Activities’.
Strzyżyńska, Weronika. 2022, May. ‘“Meet Us before You Reject Us”: Ukraine’s Roma Refugees Face Closed Doors in Poland’, Guardian.
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