Prague has canceled a stand to help Ukrainian refugees, volunteers are angry
Jan Řídký, Vice-Chairman of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, is one of the volunteers who regularly helped at the stand as an interpreter. “Ukrainian families from Kiev, Lviv and Zaporozhye come to Florenc regularly in the evening and at night. We helped to register and, according to the database of vacant flats offered, accommodation immediately, ”Prává described the Fair operation of the information stand, which stood right next to the check-in hall.
About a hundred Ukrainian refugees arrived in Prague’s Florenc every day. Now, according to the municipality, they are still declining.
Photo: ČTK
“We served about a hundred people a day, but people who were already accommodated in Prague also came to us. For example, they wanted to help with a contract they did not understand or when they needed to translate something. It was such a clue for them, “he added.
On May 2, the Crisis Staff decided to close the information stand, stating that an information board would be sufficient, which would refer to the nearby Central Station, where a similar center operates, or to the Regional Assistance Center in Ukraine.
He would mind the campaign, critics say
“There is nothing in Florence right now, and some family is still coming there, albeit less so. After thirty hours by bus, they are disoriented, they often do not even notice any information boards, “said Řídký. “It has been rumored for a long time that the city wants to close the stand because it is afraid that the opposition will abuse our aid in Ukraine in the municipal campaign,” he added.
Refugees from Ukraine will find a new information stand at Central Station. In Florence, there is only an information board instead.
Photo: ČTK
Kateřina Kubešová, an assistant to Councilor Petr Hlubuček (STAN), who was to help the Ukrainians, told Práva that the city had canceled the stand because the number of refugees arriving in Prague had diminished.
“There is no longer such a large clientele, volunteers came at the same time. Now there are information signs pasted in Florence, from which they will learn everything they need to know, “she said. She denied that the city would close the stand for political reasons. “On the contrary, Prague has the most Ukrainian refugees and the city is doing its best for them,” she said.
Nobody told us anything
Andrea Krchová, director of the Consortium of NGOs working with migrants in the Czech Republic, also criticized the municipality’s approach.
“There are already several cases of poor communication on the part of the city. The booth suddenly disappeared and no one told us anything. It wasn’t until a few days later that we found out what had happened, and in the meantime disoriented families with children were still coming to Florenc, “Krchová told Práva.
“It’s true that there are fewer of them, but they still come,” she said. According to her, the location of the information board is not sufficient. “Although the journey to the Central Station is not extremely difficult, if the family arrives after an exhausting journey, they should receive some basic support at that point,” Krchová added.