Lille, land of welcome. On Sunday, the mayor of Lille, Martine Aubry, appealed to her constituents to volunteer to welcome Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war. The capital of Flanders is indeed not unrelated to this country, in particular with the municipality of Kharkiv with which it is twinned. This is not the first time that the elected socialist has initiated such a solidarity initiative.
Since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, tens of thousands of people have already left the country, mainly to find refuge in Poland. Nevertheless, it is very likely that some, whose number it is impossible to estimate, will arrive in France to find peace there. In this perspective, the municipality has decided to anticipate. “The city has already, in conjunction with the Prefecture, identified the available premises”, assures the town hall in a press release.
That the volunteers contact the town hall
A solidarity that is not limited to elected officials. According to the town hall, “several residents have already contacted us to ensure their support and, for some, to share their possibilities of hosting Ukrainians”. A gesture that Martine Aubry wants to see expanded. The socialist thus calls on Lille residents who would volunteer to host refugees to come forward via a dedicated email address: [email protected].
Last August, when the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan, Lille was widely mobilized. Dozens of Afghans had been exfiltrated before finding refuge in Lille. The inhabitants had also responded en masse to the call of the town hall to provide, in particular, clothing to these refugees who had not been able to take anything with them in their flight.