According to the United Nations, 368,000 people have already fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion last Thursday. Many European countries already host some Ukrainians such as Poland, Romania and Slovakia. In France, calls for the reception of Ukrainian citizens are increasing, including here in Mayenne.
The mayor of Laval, Florian Bercault, is in favor of it, if he can benefit from state support, he explains. “_The right of asylum must obviously be for Ukrainians_. I remind you that it is with the State that we can carry out these repatriation operations. We are at the disposal of the State and the government to welcome these families if necessary.“The mayor of Laval has already opened the doors of his city to four Afghan families who arrived a few days ago.
For the regional councilor of Pays de la Loire, Solène Mesnager, “we must do everything we can to welcome them, to provide them with decent reception conditions, because this has not always been the case in France.” She adds : “local elected officials to make available, why not, housing, food aid to be able to welcome them with dignity.“
The president of the Department Olivier Richefou recalls in turn that it is a tradition of Mayenne. “The Department is responsible for unaccompanied minors, i.e. foreign minors arriving on the territory. There are 250 in Mayenne that we welcome and of course, we already do it and we will do it even more for people with whom we have a special bond.“
Several towns in France have undertaken to take in Ukrainian refugees, such as Lille and Lyon.
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