Ukrainian refugees in Belgium sleep outside after fleeing war: ‘It’s shameful, they’re treated like dogs’

Ukrainian refugees spent the night in front of the Jules Bordet center in Brussels after hours of waiting in the cold.

Thursday morning, around 11 a.m., the queue of Ukrainian refugees stretching in front of the former Jules Bordet hospital in Brussels is already several tens of meters long. To the left of the entrance, whole families, to the right single people. All hope to quickly enter the building to register. Some refugees were already there yesterday, in the same line. They hope not to have to come back on Friday.

Lilia and Maria claim to have spent the night outside, on a simple mattress placed on the floor to maximize their chances of being taken care of today. “At midnight, there were already people and at 4:30 a.m., there were a lot of people. If we arrive after 6 a.m., I think it’s already too late”explains Lilia.

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