Foreign minister: ‘We are all Ukrainians, we Europeans must remain united’
Catalonia has around 400 hostel beds ready to accommodate those in need
Catalan government authorities, including the president and foreign minister, met with all consul generals in Barcelona on Thursday morning to express their "shared solidarity with Ukraine and their commitment to defending independence and peace in the country."
"Today, as Europeans, we must say we are all Ukrainians. We Europeans must remain united, this is our duty," Foreign minister Victòria Alsina said after the meeting.
Catalonia has been "working since day one to help Ukraine, their people, and to give support to the community of around 25,000 people based in the territory," Alsina explained from the Catalan government headquarters.
"Nuclear catastrophe"
The Ukrainian consul in Barcelona, Artem Vorobyov, sounded the alarm after the meeting, calling on European leaders to declare Ukraine a no-fly zone.
If authorities do not follow through "there will be a nuclear catastrophe and all of us will suffer from it, not only Ukrainians," he added.
"We are fighting one of the most powerful armies in the world, and Ukrainians are resisting but at a very high cost," Vorobyov said. So far, there are up to "2,000 dead civilians."
Since the attacks first began, the international community rapidly imposed sanctions and collected donations The Ukrainian consul expressed his thanks for "all the support we receive from our allies."
Barcelona’s La Rambla, a key point
Canned food, tea and coffee, children's clothes, powdered milk, paracetamol, sleeping bags, blankets, diapers, toothpaste… Everything is welcome at Barcelona's Ukrainian Greco-Catholic church (església de Sant Josep i Santa Mònica), located at 9, La Rambla boulevard.
Every day, from 9 am to 7.30 pm, dozens of volunteers cooperate in order to receive, organize and ship material to the Eastern European country.
"From here is where the trucks actually leave, this is the epicenter. If people want to bring stuff most directly, they can come here," says one of the people involved, Catalina Girona, an American-Catalan woman who is married to a Ukrainian man also living in Barcelona.
Generalized collection points in Catalonia
This is one of the examples of solidarity with Ukrainian citizens Catalonia has seen in the last week. From now on, the Catalan government will establish some drop-off areas around the territory.
"There will be collection points at Barcelona port as well as other ports of the territory, and also at Barcelona Fira, to group up all the material to be sent to Ukraine," Victòria Alsina explained.
Ukrainians at Catalan hostels
On February 24, the Foreign minister announced the possibility of hosting Ukrainians that could not return home at Catalan hostels.
Authorities have made available up to 400 beds to "make Ukrainians live easier" at a moment of complications, Alsina said after the meeting.
So far, there are 140 Ukrainians hosted in one of these according to data shared by the Social Rights ministry.
The consulate, however, has said that there could be up to 220 people interested in the accommodation.
Catalan president, Pere Aragonès, said that "Catalonia welcomes refugees, once again."
Listen to our podcast on the impact of the Ukraine war in Catalonia with voices from those protesting on a daily basis to defend their country.