During his opening monologue on the ongoing war in Ukraine, MSNBC's host of All In Chris Hayes claimed that European nations like Poland are racist for accepting refugees from their next-door neighbor Ukraine. Because everything on MSNBC must turn into a race issue, Hayes whined that Poland was against allowing Syrians to flee their war-torn country and claimed Poland's opposition was because of race and religion.
"It was those images, it was the specter of a refugee crisis, it was a major factor enabling Donald Trump's rise to power," Chris Hayes said as he was starting off his race-baiting rant. He noted that "Trump's key campaign promises was quote, of course, a total and complete shut down of Muslims and entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on." The purpose of this, of course, is to somehow tie former President Trump to the government of Poland.
Hayes continued making the complicated political structure in Europe about Trump and "nationalist-populists":
In many ways, the Russian involvement in Syria was the kind of butterfly wings flapping that led to this populist moment, this resentment, this buildup of nationalist-populist party and candidates and regimes and governments. And perhaps unintentionally created a new flood of right-wing politicians, either explicitly or implicitly aligned with Putin in the Kremlin themselves. From Farrage to Orban, to Trump.
Transitioning from the Syrian migrant crisis to the present-day Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent mass exodus of Ukrainians into Poland, Hayes attempted to analyze why Poland is happy to accept Ukrainian refugees arguing that, "for many reasons, including, frankly, racism, anti-Muslim bigotry, the paranoia of post 9/11 war on terror, many of those same countries which quite explicitly refused to accept refugees that Russia created in Syria are, to their credit, opening their borders and opening their arms to the refugees Russia is creating in Ukraine."
Hayes seemed to bemoan the fact that "Poland's right-wing Prime Minister along with the PMs from Slovenia and the Czech Republic met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in Kyiv" as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine. The leftist host seemed stunned that Hungary and Poland who believe in strong borders and opposed "Syrian refugees are together accepting millions of people displaced from Ukraine."
This also ignored the fact that Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko manufactured the latest migrant crisis by lying to desperate refugees about them being allowed to enter those countries in an effort to destabilize the region. Hayes also didn't have the honesty to ask why other Middle Eastern countries didn't take in those refugees.
Ending his race-obsessed rant, he claimed that "there's a lingering question that’s been surrounding this war pushed by bad faith actors on the American right. You know why should I care? Who cares what happens in Ukraine? What do I have to do with Vladimir Putin?"
Aside from Hayes' usual knee-jerk reaction to make everything about race, it is clear that he needs to understand that Poland and Hungary are eager to help Ukrainians because they know what it is like to be victimized by Russian aggression. It should also be noted that Ukraine neighbors Poland. Neighbors help neighbors.
Another important thing to point out is that Hayes' claim of "bad faith actors" on the right who oppose helping Ukraine is drastically overblown. The overwhelming majority of Americans on both sides of the aisle oppose Russia's aggression towards Ukraine.
This deranged segment by Chris Hayes was made possible by Infiniti. Their information is linked.
To read the relevant transcript click expand:
MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes
3/15/2022
8:04:24 p.m. EasternCHRIS HAYES: It was those images, it was the specter of a refugee crisis, it was a major factor enabling Donald Trump's rise to power. You might not remember this now, but during the campaign, Trump's son Don Jr tweeted out this disgusting racist meme comparing refugees from Syria to poison candy. One of Trump's key campaign promises was quote, of course, a total and complete shut down of Muslims and entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on.
Although it was worth noting, amid all the backlash, Germany's then-chancellor Angela Merkel accepted 1 million refugees, mostly from Syria. In many ways, the Russian involvement in Syria was the kind of butterfly wings flapping that led to this populist moment, this resentment, this buildup of nationalist-populist party and candidates and regimes and governments. And perhaps unintentionally created a new flood of right-wing politicians, either explicitly or implicitly aligned with Putin in the Kremlin themselves. From Farrage to Orban, to Trump. So we find ourselves here again though with a situation quite different in certain respects, and interesting contrast. For many reasons, including, frankly, racism, anti-Muslim bigotry, the paranoia of post 9/11 war on terror. Many of those same countries which quite explicitly refused to accept refugees that Russia created in Syria are, to their credit, opening their borders and opening their arms to the refugees Russia is creating in Ukraine.
In fact just, today Poland's right-wing Prime Minister along with the PMs from Slovenia and the Czech Republic met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Traveling into the war zone. I mean there were airstrikes in Kyiv in the last 24 hours. In a sign of solidarity Hungary and Poland, the same countries who, again, defining political nature at least, under their governing parties, was control of their borders. Strong borders and their opposition to Syrian refugees are together accepting millions of people displaced from Ukraine. Get this, Warsaw, the city of Warsaw, the city's population grew by 20 percent in two weeks. But again, this is just three weeks in. This is just the beginning. No one knows how long this conflict is going to last. Or, if you look at those images, Kharkiv, and Mariupol, and Kyiv, how many millions will be displaced. It's a country of 44 million people when the war started. There's a lingering question that’s been surrounding this war pushed by bad faith actors on the American right. You know why should I care? Who cares what happens in Ukraine? What do I have to do with Vladimir Putin?
