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- Country of residence: Sweden
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Abdullah Al-Marei.. the first Palestinian refugee from "Yarmouk" to knock on the doors of the Swedish Parliament
The Palestinian, Abdullah Al-Marei (34 years old), who left the Yarmouk camp, south of the Syrian capital, Damascus, “did not dream of writing his name, as the first refugee, on the list of candidates for the Swedish parliamentary elections, to be held in 2022.”
Al-Marei describes his journey from the capital of the "Palestinian diaspora" to Sweden, and the accompanying events, all the way to knocking on the doors of the Swedish Parliament, representing the Wasat Party, as a "miracle."
He explains that, like any Palestinian living in the Yarmouk camp, he "studied elementary school in UNRWA schools, majored in commerce and economics at Damascus University, and worked in a United Nations bank in the Syrian capital."
Al-Marei graduated from the University of Damascus in late 2010, and with the outbreak of the events in Syria, he was required for military service, so he decided to emigrate, due to his "unwillingness to get involved in the outbreak of events, and his anti-violence stance," he said.
On August 8, 2012, Al-Marei arrived in Turkey, on a “journey of torment,” as he describes it, “during which he was imprisoned for 3 months, and after his release, he continued his journey towards Europe, only to be arrested by the Greek police for 5 months. ",
new beginning
Al-Marei arrived in Sweden in June 2013, "to find himself facing a new reality with zero data, after he used to enjoy a respectable job and a good financial situation," and he says: "Suddenly everything collapsed, and I had to accept this challenge." So I went directly to language institutes and the Red Cross, and began to participate in voluntary courses, moving from one city to another.”
He continues, "I continued my university studies, and during this period I got a job opportunity, in a Stockholm bank."
He adds, "In 2015, I volunteered in civil and political society activities, and I was the first refugee columnist in the Swedish newspaper Metro, and I worked in it between 2017 and 2019."
He indicated that he was active during that period in conducting surveys on the Swedish street, on labor and integration issues, and presenting the results of the polls to Swedish politicians, according to Quds Press.
"The last step towards parliament"
"I believe in the necessity of bringing about a change in the Swedish political scene, so last year we launched the campaign (The Last Step Towards the Swedish Parliament), which included a march from the city of Hittoporid to the city of Stockholm and collected about 53,000 signatures," says Al-Marei.
He added, "We formed a committee of several people who take up different issues, such as the file of children who arrived in Sweden without their parents, and the Palestinians who do not have any legal papers."
Al-Marei spoke to Quds Press about the broad outlines of his vision regarding refugee issues in Sweden, pointing out that thousands of Palestinians in Sweden do not have residency, especially those coming from Gaza, in addition to the Syrians who obtained temporary residency in 2015, and are threatened with deportation. We have Afghan refugees
He added, "As a member of the board of directors of the United Nations Office in Sweden, I cannot separate one refugee from another, and therefore, attention will be given to the file of refugees of all nationalities."
He continues, "In addition to asylum issues, work, housing and integration issues will be among the priorities of my political programme."
He warns that "popular sympathy with the Palestinian cause has declined over the past years, due to the state of political confusion in the Palestinian scene, in addition to corruption in the corridors of the Palestinian Authority, which made the Swedish government reconsider providing aid to the Palestinians," according to Al-Marai.
He added, "We are working to clarify matters for politicians in Sweden, and we are seeking to secure support for education and health in Palestine in order to bring about real change there."
Yesterday, Monday, the Wasat Party announced the candidacy of the young Abdullah Al-Marei for the upcoming parliamentary elections, to be held in late summer 2022, thus becoming "the first Palestinian-Syrian refugee in Sweden to run in the Swedish parliamentary elections."
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