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Awkward moment Kay Burley tells Ukrainian's in Dublin that the 'British people are completely behind you'

Awkward moment Kay Burley tells Ukrainian's in Dublin that the 'British people are completely behind you'
Ukrainian refugees in Dublin thank the Irish people for their support
Sky News

Two Ukrainian refugees who have settled in Dublin were quick to praise the Irish public for their support in response to Kay Burley's comment that the British people are behind them.

Allada and Anastasia appeared on Sky News to discuss how they ended up in Dublin after they travelled for four days to the Polish border in order to escape Ukraine as Russian forces continue to invade the country.

"Our homeland Ukraine is under attack from Russian bombs and rockets," Allada said.

"Our native city, Kharkiv, is targeted by the enemy. As you know, civilians are dying every day. Our families who stayed in Kharkiv are hiding in bomb shelters and underground stations to avoid Russian rockets and bombs."

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At the end of the interview, Burley expressed how pleased she was that the women managed to find a safe place to live - but left viewers raising their eyebrows when she referred to the British people's supporting them with no mention of the Irish (considering they are in Dublin).

"You know what ladies, I'm so pleased that you are safe and what a terrible journey that you have had but hopefully you can't start to build a new life in Dubin safely in the knowledge that the British people are completely behind you, thank you so much," Burley said.

This was immediately followed by a response from Allada who thanked the Irish people for their support.

"Thank you. We want to say to Irish people that we are so grateful for all the kindness and hospitality that they treat us with," she said.

"And the Irish family that hosted us, we’re surrounded in this family by care and attention and we can feel family warmth. We really appreciate it and we’re touched from the bottom of our hearts."

Of course, the exchange didn't go unnoticed on Twitter, where people shared their dismay at Burley's comment, though many were glad to hear Allada respond with positive words about the Irish public's support.





Though there were others who defended Burley, either believing it to be a genuine mistake or simply just the news anchor expressing the British public's mood.



Ireland will give special refugee status to Ukrainians travelling there and they will be also entitled to live and work in Ireland effectively as EU citizens, the minister for foreign affairs announced.

Nearly 6,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Ireland according to Larysa Gerasko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Ireland who also told RTE that up to 80,000 more could arrive within the next few months.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.

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