Over Half Of Poles Against Hosting Middle East, African Refugees

WARSAW (Sputnik) — Over a half of Polish residents answering a survey do not support the idea of their country hosting refugees from North Africa and the Middle East, a poll revealed Sunday.

Some 51 percent of the surveyed Poles oppose accepting migrants from North Africa and the Middle East, according to a poll conducted by the national Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS.)

The researchers also analyzed publications and online comments devoted to the refugee issue, and concluded that 81 percent of the commentators had a negative attitude toward refugees.

According to the poll, the Poles are mostly scared that refugees may not respect the Polish secular and religious traditions, behave aggressively toward Polish women and promote Islam in the country.

In late July, a poll revealed that almost three-quarters of Czech Republic residents answering a survey are not in favor of hosting Muslim refugees. Shortly before that, members of the Czech clergy offered to provide homes for Christian refugees as Czech President Milos Zeman said that refugees accepted by his country must be of a "similar cultural background."

Europe has been beset by major migrant crisis as thousands of people have fled conflict-torn countries in North Africa, the Middle East, and Central and South Asia, risking a sea journey. According to the EU border agency Frontex, over 710,000 migrants have already arrived in the bloc during the first nine months of 2015.