- It was a very difficult first experience in Sweden.
We waited at the airport but no one was there to receive us.
We knew nothing about Staffanstorp not wanting to receive us until I read the news about us in various Swedish media, says father Hasan Al-hariri.
"Was completely shocked"
The family was driven to a hotel in Malmö and there a person from the Swedish Migration Board came and told them about Staffanstorp's decision on quota refugees.
- We were completely shocked that this could happen in a country like Sweden which is a country of freedom.
That a municipality can refuse to receive us just because we come from a certain country, says his son Ali Al-hariri.
How did it feel then?
- It is impossible to describe in words how hard it was to feel unwelcome, especially when you have just landed in a completely new country, says Hasan Al-hariri.
Received by Vellinge municipality
At the end of March, Staffanstorp municipality announced that they would not accept the quota refugees assigned to the municipality according to the so-called Housing Act.
The municipal board said that they instead wanted to prioritize refugees from war-torn Ukraine.
- Ukrainian refugees come from war and so do we.
We are all people with the same value, says Hasan.
When Staffanstorp municipality did not want to show up, Hasan and his family were sent to Vellinge instead.
- It is good here and we thrive here in Vellinge.
The most important thing is that we feel safe and have a roof over our heads now, says Hasan Al-hairi.
SVT Nyheter Skåne has sought Christian Sonesson (M), chairman of the municipal board in Staffanstorp, for a comment on the family's experiences but has not got hold of him.