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AIBU?

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Original poster

Would you feel differently about a friend if they were a refugee?

54 replies

newtothegym · 29/03/2026 16:09

In the last couple of years I have become good friends with someone I met at a community group. They told me a few months ago that they came to the UK as an asylum seeker and that they've recently been granted refugee status. Would this change your opinion or feelings towards them? Why or why not?

OP posts:
AgnesX · 29/03/2026 16:11

If they were a good person why should it.

Arlanymor · 29/03/2026 16:10

I have a friend who is a refugee. Two actually. Both came as refugees and not as asylum seekers. It's not entirely uncommon for asylum seekers to find their status changed after their arrival. Lots of people I speak to on a daily basis struggle to truly understand the difference and obviously it becomes more complex based on an individual's circumstances on top of where they left and why. Why would it would make a difference?

Batties · 29/03/2026 16:10

Why would it? Does it affect how they are as a person, or the reasons you became friends in the first place? It sounds a little like you attach a negative value to a person who is living in a refuge.

5128gap · 29/03/2026 16:10

Has it changed yours? And if so, in what way?

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