Since Russia announced military action against Ukraine, thousands of people, including Ukrainians and people of other nationalities, are leaving the war-hit nation to take refuge in the neighbouring countries. Amidst the crisis, the racist side of the West is becoming more prominent every day. Several news channels and agencies have bluntly and shamelessly shown their deep-rooted racist behaviour while reporting.
Several social media users shared clips of news reports showing how the reporters in the West feel more pain as “blue-eyed and white people” are facing the risk of war.
Twitter user SheabiaForever shared a video clip of a BBC reporter who had expressed his pain because people with “blue eyes and blonde hair” were being killed. The Reporter said, “It is very emotional for me because I see European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed every day with Putin’s missiles and his helicopters and his rockets.” To his statement, the BBC anchor sitting in the studio said, “I understand and respect the emotion.”
Racism at its finest! I didn’t know Ukrainians are this racist. I am shoked @BBC reporter gave him a pass without challenging what he meant by that. I forgot #BBC Is no different.
— I AM ሻዕብያ 🇪🇷🇪🇹🇸🇴 (@SheabiaForever) February 27, 2022
“It’s very emotional for me because I see European people with blue eyes & blonde hair being killed” pic.twitter.com/MWMi2EQkSO
He shared another video clip of CBS news in which the Reporter called Ukraine civilized while terming Iraq and Afghanistan were ‘uncivilized’. He said, “Now, with the Russians marching in, tens of thousands of people are trying to flee the cities. People are hiding out in bomb shelters. This isn’t a place, with all due respect, like Iraq and Afghanistan, the conflict has been raging for decades. This is a relatively civilized, relatively European, I have to choose those words carefully too, city, where you would not expect or hope that it is going to happen.”
Here is another racist reporter who called Ukrainian as civilized people. According to him, Iraqi and Syrians are uncivilized. This war is exposing how Europeans in general the west are racist. pic.twitter.com/NVwZcHmxpB
— I AM ሻዕብያ 🇪🇷🇪🇹🇸🇴 (@SheabiaForever) February 27, 2022
More videos were shared by Alan MacLeod, Staff Writer in Mint Press News. He shared a clip of Al Jazeera, the Reporter compared how things were different in Ukraine because they were not the refugees from the Middle East of Africa. He said, “What’s compelling is looking at them, the way they are dressed. These are prosperous, middle-class people. These are not obviously refugees trying to get away from areas of the Middle East or North Africa. They look like any European family that you would live next door to.”
3. Al-Jazeera
— Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) February 27, 2022
“What’s compelling is looking at them, the way they are dressed. These are prosperous, middle-class people. These are not obviously refugees trying to get away from the Middle East…or North Africa. They look like any European family that you’d live next door to.” pic.twitter.com/LnopOTaDrA
In the next video clip from BFM TV of France, the Reporter said, “We are in the 21st century, we are in a European city, and we have cruise missile fire as though we were in Iraq or Afghanistan, can you imagine!?”. The translation was provided by MacLeod.
4. BFM TV (France)
— Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) February 27, 2022
“We are in the 21st century, we are in a European city and we have cruise missile fire as though we were in Iraq or Afghanistan, can you imagine!?” pic.twitter.com/SzSlJJ9JfR
In another clip from the same channel, the panellist said, “It’s an important question. We’re not talking here about Syrians fleeing… We’re talking about Europeans.”
7. BFM TV (France) (again)
— Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) February 27, 2022
“It’s an important question. We’re not talking here about Syrians fleeing…We’re talking about Europeans.” pic.twitter.com/uclymWEXZw
It is not limited to news channels, but racism is clearly visible in news portals as well. Daniel Hannan, a British journalist, expressed his shock in a report over the Russian attack on Ukraine. According to him, it was hard to digest the fact that someone attacked a European country where people watch Netflix and have Instagram accounts.
5. The Daily Telegraph
— Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) February 27, 2022
This time, war is wrong because the people look like us and have Instagram and Netflix accounts. It’s not in a poor, remote country any more. – Daniel Hannan pic.twitter.com/QqOoyWvpTg
He said, “They seem so like us. That is what makes it so shocking. Ukraine is a European country. Its people watch Netflix and have Instagram accounts, vote in free elections and read uncensored newspapers. War is no longer something visited upon impoverished and remote populations. It can happen to anyone.”
An ITV reporter from the UK reported about the attack with teary eyes and said, “Now the unthinkable has happened. And this is not even a developing third world nation. This is Europe.”
6. ITV (UK)
— Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) February 27, 2022
“The unthinkable has happened…This is not a developing, third world nation; this is Europe!” pic.twitter.com/Bot92XT9vN
NBC Reporter said, “To put it bluntly, these are not refugees from Syria, these are refugees from neighbouring Ukraine. Quite frankly, they’re Christians, they’re white. They’re very similar people in Poland.”
9. “To put it bluntly, these are not refugees from Syria, these are refugees from Ukraine…They’re Christians, they’re white. They’re very similar [to us]” – explaining why Poland is accepting refugees. pic.twitter.com/UgTTAstkmt
— Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) February 27, 2022
Journalist and activist Shaun King also reported incidents of racial discrimination. In a tweet thread, he said, “Spoke this morning at great length to people at multiple border crossings in Ukraine.
I simply do not get the impression that Poland, or even Bulgaria or Romania, are going to be safe, hospitable places for African students and immigrants that have escaped war in Ukraine.
— Shaun King (@shaunking) February 27, 2022
Students that have already made these crossings are saying as much.
A very important point of clarification: It’s not just Africans having trouble crossing, but ALL immigrants of colour, including Indians, Latinos, Arabs. European immigrants are crossing easily.”
He further added the neighbouring regions like Poland, Bulgaria and Romania were not going to be safe for people of colour. He said, “I simply do not get the impression that Poland, or even Bulgaria or Romania, are going to be safe, hospitable places for African students and immigrants that have escaped war in Ukraine. Students that have already made these crossings are saying as much.”
To be clear, government officials in Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary are SAYING they will welcome all people crossing over from Ukraine, but those policy statements still have not been implemented at those same borders.
— Shaun King (@shaunking) February 27, 2022
Each border, today, is still having ugly incidents of racism.
He said, “What is heartbreaking for many African, Indian, and Arab immigrants who’ve been treated like shit at border crossings into Poland, in particular, is that they all know that if white people needed to flee a war-torn border crossing in Africa that they’d be treated like VIPs.”
King said though the government officials claim they are accepting everyone irrespective of race etc., the scene on the group is different. He said, “To be clear, government officials in Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary are SAYING they will welcome all people crossing over from Ukraine, but those policy statements still have not been implemented at those same borders. Each border, today, is still having ugly incidents of racism.”
Indians and Africans facing serious discrimination while trying to cross borders
Several reports have emerged in the last two days that the Indian nationals and Africans living in Ukraine are facing extreme difficulty in crossing the border from Ukraine into Poland. While some Indians seem to have been put into a hostage-like situation to use them as leverage against the Indian government, the blacks from African nations are being pushed away and stopped from using trains or crossing the border. Reports also suggest that the Ukrainian security agencies assaulted Indian students at the borders.
