To think the situation in Ukraine has highlighted how racist many still are.

[username99903]

The outpouring of shock and horror at the situation is right of course. I am not trying to take away from that. I have seen some amazing examples of people trying to help and charitable giving. I of course have donated. However I can't help but think why we can not feel this empathy toward the people of Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria etc.

I have heard the most appalling statements especially from US channels talking about how Ukraine is a civilised country that you wouldn't expect this to happen to. It's like people think those from the Yemen etc are some how use to war/don't feel pain the way white Europeans do. We literally dehumanise and devalue people lives.

My work place is holding a charity event which again is great. But we have never thought to do it before for any other war where there was mass migration.

It's not a new realisation I just think it's massively highlighted it.

@Polyanthus2

Religion has often been the base for wars in the past and influences how 'like us' we see other peoples. I think Afghanis are mostly muslim. In the UK terrorists are usually muslim. With different lives and beliefs.

Perhaps religion comes into this Russian invasion. But religion is always played down by reporters and historians imv.

Bosnian war was a war between different religious groups.

islamaphobic

It comes down to the inherent selfishness of human beings of all races.

There's a quote attributed to various sources; "You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do."

Everyone is preoccupied with themselves. When bad things happen to people who are like you, then you're taken with the realisation that this could be happening to you because it's happening to them.

YANBU
But you can guarantee this thread will be removed.

@BigHuff

Ah, can't edit my comment.

But just wanted to add, that this panic about racism in central and eastern Europe is often just a way to justify anti eastern European sentiment.

This is what is concerning me deeply. Any one speaking about the racism is being shut down. No. It isn’t being used to justify anti Eastern Europe sentiment. IT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING and if it’s happening the anti Eastern Europe sentiment IS JUSTIFIED.

Can alway depend on white people to tell everyone when racism is happening and when it isn’t! Here, enjoy reading this!

amp.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/mar/02/people-of-colour-fleeing-ukraine-attacked-by-polish-nationalists

amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/02/civilised-european-look-like-us-racist-coverage-ukraine

amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/02/28/europe/students-allege-racism-ukraine-cmd-intl/index.html

www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=28194&LangID=E

www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna17953

Wow, even a whole Wikipedia page dedicated to Ukraine racism:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Ukraine

news.sky.com/story/amp/ukraine-invasion-student-claims-he-was-beaten-and-racially-abused-as-he-fled-towards-polish-border-12556661

www.independent.co.uk/world/ukraine-russia-racism-black-jamaica-students-b2027033.html

If it’s racist then it’s the media that are racist . We are concerned because of the constant media attention the war in Syria did not get anywhere near front page attention. So blame anyone blame the media .

I don't think it's shocking that this war is more relatable to British people than others further afield.

Its not to do with the people being white but that you can easily transport the images to any European city you might have visited. Berlin, Prague, Krakow, Budapest are all big tourist hubs and many Britons will have visited them. They don't look a lot different to Kjiv. And stretch it a bit further and if doesn't look that different from London, Cardiff or Edinburgh. The territory too is not unlike Britain, trees and forests rather than dusty Middle Eastern hillsides - which I have never visited and can't imagine in my own eye.

Plus many of us with have had contact with Poles, Slovaks, Hungarians in our lives, if not Ukrainians. Even if you don't know any socially or through work, the chances are that if you've had tradespeople or cleaners working in your house, they may well have come from countries directly affected by this crisis.

What HAS shocked me is the inability of many British people to differentiate between the ordinary Russian people (who stand to lose everything through this crisis), and Putin's evil regime. Lots of anti-Russian comments in my social media.

On BBC News, Ukraine’s deputy chief prosecutor David Sakvarelidze explained being very emotional as he was seeing “European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed everyday”.

It’s this kind of thinking

Yes.

@RisingSunn

On BBC News, Ukraine’s deputy chief prosecutor David Sakvarelidze explained being very emotional as he was seeing “European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed everyday”.

It’s this kind of thinking

Ukraine is highly racist too.

@RisingSunn

On BBC News, Ukraine’s deputy chief prosecutor David Sakvarelidze explained being very emotional as he was seeing “European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed everyday”.

It’s this kind of thinking

Yeah comments like that, are absolutely vile.

Also Ukraine is close to home and the war has potential to affect our safety and way of life more than a war further away.

In the UK terrorists are usually muslim. With different lives and beliefs.

Nice.

MN is fascinating when events like this happen. You wouldn’t expect your average MC pearl clutching white woman who worries about chopping up her children’s grapes to have views like this. I know MN isn’t a homogeneous glob, but still…very fascinating.

It's amazing the knots people will tie themselves into to convince themselves they're not racist. I mean we've had decades of the media demonizing refugees. It's absolutely sunk in to society. But you can't challenge your own thinking till you acknowledge that on some level, race plays a part. Unless you don't want to challenge your own thinking.

I wonder if part of the response is because this conflict is, at one level, easy to understand - Russia (Putin) bad, Ukraine innocent/good. It's obvious who's right, who to support etc.

Whereas when Yugoslavia fell apart it was much harder to understand who wanted what, whether that was reasonable etc. That doesn't excuse the horrific atrocities perpetrated by some (and I know NATO got involved), but this conflict is much more straightforward. Many global conflicts are complex; this is much more like WW1/WW2.

“Squidinkk

It's amazing the knots people will tie themselves into to convince themselves they're not racist. I mean we've had decades of the media demonizing refugees. It's absolutely sunk in to society. But you can't challenge your own thinking till you acknowledge that on some level, race plays a part. Unless you don't want to challenge your own thinking.“

In this case it seems race is not playing a part in the decision to not allow Ukrainian refugees into the U.K. (unless they have family here) or else the government would be allowing them.

I don’t think proximity has much to do with it except that war in Europe has WWII vibes. We’d be just as appalled if Putin started on Australia. I think there’s a fair bit of othering of nations in the Middle East and also the fact that this conflict is one that we might get caught up in and therefore get nuked is a factor. But that said I think plenty of people were horrified by what has been going on in Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan.

What HAS shocked me is the inability of many British people to differentiate between the ordinary Russian people (who stand to lose everything through this crisis), and Putin's evil regime. Lots of anti-Russian comments in my social media.

Yes, this exactly. How can you suddenly hate all of Russia? It’s propaganda and war tactics to brainwash normal people. The amount of hatred riled up over a course of a week is amazing.

In this case it seems race is not playing a part in the decision to not allow Ukrainian refugees into the U.K. (unless they have family here) or else the government would be allowing them.

Yep, this goes against anyone saying the UK is inherently racist, if the government were only suddenly interested in refugees from Ukraine because they’re white surely we’d be open to them all, which we’re not.

This is such a ridiculous take on things. Europeans are worried about a war in Europe - why is that surprising? Having grown up in the later years of the USSR the fear that that a recreation of this is Putins real goal is a threat to us here in the U.K. because if he steps over into NATO territory it is our sons and daughters that will be sent to fight. I also remember the risk of nuclear attack and every household in the U.K. being sent a booklet in what to do. Why do you think many European countries still have bomb shelters? A war in Europe is a war that directly affects us and as a fellow European country we have a responsibility to the refugees that we don't have for other continents. Additionally I will echo what others are saying that it is mothers and children that are fleeing - not 20 something men and they are staying in the first country of safety - we now have a responsibility to bring some of them here through the official channels. I will also add Russia is also a white country so how can this be about race ?

@ScrollingLeaves

“Squidinkk

It's amazing the knots people will tie themselves into to convince themselves they're not racist. I mean we've had decades of the media demonizing refugees. It's absolutely sunk in to society. But you can't challenge your own thinking till you acknowledge that on some level, race plays a part. Unless you don't want to challenge your own thinking.“

In this case it seems race is not playing a part in the decision to not allow Ukrainian refugees into the U.K. (unless they have family here) or else the government would be allowing them.

Boris Johnson, the ERG and Brexiteer wing of the Conservatives have spent so long demonising refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants. They can’t possibly start accepting masses of Ukrainian refugees, otherwise the mask slips.

Because Hitler mark 2 with nukes is knocking on the door and integrity and stability of the whole of Europe...which we very much feel part of and identify as and culturally resonate with, often more so than 'the west' and Americana, and have neighbours, friends and work colleagues who are Ukranian or Polish or Russian. To say caring about that is 'racist' is just reductive and nasty, but I guess it gives you a warm glow of moral superiority...?

We did?

Yemen has definitely fallen under the radar. But there's was massive outpouring of support for Syria And Afghanistan.

Can't believe you missed it?

As a British person of colour, I have to say I’ve found the images shocking in serving to highlight how close to home, and, yes, how similar to us they us. I have felt deep sadness towards other conflicts but this is different. It does not make a racist.

@BigHuff

Ah, can't edit my comment.

But just wanted to add, that this panic about racism in central and eastern Europe is often just a way to justify anti eastern European sentiment.

This panic about racism, as you put it, is really happening. It is being widely reported, and is hurting people who are suffering in this invasion too. It's got nothing to do with being anti EE.