Posted March 7, 2022 by Morgane Amina R. Haddad
"While the international community has been focusing on the dangers faced by Ukrainians in this grave humanitarian crisis produced by the Russian government, we must also speak up for these African and South Asian students facing the same dangers and who must be treated with dignity."
African and Middle Eastern Facing Discrimination at the Ukrainian and Polish Border: Double Standards for Refugees Fleeing Ukraine
By: Morgane Amina R. Haddad
Friday, March 4
Since Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, more than 280,000 people have tried to flee Ukraine.[1] Many of them have tried to cross the nearby border of Poland to seek safety.[2] Both authorities and humanitarian agencies in Poland have demonstrated their support to Ukrainian refugees by bringing toys to children or offering free rides to people attempting to reunite with their families in Poland.[3] Meanwhile, most of the international community has stood in solidarity with Ukraine.[4] For example, leaders from the European Union have already started imposing economic sanctions on Russia.[5] Member states of the European Union have unanimously condemned the act of aggression, qualifying it as a violation of international law.[6] People around the world have expressed their solidarity, demonstrating in gold and blue – Ukraine’s colors.[7] Thousands marched in the United States and in Berlin, over 100,000 people gathered at the Brandenburg gate, near the Russian embassy, displaying signs that read “We stand with Ukraine.”[8] In the past week, whether it’s on social media or the streets of European capitals, the voices spoke loud in support of Ukraine and its people.
Wars lead to refugee crisis and displacement of populations. The war in Ukraine could lead to the displacement of seven million people.[9] Unfortunately, disparities and discrimination between refugees based on their citizenship are already happening. Ukrainian authorities have set up a bus system to take people from border towns to checkpoints at the Polish border so that Ukrainians can escape Russian military actions.[10] There have been reports of clear segregation in the process of accepting people trying to cross the border to safety by citizens from African and South Asian countries.[11]
Ukrainian authorities are prioritizing their citizens while citizens from other countries remain stranded in border towns in uncertain and dangerous situations, simply on the basis of their national origin. Many of them are foreign students studying in Ukraine. University students from countries like Nigeria and India have since related their stories and shared that Ukrainian authorities have not allowed them onto buses allowing access to checkpoints nearing Poland.[12] Nigeria’s government has also condemned violent treatment against their citizens, with Ukrainian security officials reportedly hitting foreign citizens with batons.[13] The Nigerian government has strongly criticized the treatment of its students at the border, declaring that the mistreatment of its citizens shows the persisting engrained racism in Europe and particularly in Eastern European countries.[14] On February 28, 2022, the Nigerian government then reminded Ukraine that “it is important that everyone is treated with dignity and without favour.”[15] The foreign minister Geoffrey Onyeama has also stated on his Twitter account that he had spoken to his Ukrainian counterpart and that “He asserted that Ukrainian border guards have been instructed to allow all foreigners to leave. He promised to investigate and revert quickly.”[16] While the international community has been focusing on the dangers faced by Ukrainians in this grave humanitarian crisis produced by the Russian government, we must also speak up for these African and South Asian students facing the same dangers and who must be treated with dignity.
[1] Chris Melzer, People across Poland show solidarity with refugees from Ukraine, (March 1, 2022), [https://perma.cc/YTB8-2LYF].
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[5] Id.
[6] Id.
[7] Id.
[8] Id.
[11] Id.
[12] Id.
[14] La rédaction, Refoulement des noirs à la frontière Ukraine-Pologne: la ségrégation de la honte !, [https://perma.cc/FLS6-NGW2].