The War in Ukraine has been a situation where the majority of the world has condemned the actions of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Yet, even as that is happening, people in the media cannot help but use racist dog whistles to explain their shock and horror at the events.
Trevor Noah, on The Daily Show, brought this up in a segment about newscasters who keep making a point of mentioning that this is happening “in Europe,” and not in places like Africa or the Middle East—you know, those Black and Brown places where there is always conflict, as they seem to see it.
As Noah points out, Europe is no stranger to wars, historically (and let’s be real, post-colonial issues are a huge part of the reason these wars exist), and it seems to imply that “underdeveloped” nations are the places where these conflicts should happen. Not only is this gross, but it continues to let Europe off the hook for their own inhumane and bad behavior—including the fact that non-white people in Ukraine are dealing with segregation and discrimination as they are trying to reach safety.
Rachel Onyegbule, a Nigerian first-year medical student in Lviv, shared her experience with CNN:
“More than 10 buses came and we were watching everyone leave. We thought after they took all the Ukrainians they would take us, but they told us we had to walk, that there were no more buses and told us to walk.”
“My body was numb from the cold and we haven’t slept in about 4 days now. Ukrainians have been prioritized over Africans — men and women — at every point. There’s no need for us to ask why. We know why. I just want to get home.”
Saakshi Ijantkar, a 22-year-old medical student from India, said,
“They were very cruel. The second checkpoint was the worst. When they opened the gate for you to cross to the Ukrainian border, you stay between the Ukraine and Poland, the Ukrainian army don’t allow Indian men and boys to cross when you get there. They only allowed the Indian girls to get in. We had to literally cry and beg at their feet. After the Indian girls got in, the boys were beaten up. There was no reason for them to beat us with this cruelty.
“I saw an Egyptian man standing at the front with his hands on the rails, and because of that one guard pushed him with so much force and the man hit the fence, which is covered in spikes, and he lost consciousness.”
But this is “civilized” Europe, right? Well, actually, mistreating Black and Brown bodies in a time of crisis is a very European condition, like Blackface on Halloween.
None of this excuses the horrific realty of what is going on in Ukraine. It does highlight that people still look down on Brown countries because they feel as if we deserve the violence that surrounds us. When it happens to them it is a tragedy, when it happens to us, it’s just another Thursday.
(image: Screenshot)
