Western media and Governments racial bias regarding Ukraine and the undermining of humanitarian principles.
I struggle to articulate myself without feeling that I may be accused of being insensitive; however, I have continually observed an increase in social injustice, with the fates of displaced people at the mercy of some of the most powerful regimes on earth.
The pain and suffering faced by the people of Ukraine and their loved ones is heart-breaking and unjust. The point I want to make is not intended to undermine this injustice, nor belittle it.
It’s impossible to balance the volume of media coverage and public reaction on the refugee crisis from the Ukrainian war, versus other wars and humanitarian crisis’ that have been ongoing for years, some of them for over a decade.
It gives me hope to see people coming together showing empathy, support and compassion to those who find themselves at the mercy of powers beyond their control. However, I cannot help but observe the racial bias within the West's coverage of the situation in Ukraine. The harmful narrative perpetuated highlights a differentiation between Europe and other nations. This inequality begs the question: what is the real difference between people fleeing war and persecution in Ukraine to those in Afghanistan?
The distinctive lack of coverage and public empathy for wars in non-European countries perpetuates the idea that these lives are not worthy of protection. Is war in non-European countries unsurprising to us because of the colonial institutionalised racism that is so engrained throughout the collective historical narrative? Is this why people then deem it to be of less importance? And, does this mean that again, white lives over black and brown hold more value due to assumptions that those same who have been tormented for centuries are pre-disposed to violence? Or, perhaps we are averse to recognising our complicity in arming regimes directly abusing human rights and causing these same humanitarian crises?
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