It is difficult to find words to convey our empathy and solidarity with the Ukrainian people and to express how deeply horrified we are by the Russian aggression and invasion. No one should have to experience the suffering and horror of war and living in fear of violence, oppression and death. We welcome the UN’s resolution unequivocally condemning the actions of the Russian government.
As members of a European network, we welcome the solidarity expressed by many European countries in receiving and welcoming Ukrainian refugees. At the same time, we are deeply alarmed by the recent reports of racial discrimination which have been preventing the safe passage of people racialised as ‘People of Colour’ (Black or Brown) into neighbouring countries. Despite fleeing the same war as Ukrainians, Black and Brown individuals are reportedly being held back, denied access, or pushed to the end of the line while people raced as ‘White’ are being prioritised. We believe that the violence targeting Ukraine does not take race or colour into consideration, neither should borders nor humanitarian rescue. Our view is that we need to forge a world based on solidarity and care, rather than discrimination and division, a challenge that becomes acute in times of crisis. We are mindful of the fact that the media and other coverage of this crisis can be heavily racialised and that this rhetoric contributes in no small measure to the active discrimination against various people, including Russians, and exacerbates the harmful fall-out of violent crises. This includes racism, nationalism, militarism and the rise of domestic violence against women.
Aware of the plurality of the world, the heterogeneity within societies, and the multiple perspectives on historiography, we are extremely concerned that the important and appropriate solidarity with Ukraine currently being shown is being framed in an extremely simplistic Cold War-inspired geopolitical binary. The dual, blanket, ascriptions of good and evil have never done justice to political realities as a means of classification, and they do not do so now. A condemnation of the war emanating from Russia is not an automatic license to once again divide the world into West and East. Moreover, it does not automatically make those who are now providing assistance and showing solidarity with Ukraine the ‘good guys’. False dichotomies do not help us to understand, nor respond to, the multidimensional global web of relations. A roll-back to militarization as a prime means of foreign policy cannot be the solution.
As scholars and activists committed to global justice we assert that while no suffering can or should be weighed against another,that alongside Ukraine we must not forget the struggles of Yemenis, Syrians, Ethiopians, Afghans, Palestinians, Sahrawis, Tibetans and many other peoples that today and everyday are faced with war and violence wrought by invasions and bombs, and are fighting for justice and peace against the colonial logics that underpin the world order. We must not forget that the same powers that condemn Russia are significant contributors to or even creators of multiple crises that are forcing people to flee. Besides wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria or Yemen, destroyed livelihoods due to climate crisis-related environmental destruction and neocolonial economic structures must be considered. If Europe is serious about its proclaimed ideals of peace and justice it should stop supporting neocolonialism and offer asylum to Ukrainian refugees and all refugees regardless of colour as well as to soldiers deserting the invading army.
Dr Julia Schöneberg
Dr Juan Telleria
Prof Aram Ziai
Prof Paola Minoia
Yafa el-Masri
Prof Lata Narayanaswamy
Meike Strehl
Prof Giti Chandra
Dr Su-ming Khoo
Prof Seema Arora Jonsson
Dr Tomáš Imrich Profant
Dr Jelena Vicentic
Dr Stefano Moncada
Dr Tiina Seppälä
Dr Ethemcan Turhan
Dr Anne Snick
Dr Zoltán Ginelli
Prof Inga Kuźma
Prof Wendy Harcourt
Dr Blendi Cali
Dr Franziska Satzinger
Dr Diana Janušauskienė
Predrag Milic
Dr Alicja Piotrowska
Dr Alexander Horstmann
Prof Magnus Skjöld
Prof Anna Khakee
Dr Ana Pereira
Laura Sobral
Dr Anna Schwachula
Dr Ela Drazkiewicz
Burcu Ateş
Dr Sarah Cummings
Prof Daniel Bendix
Dr Alice Santiago Faria
Dr Gaia Giuliani
Mariasole Pepa
Prof Antonio Ortega Santos
Dr Lívia de Souza Lima
Dr Sebastian Garbe
Cristiano Gianolla
Prof Kalpana Wilson
Prof Jorge Garcia Arias
Prof Jónína Einarsdóttir
Laura Sobral
Prof Attila Melegh
Dr Sara Riva
Dr hab. Joanna Kurowska-Pysz
Dr Filip Majetić
Dr Annette Knaut
Dr Anke Schwittay
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