Pope Francis avers 'it's racism' that divides refugees into 'Ukrainians & others' in West

As the Russia-Ukraine war has resulted in the displacement of over four million Ukrainian refugees to the West, Pope Francis on Friday pointed out that "racism" guides the treatment of refugees in the Western nations. Speaking on Italian television station RAI, the pontiff stated that the fact that asylum seekers from war-torn Ukraine are more welcomed compared to those from other parts of the world evidently proved that "we are racists." He also stressed that the West also segregates the refugees based on their source of origin. "The refugees are divided. First-class, second class, by skin colour, whether you come from a developed country or a non-developed one," the head of the Catholic Church told RAI. "We are racists...and that's bad," he added. The head of the sovereign state of Vatican City also emphasised that although every independent country has the right to defend its security status, it is imperative that they avoid the "general abandonment" of peace. "We live according to an idea where we kill each other because of the need for power, for security, for many things," the Pope said. He added that he understands the concern of the governments "that buy weapons" but he "doesn't approve of it." According to United Nations figures, at least 10 million have been internally and externally displaced amid the brutal Russia-Ukraine war. More than half of the total number i.e. 4.7 million Ukrainians have left the country since Russia attacked its neighbour in late February. While similar news channels across the world scrambled to keep up with real-time updates of the war, Western media reportage reeked of racism. 3. Al-Jazeera "What's compelling is looking at them, the way they are dressed. These are prosperous, middle-class people. These are not obviously refugees trying to get away from the Middle East...or North Africa. They look like any European family that you'd live next door to." pic.twitter.com/LnopOTaDrA — Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) February 27, 2022 Western media's 'racist' coverage of Ukrainian refugees During the round-the-clock reporting of the Ukraine crisis, Western media has evidently used "shocking terms" to describe Ukrainian refugees that racially segregate them from "others", avid Twitteratis pointed out. Apart from this, the media coverage of Ukraine's refugee crisis also recieved much more importance than the turmoil in the Middle East, Asia, and most importantly Africa. A Twitter thread by journalist Alan MacLeod detailed some of the instances of "racist" media coverage of the Ukraine crisis. The thread points out shocking terms used by leading news organisations including BBC, CBS News, Al Jazeera, BFM TV, The Daily Telegraph, and the ITS (UK). [Thread] The most racist Ukraine coverage on TV News. 1. The BBC - “It’s very emotional for me because I see European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed” - Ukraine’s Deputy Chief Prosecutor, David Sakvarelidze pic.twitter.com/m0LB0m00Wg — Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) February 27, 2022 On BBC News, Ukraine’s deputy chief prosecutor David Sakvarelidze said he was very emotional seeing “European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed every day”. On CBS News, foreign correspondent Charlie D’Agata while reporting from Kyiv said, “This is a relatively civilized and European city where you wouldn’t expect or hope that it is going to happen.” He also said this wasn't "Iraq or Afghanistan" – countries that have been suffering endless conflict. D'Agata later apologized in a broadcast. Putting it "bluntly" was an NBC News correspondent, who said, "These are not refugees from Syria, these are refugees from neighbouring Ukraine...these are Christians, they are white, they are ...um...very similar to people that live in Poland." Prominent racism in reporting of the Ukraine war was also flagged by the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association. In a statement, members warned the Western media to be "mindful of implicit and explicit bias" in their communication. (Image: AP)

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Pope Francis avers 'it's racism' that divides refugees into 'Ukrainians & others' in West

Pope Francis on Friday, April 15, pointed out that "racism" guides the treatment of refugees in Western nations while speaking to an Italian television station.

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