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“We call for an end to all manifestations of racism at the borders of Ukraine.”

Several Nigerian students with their luggage stand in front of a train at the Lviv station in a snowfall.
Nigerian students wait at the platform in Lviv, 27 Feb. 2022. Jarred by discriminatory treatment and left to evacuate themselves, some racialized people who succeed in getting out are forming networks to help others flee.
Credit: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
Published On: March 25, 2022

Members of the Ethnocultural Networks of The United Church of Canada have written an open letter to United Church communities of faith expressing deep concern over manifestations of racism being reported in the midst of the war in Ukraine.

News media have reported that Black and south Asian students in Ukraine have been hindered from leaving the country to find safety elsewhere, primarily because of their skin colour.

Mainstream media have also prioritized coverage of the war in Ukraine to the neglect of other disturbing events and conflicts, both nationally and globally. Examples of media neglect are the ongoing wars and humanitarian crises in nations such as Syria, Afghanistan, and Yemen. This selective coverage is an explicit expression of racial discrimination.

The letter invites United Church members and communities of faith to write to their respective members of Parliament to ask the Canadian government to take concrete steps to stop such expressions of racial discrimination.

The networks belonging to the Ethnocultural Networks of The United Church of Canada:

  • The Black Clergy Network of The United Church of Canada
  • Chinese Association of The United Church of Canada
  • The United Church of Canada Korean Network
  • Filipino Network in The United Church of Canada
  • Western Intercultural Ministries Network
News Type
General

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