Black Lives Matter in Ukraine

Not long ago, the whole world was in uproar over the brutal murder of George Floyd in the USA. This murder exemplified the racist treatment of people of African descent in the diaspora. There are those who believed that this treatment only happened in the USA. However, developments since Russia's invasion of the Ukraine have given the lie to this contention. African and Caribbean students fleeing the war zone have reported experiencing alarming racist incidents whilst trying to leave. Many of these incidents have been captured on camera.

Such incidents include:

• individuals and families being prevented from boarding trains due to depart the Ukraine
• the use of physical force to push back black women and children in order to prioritise white Ukrainians
• refusing black people's entry into Poland because of the colour of their skin.

UCU condemns the war being waged against the Ukrainian people by Russia and supports the safe passage of all peoples fleeing the war.

In addition, UCU strongly condemns the anti-black racism, violence and isolation significant numbers of African and Caribbean students have had to endure as a consequence of 'race selection'.

In war situations, the safety of all lives should be paramount. UCU's black members' standing committee stands with all students and workers experiencing the harrowing effects of a war that is not of their own making.

We send solidarity and support to everyone caught up in this conflict. It is important to remember that Every Single Black Life Matters in this time of war, and racism has no place in this world, especially in this time of conflict.

Please see a few links below that might be of interest to you if you would like to support African and Caribbean students:

• Help Nigerian & African students fleeing Ukraine (GoFundMe)
• Support black people fleeing Ukraine (GoFundMe)
• Support vulnerable black people in Ukraine (GoFundMe)