War has broken out again in Europe. And once again, it’s clear: not all refugees are treated the same. Some are met with appropriate solidarity. Others are harassed, freeze to death, or drown at the borders of Fortress Europe, in Polish forests, or in Greek waters.
The war exposes the double standards of European societies. The cynicism of racial discrimination is evident on many levels:
At the borders: We are receiving reports that BIPOC people and people from the Global South are being threatened by soccer hooligans at the Ukrainian-Polish border (e.g., Przemyśl and Lublin). Black people and other BIPOC individuals are being denied entry there. Meanwhile, refugees from the Global South are repeatedly being turned back via pushbacks at the EU’s land borders and in the Mediterranean, often with fatal consequences.
On the Run: Students from the Global South and refugees in Ukraine are excluded from Deutsche Bahn’s offer of a free train ride to Germany. Furthermore, the majority of Afghan local staff who have cooperated with the German Armed Forces are still waiting in Afghanistan, facing great danger.
On the issue of acceptance: While, until recently, the majority of Ukrainians in Germany were exploited as laborers in the meat industry, agriculture, and care work, they are now being offered a wide range of support services. We support this, of course. However, refugees from the Global South are forced to remain in camps on the Greek islands or even in Libya, where they are subjected to violence and torture.
In the media: Until recently, Ukrainians were also subjected to anti-Slavic racism; now they are described as “civilized” (CBS News) and defined as “people like us” (Daily Telegraph)—white people with whom integration might “work” (TV show *Hart aber Fair*). As a result, BIPOC from the Global South are implicitly constructed as “others,” as “uncivilized,” as not “people like us,” and as “unable to integrate,” and are thus excluded from the right to peace and asylum.
When it comes to allocating funds: While Chancellor Olaf Scholz is calling for a special budget increase of 100 billion for the Bundeswehr, and the proposed Frontex budget for so-called border security in 2022 is rising to 750 million euros, a state-run European maritime rescue service for BIPOC refugees is virtually nonexistent, and long-term peace policy measures—such as development education—are underfunded.
We demand:
– an end to all involvement by the German federal government in (even rhetorical) acts of war in Ukraine and a focus on a negotiated solution
– an end to double standards in the admission of politically persecuted individuals and refugees from war zones
– an end to and a thorough investigation of illegal pushbacks at Europe’s external borders
– Solidarity with ALL refugees and unbureaucratic solutions for resettlement and residence from Ukraine AND the EU’s external borders
– Anti-racist reporting and the inclusion of BIPOC voices in public debates on war, displacement, and flight
The team of glokal e.V.