You're reading: Racism real, but Euro 2012 danger exaggerated

Ukraine has in recent weeks been painted in the Western press as a nation of racists who could violently assault black fans visiting the country for the Euro 2012 football tournament.

A shocking report by Panorama BBC TV on May 28 showed football hooligans in Kharkiv beating Indian supporters whilst local police stood by. After seeing these images, ex-England team captain Sol Campbell warned fans to “stay at home” or they could “end up coming back in a coffin.”

But while local black community leaders and racism experts acknowledge there is a serious problem, they say the threat of attacks is exaggerated and the situation is more complex.
Maksym Butkevych, an activist from the No Borders–Kyiv Initiative, a Kyiv-based organization monitoring racism in Ukraine, said racism in a predominately white Slavic country has been a problem for many years. “But I couldn’t say there’s a real threat for those who will come for the championship,” Butkevych stressed.

Worries that the football championship would devolve into an orgy of violence were heightened in a statement from Britain’s Foreign Office that urged the travelers of Asian or Afro-Caribbean descent to take “extra care” in Poland and Ukraine.

This is misleading, however, as the statement is part of the standard country report that the Foreign Office website has for every country. “The language has been there for over five years,” said Matthew Lewis from the British Embassy in Kyiv.

But while the recent media hype may be overblown, there is no denying that racism is an entrenched problem in Ukraine.

According to the International Organization for Migration, which monitors racial issues worldwide, some 23 racially motivated attacks involving 40 people took place in 2011, three times the number in 2010.

While this pales compared to the 19,000 cases registered in England and Wales, which have a similar albeit much more diverse populations, one should not read too much into the figures as many cases go unreported, warned Yana Salahova from the International Organization for Migration. “We do not have a culture of reporting crimes,” Salahova said.

Compared with previous years, Charles Astante-Yeboa from the African Center in Kyiv said, the number of incidents has dropped. This drop, however, reflects precautionary measures taken by foreigners rather than changed attitudes.

“The situation has not improved,” Astante-Yeboa said. “People are avoiding places were attacks happened.”

A big change came from the closing of the Shulyavka market in Kyiv, Astante-Yeboa said. The market, located under a bridge near the Shulyavka metro station, had a number of Nigerian street vendors, several of whom were murdered in recent years. Police investigations have led nowhere.

One problem is that police do not take the cases seriously, Salahova said.

Some government projects, supported by tournament organizer Union of European Football Associations, have stepped up awareness efforts with law enforcement and civil society groups.
The big question now is what will happen during the Euro 2012 games, when thousands of sports fans of different ethnic origins come to Ukraine.

The actions of football hooligans, who have also made international headlines, are of particular concern. Ultranationalists are believed to be itching for confrontations.

The situation in Poland may even be worse. Some experts liken it to the darkest days of British football in the 1980s, when riots were common.

According to a study by the East Europe Monitoring Center, some 133 racially discriminatory symbols where displayed at matches in Poland during a two-year period from 2009-2011 while 62 appeared in Ukraine.

The track record of team’s international competitions speaks even louder.

Just last September, Legia Warszawa supporters unveiled a giant banner reading “Jihad – Legia” at a game against Hapoel Tel Aviv. That same club was earlier banned from European competitions after a match in Vilnius, Lithuania, where the team’s supporters stormed the field and overran the unsuspecting Lithuanian police, running amok for several hours.

By comparison, supporters of Ukrainian teams, where non-white players are more common than in Poland, are considered relatively less of a problem.
Tony Conniford is assistant director at the United Kingdom Football Policing Unit, which follows British football fans on their trips abroad. During a recent trip to Ukraine, Conniford said: “At the moment we have very few concerns.”

British Sports Minister Hugh Robertson also recently came out denouncing the reported dangers to fans in Poland and Ukraine as exaggerated.

“All these statements are absolutely incorrect,” Robertson said. “My advice to all fans: Go and support the team.”

Additionally, police pressure has dissuaded some of football hooligans from attending matches. “The ultras, the active fans, are totally ignoring this championship,” said Yevhen Shchelkunov, a member of the Dynamo Kyiv ultras.

Perhaps the most regrettable aspect of racism in Ukraine is that it fails to outrage the population. Few denounce incidents. Politicians fail to condemn racism – such as when a Ternopil newspaper in January depicted students from African and Arabic countries as chimpanzees.

Now with the eyes of Europe’s football fans turned to Ukraine, the hope is that the political class will get serious about clamping down on racism.

“Our government is very much sensitized, and they really try to organize and plan some measures, and I really hope they cope with that,” said Salahova from the IOM. “They know that the issue exists, and I hope that they will do something about it.”

Kyiv Post staff writers Oksana Grytsenko and Jakub Parusinski can be reached at [email protected], [email protected]
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