As of February 23rd, 2022, the world looked on as Russia’s President Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine, and while the media focuses heavily on this European conflict, Indigenous Peoples Power Project acknowledges the vulnerable ones, the often forgotten, and all those who suffer from these senseless acts of war. With over a million refugees fleeing the Ukraine in a week since Russian invasion, we see families torn apart, women and children separated as fathers are encouraged to stay behind and fight. In the town of Zahony, Hungary, hundreds of Ukrainians with disabilities, many of them children evacuated their care facilities when Russian assaults intensified.

At the Lviv train station on the western border of the Ukraine and Poland, African born nationals are denied access stating, “They stopped us at the border and told us that Blacks were not allowed. But we could see White people going through,” said Moustapha Bagui Sylla, a student from Guinea. A Nigerian student, giving only his first name, Michael states, “They won’t let Africans in. Blacks without European passports cannot cross the border. They’re pushing us back just because we’re Black!” He adds, “We’re all human, they should not discriminate against us because of the color of our skin.” All of this a stark reminder that the liberation that’s begun requires constant and unwavering work to see it through.

With mainstream media outlets shifting their attention to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and away from other international conflicts, we are reminded of the crimes of apartheid against Palestinians, where Israeli governments enforce an institutional regime of oppression and domination against Palestinian people wherever it has control over their rights. These acts become Crimes Against Humanity when committed within a system of oppression and domination, where unlawful killing, torture, and the denial of basic rights and freedoms become commonplace on populations based on race. As these crimes are carried out globally, IP3 stands in solidarity with these and all other groups who are affected by the same. Our hearts are with you in these darkest of days, our prayers with the most vulnerable, the ones with no voice, and those who seek comfort, kindness and peace. We recognize we are fighting a familiar battle, and support those affected by these senseless acts of war.

Indigenous Peoples Power Project