Date: Monday, 07 March 2022
ERI-UK Social-Media Forum
London, 7th/03/2022, Every month the ERI-UK Social Media Forum brings together writers, editors, social media activists to address and share information about Eritrea & International Affairs.
Friday 4th of March 2022, ERI-UK Social Media Forum invited Ambassador Peter Ford to discuss his views on current international affairs. Mr. Peter Ford is a former British Ambassador to Bahrain & Syria, he also worked with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office serving in Beirut, Cairo, Singapore, Paris and Riyadh, as well as London. Peter is a frequent commentator in the international media and writes in The Guardian, Middle East Eye and 21st Century Wire but more commonly appears on television and radio media networks such as BBC News, Sky News, ITV News, France 24, Russia Today, Press TV and NTV.
Ambassador Peter Ford, explaining the situation between Russia and Ukraine, said the situation raises serious concerns with political, economic and security ramifications for Europe and the rest of the world. It requires immediate resolution by giving more chances to diplomacy. Ambassador Peter Ford also highlighted those sanctions do not resolve the problems of peace and security, and that they only hurt innocent people and undermine the road to peace.
Ambassador Peter Ford also highlighted that African citizen living in Ukraine are facing difficulties while crossing the borders and that Ukraine’s media coverage reveals the West’s inherent racism. Combine that with the references to “civilisation” and being “European”, the message is clear that our wars are OK, because bombing brown people far away is not as bad as bombing blond people close to home. This is real racism. Not the fake outrage-fuel kind, the literal deep-seated kind based on fundamental unquestioned assumptions that people of another race simply don’t matter as much as your own. But there are other forms of racism happening in the Ukraine narrative that gets even less acknowledgment. There’s the racism inherent in Ukrainian politics and the attempts by western commentators to deny or normalise it for political ends.
He stressed that media outlets are as ignorantly racist, with prominent journalists calling for Russian children to be kicked out of British schools, or attacking people for having a Russian wife. British journalists working for Russian TV stations were openly called “traitors” on the BBC, and some Guardian journalists joined a Labour MP to hire a bus and drive all around London pointing out which buildings are owned by Russians.
