Viral footage is now making the rounds on social media where hundreds of people fleeing from war-torn Ukraine arrived at Poland’s border, only to be denied entry by racist guards.
25-year-old Alexander Somto Orah who hails from Nigeria says he was forced to flee Kyiv due to the Russian invasion. In Ukraine, he was studying at the State University of Telecommunications but little did he know about his unpredictable future that lay ahead, due to the ongoing Russian conflict.
The 25-year-old student and hundreds of others managed to make the 590-mile long journey to Poland’s border. After traveling four long and hard days, many were relieved to have come out alive despite the brutal Russian military operation.
But when they arrived, they met with great resistance from Poland’s security guards deployed at the border.
The guards did not allow them to pass through as they boldly declared, “no Indians, Africans, and Middle Easterners.” And that meant they were told to make their way towards another border and not this one.
The students began to cry with emotions running at an all-time high. Many began to question the level of humanity left in this world, while others spoke about how this war made them realize that there are so many that are still regarded differently than others.
“I can’t even begin to describe what I am feeling right now. The temperature was freezing over there. It had reached minus and there we were trying to escape war-torn Ukraine, only to be treated in this way”- the student explained.
As a whole, many students claim that they faced plenty of discrimination along the way. There was even a moment where so many began to shout while a giant van started to reverse into the crowd, as a forceful means to get rid of them.
Thankfully, in the end, their efforts paved through, and they were eventually allowed in after a great struggle. But this alarming incident is clear proof that just because you’re out of Ukraine, doesn’t mean the world is willing to accept you as a refugee.