Victor Emmanuel Vidal, a sociology graduate, shares his thoughts on the Ukrainian conflict. He was challenged, at the beginning of the exodus, by a form of exclusion of foreign nationals, when leaving Ukrainian territory: “We have seen the suffering of the Ukrainian people but accompanied by racist behavior noted at the borders, targeted by the media. The African Union denounced unacceptable treatment. Foreign students, women, minors were herded and sorted according to their skin color. They were excluded from boarding trains or buses.”
A special empathy
For Victor Emmanuel, the difference is felt, unconsciously: “The outpouring of solidarity is strong in France and in Montpellier. The Ukrainian flag alongside the French and European flags. The Opéra Comédie was lit in the colors of the country. when do the Syrian or Afghan flags go up?”
For him, Montpellier is a cosmopolitan city, which has an incalculable number of demands in favor of the rights of foreigners: “But there has never been such a surge of solidarity in response to the discrimination denounced. We are witnessing a popular fervor, the inhabitants are asking to host Ukrainians. Today more than the war, it is the distress of the whites that arouses empathy.” For the analyst, no doubt: “When a conflict affects France, Eurocentric Western civilization, attention is multiplied, globalized.”