VIDEO. Racism at the Polish border: “They hit us saying: leave!”

Several Africans who have tried to cross the border between Ukraine and Poland testify to a difference in treatment between refugees. Among them is Johanna, a 17-year-old first-year medical student who has been living in Ukraine until now. Since the war started, she decided to flee the country. So she took a few things and set off for Poland. While her taxi did not drop her off at the right place, she says she had to walk for hours before arriving at her destination. “We were very cold, very hungry, I couldn’t sleep but it was too cold“, testifies Johanna.

When she arrived at the border patrol between Ukraine and Poland, the situation worsened for Johanna: “They kept us for no reason and they let other Ukrainians pass“, she says. Johanna had to wait more than five hours seeing other refugees pass before her eyes. “A Ukrainian woman came, she didn’t have to say anything, and they let her pass, when they saw the Ukrainian woman coming, they even beat us to let her pass“, recalls the student. “Even if it’s not our country, it does not mean that we are not human“, adds Johanna.

Johanna was finally able to cross the border with a group of Ukrainian women. Like her, dozens of students say they have undergone the same treatment.