Nevada, May 29 (IBNS) A US based Hindu group said it is concerned about the reported incidents of racist violence against people of Indian descent in Ukraine.
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) on Tuesday said that if Ukraine could not ensure the safety of people of Indian descent from such incidents, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) should withdraw the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 2012) from Ukraine.
Euro 2012, the 14th European Championship for national football teams organized by UEFA, is scheduled to be held at Kyiv, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Lviv in Ukraine (besides Poland) from June eight to July one. Sixteen teams are said to be participating.
According to reports, Indian students faced vicious racially motivated assault in Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv few weeks back. In capital Kyiv; an Indian man was attacked near Libidskaya metro station in front of many people in December last, another Indian was beaten at Maidan Nezalezhnosti in March, while another was attacked near his apartment in April, reports suggest.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged leaders of the majority Orthodox Christian Church and other religions/denominations in Ukraine to openly come out against racism, because religion told us to help the helpless.
Authorities needed to monitor hate crimes closely. This reported abuse of people of Indian descent, just because they looked different, was not acceptable, Zed stressed.
Rajan Zed urged personal intervention of Ukrainian President Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych and Prime Minister Mykola Yanovych Azarov on the issue of reported racism.
Europe’s second largest country and world’s third biggest grain exporter and the country of Zbruch idol, Saint Sophia Cathedral, musician Mykola Lysenko and legendary pole-vaulter Sergey Bubka should be more welcoming of the foreigners who looked different, Zed added.
