UK Foreign Office warns fans to except racial abuse in Ukraine
The UK newspaper Independent has reported Foreign Office advice to any black or Asian supporters going to Ukraine for this summers European Championship that they face the possibility of being racially abused.. It quotes a spokesperson for the Foreign Office as saying "You cannot rule out the possibility of racism towards visiting fans. There is a risk in Poland and Ukraine as with many other countries where England play. We encourage visiting fans to report any incidents to the police.".
As reported here many times, the authorities are denying any problem at all. The Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK claimed that there had been “a few minor incidents” which had been appropriately dealth with.
The Independent notes that the “attitude of the Ukrainian police towards racist attacks has been highlighted by the US State Department. Its advice to travellers to Ukraine says: "The police and governments slow response to hate crimes is a continuing concern. Although senior government officials have publicly deplored these hate crimes, street-level law enforcement officials are either unwilling or unable to deter hate crimes effectively or protect racial minorities adequately."
The article in full can be found at: http://independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/its-official-expect-to-be-racially-abused-at-euros-7763895.html