Hector Bellerin claims it is ‘RACIST’ that Russia’s war with Ukraine has had more attention than other conflicts as the Arsenal star says countries have ‘turned a blind eye’ and ‘lack empathy’ towards fighting elsewhere
- Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin slammed attitudes towards Russia conflict
- He said it was ‘racist’ that there was more attention for it than other wars
- Bellerin slammed countries for ‘turning a blind eye’ to previous fighting
- He highlighted wars between Israel and Palestine and in Iraq and said there was a ‘lack of empathy’ towards those conflicts
Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin has hit out at the amount of interest in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, claiming it is ‘racist’ and ‘grim’ that other conflicts have not been given the same attention.
Russian president Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine last month, accusing their neighbours of being a threat to their security and claiming his goal was to ‘demilitarise’ the country and rid them of ‘Nazi’ leaders.
But the world has been rocked by horrifying images and clips of the war following four full weeks of fighting, with hundreds of innocent Ukrainian civilians killed in sickening scenes that have led to an outpouring of support across the globe.
But Bellerin – who now plays on loan for Spanish team Real Betis – instead questioned why countries were more concerned with latest war but ‘turned a blind eye’ to previous conflicts, such as in Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.
‘I find it pretty grim seeing how we’ve been so interested in this war, but there were others that we didn’t bother with,’ he told Marca.
‘I don’t know if it’s because it could affect us more economically or in terms of refugees, but the war in Palestine has been silenced and nobody has talked about it.
Hector Bellerin has hit out at other countries for giving Russia’s conflict with Ukraine more attention than previous conflicts, calling the attitude ‘racist’
The former Arsenal star questioned why there was so much interest in the fighting after Vladimir Putin (R) invaded Ukraine last month when ‘lots of lives are lost in lots of conflicts’
There has been an outpouring of support for Ukraine around the world with hundreds of innocent civilian killed in the war so far
‘It happens in Palestine, Yemen, Iraq… Now we’re deciding whether Russia will play in the World Cup or not… In the end these are things that other countries have been doing for many years.
‘It is racist to have turned a blind eye to other conflicts and now to have this position.
‘It also reflects a lack of empathy for the number of lives lost in many conflicts and we are prioritising those that are near to us.’
But Bellerin asked why other wars – such as Palestine’s conflict against Israel – had not received the same level of interest and said countries were ‘turning a blind eye’
Bellerin played 239 times for Arsenal after starting his career with the club back in 2011
The football world has been incredibly supportive of Ukraine, with a number of teams paying tribute to the country.
In the Premier League, Everton and Manchester City – who have Ukranian defenders Vitali Mykolenko and Oleksandr Zinchenko in their ranks respectively – lined up before their match last month wearing blue and yellow t-shirts, with Everton draping themselves in a Ukraine flag.
Bellerin played 239 times for Arsenal after joining the club as a youth star from Barcelona in 2011.
He was a popular figure among fans but never quite fulfilled his potential despite many tipping him to become one of the best right backs in the Premier League.
The Spanish international joined Real Betis on loan at the start of the season and has so far featured 27 times for the LaLiga outfit.
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