Kate Hawkesby: Disappointed to see Kiwis attacking Russians in NZ

It’s hard to believe we are still watching the war raging between Russia and Ukraine unfold in front of us.It feels desperate and helpless, and almost perverse to watch this play out while we can do so little about it.It’s utterly heartbreaking.But also heartbreaking is the fact ignorant New Zealanders are deciding now’s the time to attack Russians living here.I cannot believe that people think this has anything to do with them – just because they are Russian. It’s abominable.I was horrified to read a headline at the weekend that said “Russian Kiwis in Auckland say they’re encountering abuse and harassment in the wake of the invasion”. The report says they’re feeling excluded like they should hide their nationality, their children are getting bullied at school. As one of the Russian Kiwi Mums said, “The war is not about us, we are just normal people who live in New Zealand and pay taxes.”A Russian Church was vandalised, as well as a shop selling Russian goods.These are senseless ignorant acts done by people who clearly have no compassion and no understanding of what is actually going on here. No Russian born person is responsible for the acts of a crazy leader. It defies logic that the insane actions of a monster on the other side of the world should be blamed on Russians who’ve made New Zealand their home.It is also not a time for further division and attack, but a time to surely promote peace and show love.I always feel embarrassed when I see racism here, it’s not who we should be, and there should be no place for it at all.I spoke with the Race Relations Commissioner last week who was concerned about this very thing happening, he described it as a “few naughty people” who would undertake racist acts like this. But it’s an attitude, it’s a bubbling undercurrent of ignorance which we should all be working hard to extinguish. As if the world isn’t a tough enough place these days, why would we turn on our fellow Kiwis just because of their accent or where they were born?The other heartbreak at the moment is watching Zelensky’s cries for help go unanswered. He says the world ‘must not watch, but help’. He wanted NATO to close the airspace over Ukraine and develop a no-fly zone to stop Russia attacking, especially after the attack on Europe's largest nuclear power plant. But the West, nervous about potentially making things worse and escalating the war beyond Ukraine, refused.Zelenskyy called NATO’s actions weak, and I can understand his frustration and desperation. I mean how is it we are watching a man, a father, a husband, fighting literally for his and his country’s lives, having survived 3 assassination attempts, and still begging for help the West just can’t give, it’s soul-destroying. The humanitarian disaster we’re watching unfold will have far-reaching consequences – more than a million people seeking refuge already. It is all so so harrowing that it’s hard to believe the best some people can do here at home is attack Russians who’ve left their country behind, to come here to live a peaceful life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.