Members of the Ghana Union in Norway (Kristiansand Chapter), wish to condemn the inhuman treatment meted out on Africans in the Chinese city of Ghangzhou, linked to the global pandemic COVID-19.The union has Chairman, Stephen Zamore; Vice Chairman, Emmanuel Tay; Secretary, Joseph Kyei-Boateng; Financial Secretary, Priscilla Serwaa and Organiser, Joseph Agana as some of its principal officers.
In a statement they jointly signed and made available to OpenLife, the union emphasized that its condemnation comes on the backdrop of a story reported by the UK-based media organisation, the Guardian, on the headline: “China fails to stop racism against Africans over COVID-19” published on 29.04.2020, which caught the attention of the union. The story mentioned that some of the Africans maltreated by Chinese nationals came from Nigeria, Ethiopia and Ghana.
We find this distasteful in the eyes of respect for humanity. We believe for the global population of over 7.7 billion, whether Africans or Asians, North Americans or South Americans, Europeans or Oceanians, we are one people, one family in the world. And that inhuman treatment on people here in Norway or any other country including China, affects us both directly and indirectly.
By this measure, we expect China to resort to diplomacy and ride on the skins of international relations in dealing with foreign nationals in their country.
Even if Africans or others of different race are flouting national rules or laws in China, we expect that Chinese officials to deal with them according to the law and not subjecting them to inhuman treatment.
We acknowledge the important role China plays in the global economy. However, we expect that China, as a member state of the United Nations (UN), a global body that unites people across continents and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, would commit to the UN 1948 Human Rights in respecting humanity irrespective of race.
We also acknowledge that in as much as China is committed to joining the World Health Organisation (WHO) in finding solution to the COVID-19, it must also commit to respecting humanity.
We are, by this, urging all African embassies and missions in China, especially, those of Nigeria, Ethiopia and Ghana, to rise to mend the “broken issues” with China on behalf of their nationals victimising such dehumanisation.
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