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Back in December, Germany promised to take in 25,000 refugees escaping the Taliban in Afghanistan.
However, five months later, Afghan refugees in Germany are reportedly getting evicted from their homes to make room for the Ukrainian refugees.
The Foreign Policy reports that hundreds of Afghan refugees across Germany are being relocated to temporary accomodations, many given only 24 hours notice.
Families are being separated and children are being relocated to new schools.
"The evictions purposefully weren’t publicised," says Berlin Refugee Council board member Tareq Alaows, "some people had lived in their homes for years and were ripped out of their social structures."
Alaows says the nation's government is mistreating Afghan refugees.
"Of course it’s not the Ukrainians’ fault, but we have to reflect on our solidarity if it’s only targeting certain people," he says, "the last months showed that different treatment of refugees is possible, and this needs to be systematically anchored in our society."
Not only does the German government show this double standard, we as a society are also guilty of this behaviour.
As the world watched Russia invade Ukraine in February this year, citizens across the world showed their support for the Ukrainians - donations were made, refugees were welcomed into homes and Russia received immense backlash worldwide.
But yet there's been no warm welcome for refugees fleeing Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
People of Middle Eastern, Asian or African background are treated differently to white European refugees - they're locked up in detention, seised at country borders, depicted as 'national security risks' and seen as 'job stealers' or even 'terrorists.'
The eviction of Afghan refugees in Germany just reaffirms this double standard that's prevalent in today's society.
The welfare of white, European people is deemed more important that the lives of others with skin colours.
HEADER IMAGE: Afghan refugees at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Source: Rob Schmitz/NPR