Russia is invading an independent country and innocent people are once again having to bear with the burden of the horrors of war. But why is our response so different this time around?

TV broadcasts are lauding the bravery of Ukrainian people, making a hero of the country’s president, sanctions have been placed against Russia, sports bodies are banning Russian teams and athletes, football clubs are dropping Russian sponsors. This ,is all necessary.

It is not for this article to prick the western conscience on the one-sided narrative when it comes to the ills and legitimacy of this war.

There is no widespread understanding of NATO having reneged on its deal from 1990, by allowing Poland and Romania to join the organisation. No discussion of the USA’s creation of a regime changing ‘orange revolution’ in Ukraine some 8 years ago, to instal a pro-western government in the country. Hardly any discussion of the fact that Ukraine ought to abide by the Minsk agreement and not seek membership of NATO. Virtually no coverage of the fact that this isn’t a ‘new’ war - the Ukrainian military has been fighting (and committing many atrocities) within the Easter provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014.

This war has a new participant, one who has changed the size and oval coverage of the conflict. However, these issues aren’t the focus of this article. In spite of all the issues, I do not see the Russian invasion as just and the innocent people of Ukraine deserve all of our support and prayers.

Rather, one must call out hypocrisy. The rank hypocrisy of our leaders and society in the West. The unashamed hypocrisy of warmongers acting as paragons of virtue. Let me illustrate: TV presenters and famous personalities have been wearing the Yellow and Blue of Ukraine in their public appearances. Social media is abuzz with sympathies for Ukraine. Ukraine flags are being made part of social media profiles.

You’d be forgiven for thinking this was the first, the only or the worst conflict in the world. Sadly that’s not the reality is it? When did these social media warriors and media personalities west the colours of Afghanistan, Syria, Kashmir, Yemen, Libya or any of the other nations they have destroyed or been complicit in the destruction of?

We swiftly saw sanctions and bans for Russia and Russians of various degrees of influence.

Yemen has been crippled by Saudi Arabia, children literally dying from starvation. Britain and USA provide the very weapons used in this horror. Why hasn't anyone sanctioned these three nations? Syria has been obliterated as a country for the past decade but there are no sanctions on Russia for their direct role in that conflict. Kashmir has been brutally occupied for the past 75 years without India facing sanctions.

Israel is the worst human rights offender on the planet for its continued treatment and occupation of Palestine. When can we expect the sanctions?

European nations individually (such as Poland) and the EU in general have sprung to action to allow unfettered refugee access for those affected by the war in Ukraine. Good. Innocent people should be afforded human compassion and dignity at once.

Why were these in such short supply when Afghans and Syrians needed the same courtesy? Why did we hear racist sloganeering about security threats instead of help for fellow humans? Why has the UK been allowing people to drown in the English Channel rather than letting them apply for the refuge they sought? The answer is clear. There is suddenly no lack of resources and space, problems that existed when brown people needed assistance.

Russian sports teams, Russian athletes, Russian sports team owners and others involved within various strata of life have faced heavy criticism and sanction. FIFA has currently banned the Russian national team. UEFA have removed all Russian teams from their competitions.

EA sports have removed Russia, Russian players and Russian teams from their computer game brand FIFA. Roman Abramovich has put Chelsea FC up for sale as he is facing sanction and pressure. All the while, why is Israel allowed to compete under the UEFA banner?

Why has a Saudi consortium been allowed to buy Newcastle Utd despite conducting open war crimes in Yemen?

Why did this same Roman Abramovich not face any scrutiny for being the chief financial support behind the building of illegal settlements in the West Bank? Because it wasn’t part of the West’s political narrative?

How have we suddenly allowed politics into football when Celtic were fined for waving Palestine flags, Ozil was hounded for supporting the Uyghurs, Colin Kaepernick’s life was ruined for kneeling against police brutality, Xhaka and Shaqiri were banned for making a political gesture in a game against Serbia and on and on and on and on? This level of duplicity is embarrassing and dizzying in equal measure.

Why, in fact, have the Azov brigade (open Neo-Nazis) not faced sanction in Ukraine? Why is President Zelensky not shamed for this statements supporting Israeli murder of Palestinians as ‘genuine security concerns’?

For brevity and in the hope of retaining some degree of sanity, I cannot continue to list the open and obvious double standards.

The examples are plentiful and time and space constraints don’t allow for an exhaustive list.

The same ‘West’ which led to world wars, the holocaust, nuclear weapons, countless wars, support for tyrants and a moral-less capitalist foreign policy in the past century alone is pontificating about the horrors of a war taking place in their civilised part of the world. There is a reason that many nations abstained at the UN when it passed its resolution condemning Russia. The absentees represent more than half the world’s population.

Maybe the west ought to realise that when these hypocritical positions are it’s norm, the rest of the world may adopt different views based on its own ‘interests’.

Whilst my sympathies are with the innocent people suffering from this war, I cannot begin to take the western narrative seriously because it lacks legitimacy and consistency.