This week, as hundreds of thousands fled Ukraine, my friend, a Zimbabwean dentistry student in Lviv, texted me that, for 10 hours, Ukraine and Polish border guards blocked her from exiting the country for the safety of Poland. She feared the worst, but I was hardly surprised: even in the grimmest of times, Europe always switches to default mode: racism. It must be stated upfront that I condemn Russia’s heinous invasion unfolding in Ukraine and the Kremlin’s atrocious violation of the UN Charter. However, this doesn’t mean the appalling racism experienced by people of colour fleeing Ukraine sho…