Loose Women’s Charlene White responds to critics who accused her of ‘playing the race card’ with Ukraine comments

‘You feeling uncomfortable hearing someone talking about race is not my concern,’ says presenter

Loose Women presenter Charlene White has responded to critics who accused her of “playing the race card” with her comments about the crisis in Ukraine.

During a discussion on the ITV panel show on Tuesday 1 March, White said: “You’ve got thousands of Black, Asian, Syrian, Arab students and workers who have also been trying to get out of Ukraine and have been prevented from doing so due to the incessant racism that they have experienced.”

After being subject to a backlash online, White tweeted: “For those throwing the phrase, ‘playing the race card’ at me today re @loosewomen... let me be VERY clear. You feeling uncomfortable hearing someone talking about race is not my concern, when the concern ought to be directed towards the victims who are subjected to it.”

In the comments below the post, White received support from fans, with one person commenting: “Exactly. This is the problem with this country and society is because people choose what they want to hear and can’t handle the truth when it’s being discussed.”

Another wrote: “Well said Charlene. The term ‘race card’ is used by people to shut down the conversation.”

A third said: “You should be proud of yourself today.. well said.. elequent, passionate and truthful.. your news coverage on @ITV has also been a breath of fresh air..”

The Russian invasion of Ukraine escalated on Tuesday, after five people died in a Russian airstrike that damaged the Kyiv TV tower, Ukraine officials said.

People wait to board an evacuation train from Kyiv to Lviv at Kyiv central train station (REUTERS)

Another five people were injured in the blast launched by Vladimir Putin’s forces after Moscow warned Kyiv residents to leave the city.

The Ukraine Ministry of Internal Affairs said television channels would be off-air for a while after the explosion in the Shevchenkivsky district.

Anton Herashchenko, adviser to the ministry, posted footage online of the attack on the sixth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry said the TV tower is near a memorial site that commemorates the victims of Babyn Yar, one of the biggest single massacres of Jews during the Nazi Holocaust.

Earlier, Russia said it would retaliate over the US expulsion of 12 of its diplomats at the United Nations for alleged spying.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the move warranted “a proper reaction and an answer – not necessarily symmetrical.”

Follow live updates on the Ukraine-Russia conflict here.