A new report published by the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) on Thursday 12 September concludes that institutional racism is pervasive in EU countries’ legal systems and has an impact on the way racist crimes are recorded, investigated and prosecuted.
The report, which covers 24 European countries, identifies several subtle forms of racism in European criminal justice systems and notes an increase in racially motivated crimes in many EU Member States in the period 2014-2018.
“A fundamental change to criminal justice systems is required if victims of racist crimes in Europe are to receive justice. Governments and public bodies will be able to fight hate crimes better if they commit to reviewing practices, policies and procedures that disadvantage certain groups”, said Karen Taylor, ENAR’s chair.
Most EU Member States have put hate crime legislation in place, alongside policies and guidelines designed to combat racist crimes. ENAR explains in its report that the legislation and policies are not being implemented, however, because of institutional racism within police forces.
The report focuses particularly on police failings, noting that forces sometimes do not take reports of racist crimes seriously. ENAR points out in the report that this practice is particularly widespread when certain groups report these crimes, such as Roma or black people.
According to the report, other factors that prevent these crimes from being prosecuted include a lack of a clear definition of racist crimes, a lack of training and resources, and the limited use of aggravating circumstances as a motivation for hate crimes.
To read the report, go to: http://bit.ly/2kx59nI (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)