On the initiative of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), a letter criticising the “deafening silence” on the part of EU leaders and Member States on the subject of police violence and institutional racism was sent to Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on Friday 12 June.
The ENAR, which has the backing of more than 150 organisations, particularly criticises the comments made by Margarítis Schinás, the Commission Vice-President responsible for protecting the European way of life.
According to the British newspaper, the Financial Times, Schinás’s reaction to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis included the statement that he did not think that Europe currently had “issues that blatantly pertain to police brutality or issues of race transcending into our systems”.
The signatories criticise a “blatant denial of the existence of police brutality and discriminatory policing in Europe” and call on leaders to ensure fair policing practices for all communities.
Some MEPs in the European Parliament feel the same. Younous Omarjee (GUE/NGL) proposed that the “European Parliament become the first international institution to recognise solemnly the slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity”.
To read the letter, go to: https://bit.ly/2UDxkjr (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki with Pascal Hansens)