It is the press that has compiled the evidence to indicate that there is a racist mindset in certain policing circles. According to an Amnesty International survey, the lockdown period resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic may have brought about even more abuse. In London, the proportion of black people stopped and searched is reported to have increased by one third. In Bilbao, a young man of North African origin was beaten by police officers with batons and when his mother ran over to explain that he suffers from mental health issues, she got a whack herself for her troubles and was pinned to the ground. In France, in the Department of Seine-Saint-Denis, where most residents are of black or Arab origin, the number of fines handed out for breaches of curfew was three times higher than the average for the country. In Béziers, Mohamed Gabsi lost his life on 8 April after having been arrested and mistreated by three police officers. In Slovakia, Roma districts have been quarantined and placed under military surveillance. Quarantine is also compulsory for the Roma population of Bulgaria: full isolation, food shortages. In Brussels, a 19-year-old man of Moroccan origin was shot dead by police on 10 April. The High Commissioner for Refugees has accused the Croatian and Greek border guards of violence against asylum seekers; the Commission has called upon their respective authorities to carry out investigations (see EUROPE 12505/24) and no light has been shed on the matter (see EUROPE 12507/16). The Parliament is not letting things lie.
On 24 June, the Commission held a debate on racism at its weekly meeting. Potential action plans were weighed up (education, culture, housing, public services, among others), but the specific actions to be taken will be unveiled in the autumn (see EUROPE 12513/12). A few days later, Commissioner Helena Dalli announced that she will be heading up an action plan for the equality of racial and ethnic minorities and that the framework for Roma inclusion would be up and running by 12 October, to coincide with an event organised by the German Presidency of the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 12516/11).
The German Presidency has published its programme, fittingly entitled ‘Together for Europe’s recovery’. Its mission statement includes the following ledge: ‘we are also placing a special focus on fighting hate crime and racism. In order to take a decisive stand against all forms of anti-Semitism, we are aiming for structured dialogue at European level, particularly with regard to strategies and structures for a holistic approach to combating and recording anti-Semitic incidents. We are determined to tackle anti-Gypsyism and further develop the EU framework and national strategies. In this context, we will work to implement Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA of 28 November 2008 on combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law’. The Parliament, moreover, calls specifically for such implementation in its aforementioned resolution.
Against the backdrop of the pandemic, the Commission has, in any case, observed an increase in racist and xenophobic content online, together with misinformation targeting ethnic or religious groups (see EUROPE 12520/13). The Vice President of the Commission, Věra Jourová, addressed the meeting of the ‘Justice’ Council of 6 July with a plea for a European solution drawing on the experience of Germany, which has had a law in place since 2018 imposing heavy fines on networks that fail to take down hate content (see EUROPE 12521/2). Presenting her digital priorities to the legal committee of the European Parliament following day, German minister Christine Lambrecht declared that she would make the fight against hate a priority, referring to the same law (see EUROPE 12522/11).
The specific subject of the Roma continues to be the subject of various positions and initiatives. In April, the European Court of Human Rights returned a judgment condemning discriminatory behaviour on the part of the Romanian police towards a Roma family; the police had used ethnic profiling to justify a raid on the family’s home. At the Council of Europe on 1 July, the Committee of Ministers adopted a recommendation, for the first time calling on all member states of the institution to include the history of ‘travellers’ in school curricula and teaching materials, as called for by the EP in its resolution of 19 June. This recommendation furthermore reiterates the importance of commemorating the Roma Holocaust on 2 August every year (see EUROPE 12518/23).
On 10 July, the European Parliament held a debate on the integration of the Roma in European society. The German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Michael Roth, and the majority of MEPs noted that the results of the national strategies undertaken so far have been disappointing. By the end of this year, Commissioner Dalli will present a new strategic framework. The contributions from the floor by MEPs displayed a level of commitment and determination to follow the matter through that the Commission will struggle to ignore (see EUROPE 12525/8).
These are all the pieces of the ‘antiracism’ jigsaw and they must now be assembled and put together. There is certainly no lack of goodwill, but there is a lack of strong overall inspiration. And in order to be taken seriously, the absolute bare minimum is to start by making sure that the existing legislation is applied.
Not only is there no scientific or ethical foundation for racism, it also erodes the common European way of life wherever it touches. The planet’s climate undoubtedly needs a bold policy, but ultimately, what is the point if the social, human climate, between us the people, is becoming uninhabitable?
We have a European Green Pact, which has now been agreed and is getting things moving; it would be such a saving grace if we could add a pact of equal political importance, a ‘Zero Racism’ pact, that would have to be courageously brought forward, taking account of the lessons of History and of the future of our societies.
Renaud Denuit.