CC to: Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, Commissioner Helena Dalli
Dear Ms. von der Leyen,
As organisations working for an equal and inclusive Europe, we would like to raise our serious concerns regarding the lack of real reaction of EU leaders regarding police brutality against people of colour in Europe as well as institutional and structural racism, following the killing of George Floyd in the United States and ensuing solidarity protests in Europe and across the world. We were appalled by the statement by EU Commissioner Schinas which delegitimises the public outcry against police brutality and institutional racism in Europe.
On 3 June 2020, Commissioner Schinas was quoted in the Financial Times as saying that events such as the killing of African-American man George Floyd in Minneapolis, and the wave of demonstrations against it, were “not likely . . . to happen in Europe at this scale”. “I do not think that we have issues now in Europe that blatantly pertain to police brutality or issues of race transcending into our systems. But we do have an issue in Europe, which is the issue of inequalities and income distribution — making the best for everyone of what we have.”
As an EU Commissioner, Mr. Schinas should have shown empathy with the victims of widespread racism in the EU. Instead his reckless statement has denied racialised communities across the EU the recognition of the oppression they are subjected to on a daily basis.
His statement is a blatant denial of the existence of police brutality and discriminatory policing in Europe, despite evidence of this reality, including from EU bodies themselves, such as the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, which found that one quarter of all persons of African descent surveyed were stopped by the police in the five years before the survey, and among these, 41% characterised the most recent stop as racial profiling. In France, young men perceived as black or Arab are 20 times more likely to be controlled by police than others. In the UK, data shows that the proportion of black and ethnic minority deaths in custody as a result of use of force or restraint by the police, is over two times greater than it is in other deaths in custody. Roma people across Europe also experience racial profiling and police violence. This is not a new issue. For decades, ENAR and anti-racist organisations on the ground have been reporting what racialised communities experience at the hands of the police across the European Union: discriminatory stop and search, abuse, violence and even death. So far, however, there has been little visibility and no public response.
EU and member state leaders pointed fingers at the United States for the killing of George Floyd and police brutality, while maintaining a deafening silence on the situation in their own countries, going as far as denying that police violence is an issue in Europe. This lack of reaction reflects a denial of long-standing existence of systems of oppression in European societies, of historical injustices and persistent racial inequalities in areas of housing, healthcare, employment and education, as well as repeated experiences of state violence and impunity.
The bare minimum that EU leaders should do is acknowledge the existence of and publicly condemn discriminatory and violent police practices, in particular when it results in death. But most European political leaders were not even able to do that.
There is an urgent need to ensure fair and effective policing practices for all communities. EU member state governments must adopt measures to combat and prevent racism in law enforcement. This includes severe sanctions in cases of police violence, ensuring fair and independent investigations, prohibiting racial profiling, and increasing racial diversity and trainings within the police force. The EU and its Member States should also collect equality data to make visible where racial profiling, disproportionate use of force and deaths following an interaction with the police are happening. Such data should enable intersectional cross-analysis, for example to identify specific experiences of racialised women.
Twenty years ago, the European Union was at the forefront of the fight against racial discrimination when it adopted landmark laws to prohibit discrimination based on race or ethnic origin. In a time of rising racist violence, persistent discrimination and racial inequality, the European Commission must have a stronger, more public commitment to address police violence and structural racism in Europe.
We would be happy to meet you to discuss our concerns in more detail and propose solutions, and look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Karen Taylor, Chair of the European Network Against Racism
The letter is available here.
Co-signed by:
- ABVV-ACOD Cultuur, Belgium
- ACLI-Vlaanderen vzw, Belgium
- Aditus Foundation, Malta
- Africa Solidarity Centre, Ireland
- African and Caribbean Diversity, United Kingdom
- African Media Association, Malta
- AGE Platform Europe
- AIF+ – Actieve Interculturele Federatie vzw, Belgium
- AKAZ – Kazumba Association, Portugal
- Alliance Citoyenne, France
- Altera, Italy
- Andalucía Acoge, Spain
- ANTIGONE – Information and Documentation Centre on Racism, Ecology, Peace and Non-Violence, Greece
- Anti-Racist Forum, Finland
- Apna Haq, United Kingdom
- Arciragazzi Portici, Italy
- ASKV Refugee Support, Netherlands
- Asociación Musulmana por los Derechos Humanos (AMDEH), Spain
- Asociacion Nacional Presencia Gitana, Spain
- Asociación Rumiñahui, Spain
- Association of African Students in Europe (AASE)
- ASTI asbl – Associations de soutien aux travailleurs immigrés, Luxembourg
- Ba Omar, Ecowasflanders, Belgium
- Balbriggan Integration Forum, Ireland
- BAMKO-CRAN asbl, Belgium
- Ban Ying Koordinations- und Beratungsstelle gegen Menschenhandel e.V., Germany
- BePax, Belgium
- Café Congo, Belgium
- CCME, the Churches´ Commission for Migrants in Europe
- CEJI-A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe
- Center for Equality Advancement, Lithuania
- Center for Intersectional Justice, Germany
- Center for Migration, Gender and Justice, Germany
- Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, Germany
- Centre de Médiation des Gens du Voyage et des Roms, Belgium
- Centre for Peace Studies, Croatia
- Centre Régional de Verviers pour l’Intégration, Belgium
- Centre Régional d’Intégration de Charleroi, Belgium
- Collectif Contre l’Islamophobie en Belgique (CCIB), Belgium
- Collectif Contre l’Islamophobie en France (CCIF), France
- Collectif féministe Kahina, Belgium
- Collectif Mémoire Coloniale, Belgium
- Confédération des Syndicats Chrétiens (CSC), Belgium
- Conseil Représentatif des Associations Noires (CRAN), France
- Counsellor Sanchia Alasia, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, United Kingdom
- Discrimination Law Association, United Kingdom
- Dokumentations- und Beratungsstelle Islamfeindlichkeit & antimuslimischer Rassismus, Austria
- Each One Teach One e.V. (EOTO), Germany
- Een Andere Joodse Stem (EAJS), Belgium
- ELLA vzw, Belgium
- EMCEMO, Netherlands
- ENAR Belgium
- Equal Opportunities Initiative Association, Bulgaria
- European Council for Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)
- European Forum of Muslim Women (EFOMW)
- European Network of Women of African Descent (ENWAD)
- European Network On Religion and Belief
- European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network
- European Roma Information Office (ERIO)
- European Roma Rights Centre
- European Women’s Lobby
- Federation of Roma Associations in Catalonia – FAGiC, Spain
- FMV vzw, Belgium
- Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO)
- Foundation for Shelter and Support to Migrants, Malta
- Fundación Al Fanar para el Conocimiento Árabe, Spain
- Furia, Belgium
- Generation 2.0 RED, Greece
- Greek Forum of Migrants, Greece
- Grupo EducAR – Anti Racist Education, Portugal
- Hand in Hand tegen racisme, Belgium
- Hart Boven Hard, Belgium
- Help Refugees, United Kingdom
- Human Rights League (Liga za ľudské práva), Slovakia
- IDB Initiative für ein diskriminierungsfreies Bildungswesen, Austria
- Il Razzismo è una brutta storia, Italy
- ILGA-Europe
- In IUSTITIA, Czech Republic
- Inequalities Research Network, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
- InMenteItaca, Italy
- Instituto de Asuntos Culturales – IACE, Spain
- Integratipact vzw, Belgium
- Integro Association, Bulgaria
- Intercultural Dialogue Platform, Belgium
- Irish Network Against Racism, Ireland
- Jesuit Refugee Service Europe
- Jesuit Refugee Service Malta
- Job@Ubuntu, Belgium
- Kaneza Karen, former ENAR board member, Belgium
- KARAMAH EU
- Killion Munyama, Polish MP
- King Brenda, ACDiversity, United Kingdom
- KISA – Action for equality, support, anti-racism, Cyprus
- Kopin – Koperazzjoni Internazzjonali, Malta
- Kreativ Research Association-Center for Media Studies and Social Research, Romania
- La Voix des Rroms, France
- Lallab, France
- Le Monde des Possibles, Belgium
- Ligue des droits humains, Belgium
- Malta Emigrants’ Commission, Malta
- Merhaba, Belgium
- Migrant Tales, Finland
- Migrant Women Association, Malta
- Minderhedenforum, Belgium
- MOC, Belgium
- Movimento di Cooperazione Educativa di Torino, Italy
- MRAX ASBL, Mouvement contre le Racisme, l’Antisémitisme et la Xénophobie, Belgium
- Muslim Association of Greece, Greece
- Mwinda Kitoko vzw, Belgium
- Netzwerk Rassismus und Diskriminierungsfreies Bayern e.V., Germany
- Nevo Parudimos Association, Romania
- NiLi, Network Italiano dei Leader per l’Inclusione, Italy
- Objectif, mouvement pour l’égalité des droits asbl, Belgium
- ORBIT vzw, Belgium
- Pan-African Movement for Justice, Sweden
- Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)
- Por Ti Mujer, Spain
- Quaker Council for European Affairs
- Queer Base – Welcome & Support for LGBTIQ Refugees, Austria
- Rainbowhouse Brussels, Belgium
- Red Acoge, Spain
- Red Española de Inmigración y Ayuda al Refugiado, Spain
- Refugee Rights Europe
- Reghif Mouhad, Bruxelles Panthères, Belgium
- Regional Roma Educational Youth Association – RROMA, North Macedonia
- Rete21marzo, Italy
- REVIBRA Europe – European Support Network to Brazilian women in Europe
- Roma Active Albania
- Roma Community Centre, Lithuania
- Roma Education Fund
- Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative REDI
- Roots vzw, Belgium
- Samenlevingsopbouw, Belgium
- SEER vzw, Belgium
- SHARE Forum, Belgium
- Siempre-Making Latin Women Visible, Belgium
- Slovo 21, Czech Republic
- SolidarityNow, Greece
- SOS Malta, Malta
- Stichting OCAN, Netherlands
- Stichting voor mensen zonder verblijfsvergunning – STIL Utrecht, Netherlands
- Tayush, Belgium
- Uganda Association of Ireland, Ireland
- UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab – People of of African Descent and the SDGs e-team
- Union des Progressistes Juifs de Belgique (UPJB), Belgium
- Vaiya Alfiaz, former coordinator of the EP Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup
- Victoria Deluxe vzw, Belgium
- Vie Féminine, Belgium
- Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians, Kosovo
- Waterford Integration Services, Ireland
- WoW e.V., Germany
- CeRAIC, Belgium
- Red AMINVI, Spain
- Centre d’action interculturelle de la Province de Namur, Belgium
