Sustainable Switch: Europe's rising racism
This is an excerpt of the Sustainable Switch newsletter, where we make sense of companies and governments grappling with climate change, diversity, and human rights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
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Hello,
Rising far-right nationalism in Europe and ongoing opposition to diversity policies by U.S. President Donald Trump have fueled a surge in anti-immigration sentiment and acts of racism targeting Black and ethnic communities worldwide.
We'll take a look at the shooting in France and the burning of an effigy of a Black player in Spain, which all took place within the same week as an anti-immigration riot in Northern Ireland.
Then we will examine the plight faced by teachers in the U.S. who focus on diversity or gender studies, and end with the ongoing legal dispute between a financial watchdog and a mortgage lending company over allegations of racial discrimination.
The shooting in France
A 45-year-old Tunisian barber Hichem Miraoui was shot by his neighbour at his home in the south of France late in May while chatting on the phone with his mother and sisters.
The shooter, Christophe Belgembe, also shot Miraoui's Kurdish neighbour, Akif Badur, in the hand, according to France's anti-terror prosecutor's office, known as PNAT.
Belgembe surrendered to police a few hours later and confessed, the PNAT said. His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
He posted four videos on Facebook saying that the state was "unable to protect us, unable to send them home", that he had "taken out two or three pieces of shit" and this was only the beginning.
Belgembe denied any racist or terrorist motivation, but the PNAT charged him with racially motivated, premeditated murder and attempted murder as part of a terrorist undertaking.
The PNAT's move is indicative of a broader shift in France, where the number of jihadist attacks has fallen while racist, xenophobic, or anti-religious crimes are up 11% compared with last year amid growing support for the far-right.
The effigy in Spain
Four people have received suspended jail sentences of seven to 15 months from a Madrid court after being convicted of a hate crime for hanging an inflatable Black effigy, dressed in the jersey of Black Brazilian soccer star Vinicius Jr., from a bridge before a major soccer match in January 2023.
The group also displayed a banner that read "Madrid hates Real." Vinicius Jr. plays for Real Madrid, one of the world's most successful soccer teams, in the country's top professional league.
Anti-immigration riots
Last week's newsletter included a 'Talking Points' piece on the riots in the Northern Irish town of Ballymena, which first flared after two 14-year-old boys were arrested and appeared in court, accused of a serious sexual assault on a teenage girl in the town. The charges were read via a Romanian interpreter to the boys, whose lawyer told the court they denied the charge, the BBC reported.
By Thursday, the riots spread to different towns of the British-run province, including Portadown, which is 50 km from the capital, Belfast.
Keep scrolling for today's top Talking Points stories on diversity issues in the United States.
ESG LENS
In keeping with today's theme on migration, the Lens looks at the number of people booked into immigration detention who have been charged only with immigration violations. That number has jumped eightfold since President Donald Trump took office, government data shows, undercutting his anti-crime message.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention statistics show the number of detainees arrested by ICE with no other criminal charges, opens new tab or convictions rose from about 860 in January to 7,800 this month – a more than 800% increase.
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