Latest news with #ECRI
Canada News.Net
5 days ago
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
Council of Europe censures EU state for treatment of Russian speakers
Latvia's naturalization procedures for non-citizens could "fuel negative sentiment towards ethnic Russians," a recent report has suggested The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) has reported an increase in hate speech targeting Russian speakers in Latvia in recent years, suggesting that the naturalization procedures in the EU state for non-citizens could "fuel negative sentiment." After Latvia gained independence in 1991, a large proportion of residents originating from other parts of the Soviet Union (predominantly Russians), even those who were born in the Baltic state, were issued "non-citizen" passports, which barred them from voting or working in certain jobs. The resulting ethnic division within the population was only made worse by the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, when Latvia and its Baltic neighbors stepped up their efforts to combat Moscow's perceived influence. Riga has implemented travel restrictions targeting Russian citizens and introduced a mandatory Latvian language test for long-term residents of foreign origin. Thousands who have failed or refused to take the exam have been deported. The Kremlin has denounced the measures as "blatant discrimination." In a report published on Thursday, the European Commission stated that since February 2022, there has been a notable spike in hate speech on Latvian internet sites directed at local Russian speakers. According to the document, local authorities may be fueling this animosity with their policies. The EU watchdog singled out the country's rigorous naturalization procedures, particularly the Latvian language tests that resident non-citizens have to take if they wish to acquire citizenship in the Baltic EU member state if they were born before 1991. The report urged Riga to take "due account of individual circumstances and [provide] support as appropriate," when conducting such tests. The commission noted that as of June 2024, only 54% of applicants had passed language proficiency tests, raising concerns over the threat of forced deportation facing those who failed. The ECRI also cited complaints it had received from the Russian-speaking community in Latvia regarding the local government's decision to phase out their native language from school curriculums by 2025. The watchdog stressed that Russians, who comprise 24% of the general population in Latvia, constitute the largest ethnic minority in the country. Earlier this month, a Latvian lawmaker who is an ethnic Russian was removed from a parliamentary session for uttering a few sentences in his mother tongue during proceedings. Aleksey Roslikov of the For Stability! Party spoke out against what he described as the growing marginalization of Russian speakers in Latvia. In latte May, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze called on EU member states to stop issuing Schengen tourist visas to Russian citizens, citing an alleged threat to the bloc's security. Moscow has criticized Riga's measures targeting Russian speakers as "blatant discrimination," with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warning that Moscow could file a complaint against Latvia at the International Court of Justice.
Russia Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Council of Europe censures EU state for treatment of Russian speakers
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) has reported an increase in hate speech targeting Russian speakers in Latvia in recent years, suggesting that the naturalization procedures in the EU state for non-citizens could 'fuel negative sentiment.' After Latvia gained independence in 1991, a large proportion of residents originating from other parts of the Soviet Union (predominantly Russians), even those who were born in the Baltic state, were issued 'non-citizen' passports, which barred them from voting or working in certain jobs. The resulting ethnic division within the population was only made worse by the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, when Latvia and its Baltic neighbors stepped up their efforts to combat Moscow's perceived influence. Riga has implemented travel restrictions targeting Russian citizens and introduced a mandatory Latvian language test for long-term residents of foreign origin. Thousands who have failed or refused to take the exam have been deported. The Kremlin has denounced the measures as 'blatant discrimination.' In a report published on Thursday, the European Commission stated that since February 2022, there has been a notable spike in hate speech on Latvian internet sites directed at local Russian speakers. According to the document, local authorities may be fueling this animosity with their policies. The EU watchdog singled out the country's rigorous naturalization procedures, particularly the Latvian language tests that resident non-citizens have to take if they wish to acquire citizenship in the Baltic EU member state if they were born before 1991. The report urged Riga to take 'due account of individual circumstances and [provide] support as appropriate,' when conducting such tests. The commission noted that as of June 2024, only 54% of applicants had passed language proficiency tests, raising concerns over the threat of forced deportation facing those who failed. The ECRI also cited complaints it had received from the Russian-speaking community in Latvia regarding the local government's decision to phase out their native language from school curriculums by 2025. The watchdog stressed that Russians, who comprise 24% of the general population in Latvia, constitute the largest ethnic minority in the country. Earlier this month, a Latvian lawmaker who is an ethnic Russian was removed from a parliamentary session for uttering a few sentences in his mother tongue during proceedings. Aleksey Roslikov of the For Stability! Party spoke out against what he described as the growing marginalization of Russian speakers in Latvia. In latte May, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze called on EU member states to stop issuing Schengen tourist visas to Russian citizens, citing an alleged threat to the bloc's security. Moscow has criticized Riga's measures targeting Russian speakers as 'blatant discrimination,' with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warning that Moscow could file a complaint against Latvia at the International Court of Justice.
The Sun
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Hate speech rising in Portugal: European monitor
LISBON: Portugal's leaders must do more to fight crimes and hate speech against minorities, including immigrants, Roma, black people and LGBTQ people, the Council of Europe's anti-discrimination body said Wednesday. In a new report, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) highlighted a sharp rise in hate speech in Portugal. It comes as the far-right party Chega has risen to become the main opposition force. ECRI 'calls on Portugal to improve the way law enforcement officials deal with hate crimes and to commit to Roma inclusion,' the Strasbourg-based body said in a statement. 'ECRI expresses concern about the rise of online hate speech and the divisive and inflammatory discourse used by some politicians,' it added, singling out some members of Chega. The party became the country's main opposition force following May's legislative elections. 'Cases of hate-motivated violence have been reported, at times involving neo-Nazi groups,' the statement added. On Tuesday, police in Portugal announced the arrest of six individuals affiliated with a far-right group, suspected of 'terrorist activities, discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence'. Local media reported on Wednesday that one of those arrested was a police officer and that the group he allegedly belonged to was planning, among other things, an attack on the parliament. The ECRI report also noted the persistence of reports about cases of racist abuse, including racial profiling, by the police.
Local Sweden
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Local Sweden
European anti-racism council raises concerns over Swedish government policy
Parts of the Tidö Agreement, the policy document agreed between the three government parties and the far-right Sweden Democrats, have led the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) to raise concerns over integration and discrimination in Sweden. Advertisement ECRI regularly monitors the situation in EU member states when it comes to racism and intolerance, giving credit for positive developments and raising its concerns if it believes policy risks making things worse. In its sixth report on Sweden, the commission praised the progress Sweden has made since the last report was issued at the end of 2017. This include the fact that Sweden has set up a museum about the Holocaust and criminalised Holocaust denial, issued new guidelines for investigating hate crimes and is attempting to increase the number of children with immigrant backgrounds attending preschool. However, it also found that there were some areas of concern ‒ many of which are policies directly listed as government aims in the Tidö Agreement ‒ which it argued could increase "the feeling of marginalisation and exclusion among migrants". "There are shortcomings in many teachers' capacity to teach about racism and intolerance, including LGBTI issues, while current confrontations and conflicts in and outside Europe (including the current conflict in the Middle East) and manifestations of racism and intolerance in society are reflected in classrooms," the report reads. It also highlighted the fact that Sweden's Discrimination Act does not list sex as a protected characteristic, nor does the Criminal Code list it as a potential motivation for hate speech or hate crimes. "Available statistics show that Black persons and people of African descent, often young, are common victims of hate crime, despite significant underreporting due to a lack of trust in the criminal justice system on the part of the victims," the report reads. Advertisement ECRI specifically mentioned some policies included in the Tidö Agreement as cause for concern, writing that proposals such as tightening the conditions for family reunification, restricting permanent residency rules and deporting foreign nationals for conduct not considered appropriate "are likely to increase the sense of marginalisation and exclusion among migrants, and thus be harmful to integration". In addition to this, it criticised the introduction of "security zones" or areas where the police are able to carry out stop and searches of people or vehicles without necessarily suspecting that a crime has been committed, warning that they bring "great risks of racial profiling." Sweden was given a number of recommendations. The commission said that Sweden should "reinvigorate the role of education as a tool to better live together in intercultural societies" as well as creating a better understanding within education of issues linked to racist and homophobic stereotypes, or stereotypes related to religion and beliefs. This, it said, could include better publicising existing resources as well as providing compulsory training for teachers on these issues. Swedish authorities and public officials were also encouraged to take a "prompt, firm and public" stance against racism and hate speech against LGBT people. It also called for Swedish authorities to collect "anonymised and disaggregated" data on hate crimes and review police guidelines on stop and search activities, specifically when it comes to the treatment of children and young people.
Euronews
03-06-2025
- General
- Euronews
Police officer who shot teenager dead in 2023 to be tried for murder
A French police officer will face a murder trial next year over the 2023 killing of teenager Nahel Merzouk, a decision reached at the end of a two-year investigation. The trial of the 38-year-old officer could take place in the second or third quarter of 2026, the court and prosecutor in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where the killing at point-blank range took place, said in a joint statement. The lawyer for Merzouk's mother, Frank Berton, welcomed the order for a trial. "We are just seeing the law being applied (...) Now all that remains is to convince the court," he told the AFP news agency. Meanwhile, the defendant's lawyer criticised the decision, adding it was "both disappointing and not surprising." "The investigating judge would have had to be courageous to take a different position than that of the prosecution," Laurent-Franck Liénard, the officer's lawyer, told AFP, adding that he would lodge an appeal against the order. "We maintain that the shooting was legitimate," he said. The officer, identified by domestic media as Florian M., was charged with Merzouk's murder. He was released from custody in November 2023 after five months in detention pending further investigation. He is currently under judicial supervision, meaning his movements are restricted. Merzouk, a teenager of North African descent, was shot dead on 27 June 2023 as he pulled away from police during a traffic stop. Police initially maintained that Merzouk had driven his car at the officer. However, this was contradicted by a video which showed two officers standing outside a stationary car, with one pointing a weapon at its driver. A voice was heard saying: "You are going to get a bullet in the head." Video footage of the shooting itself went viral and sparked protests that escalated into rioting and led to scenes of devastation nationwide. Thousands of people were arrested as the government ratcheted up its law enforcement response to quell the unrest, injuring hundreds. Between 2022 and Merzouk's murder the next year, 15 people were killed by police during traffic stops. Not all officers were charged. After the death of Merzouk, the UN called on France to address "the deep-rooted problems of racism and racial discrimination" in its police force. Meanwhile, the Council of Europe's human rights monitoring body (ECRI) warned last month that law enforcement officials across Europe continue to use racial profiling. It has long recommended that French authorities introduce an effective system of recording identity checks by law enforcement officers. "France is one country of concern when it comes to racial profiling," Bertil Cottier, chair of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), told Euronews. "We noticed a couple of months ago sadly that our recommendation on combating racial profiling — in particular on tracing the police officers who (incorrectly) stopped people — has been ignored so far," he added.
