Latest news with #EuropeanCommissionagainstRacismandIntolerance
Canada News.Net
23-06-2025
- 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.
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
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Racial profiling still rife across the EU, Council of Europe says
Law enforcement officials across Europe continue to use racial profiling, the Council of Europe's human rights monitoring body (ECRI) has warned. In a report published on Wednesday, the ECRI said the practice — which see officials act on ethnic background, skin colour, religion or citizenship rather than objective evidence — persists both in stop-and-search policing and at border controls. "We've noticed that no member state of the Council of Europe is really immune when it comes to racial profiling," Bertil Cottier, chair of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), told Euronews. Experts are concerned about law enforcement agencies' plans to make extensive use of facial recognition technology. Adequate safeguards need to be introduced first, they say. Despite the strict European framework set out in the Artificial Intelligence Act, which came into force in August 2024, practices differ in various member states. French police, for example, have been routinely using facial recognition on the streets for many years, and Belgium is looking into systematically introducing the controversial technology for "tracking convicted and suspected offenders". The Council of Europe pointed to research indicating that such technology risks misidentifying individuals. "It is a concern for us. New technologies are always a problem when it comes to discrimination issues," said Cottier. "We fear that if new technologies are abused then it will enhance the problem." For this reason, the ECRI watches over emerging technologies. The Council of Europe has adopted a framework convention on AI and human rights. "One committee of the Council of Europe is dealing with anti-discrimination issues and is preparing a specific recommendation on the field of AI and discrimination," said Cottier. The ECRI report does not cite situations in specific countries. However, in the past, the body has published country-specific reports. In France, for example, the ECRI has long recommended that authorities introduce an effective system of recording identity checks by law enforcement officers. Last year, the Council of Europe organised a round table with the French authorities, police forces and NGOs to discuss the recommendation. "France is one country of concern when it comes to racial profiling," said Cottier. "But still 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," Cottier added. France's highest administrative court ruled in 2023 that the state was failing to deal with the widely documented practice of racial profiling by the police. NGOs have warned that the practice damages the relationship between the police and the public. So does the ECRI, which said in its report that "racial profiling generates a feeling of humiliation and injustice in society". "Such practices jeopardise the work of law enforcement officials who comply with the law and police ethics standards, and who are committed to combating racism and racial discrimination," the ECRI experts wrote. Italy is another country of concern. "During our visit to Italy we noticed some cases of racial profiling within the police forces. We made a recommendation to the Italian government to take this issue seriously," Cottier noted. Here, racial profiling by law enforcement especially targets Roma and people of African descent. An October 2024 report urged Italy to carry out an independent study to assess the level of racial profiling within its police forces. However, the Italian government hit back against it. Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, defended the 'men and women who, every day, work with dedication and self-sacrifice to ensure the safety of all citizens, without distinction". Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini called the ECRI 'a useless body". Cottier regrets this response. "They had the impression that we denounced Italy and the Italian police by saying they committed racial profiling. In fact, we just asked the Italian government to assess the problem." The ECRI chair acknowledged that it is a delicate issue. "We don't want to counter the police. We know that we need them and we want to trust them. That's why it's sometimes very difficult to make states aware of this issue." The Council of Europe calls on all member states to take the issue of racial profiling seriously, prohibit it by law, better train police officers and hold police forces accountable. Heavy flooding in Romania's Harghita County — the worst in the past three decades — has led to critical conditions at the historical Praid salt mine, one of Europe's largest salt reserves and a major tourist attraction in the country, authorities said. According to County Prefect Petres Sandor, the inflow of water is uncontrollable. "We lost the fight with nature. The water has started to enter the salt mine again, with a flow that cannot be controlled at the moment," Sandor told local press. "Authorities will carry out an expertise as soon as possible to establish the condition of the walls, the pillars inside the mine, and to decide what to do next," he added. The Praid salt mine dates back to Roman times. In recent times, the attraction on the Via Transilvanica long-distance trail also served as a medical centre and a tourist destination, including an adventure park, a cinema, a small museum and other facilities, all located some 120 metres underground. The authorities are yet to determine the extent of the salt mine emergency and the impact of the flooding. "The situation is complicated. When water comes into contact with the salt, it immediately melts it and makes a hole," Sorin Rindasu, head of the Emergency Situations department in the Romanian Waters Administration, said. The flow of the Corund stream increased, resulting in the water further pouring into the mine, he added. Authorities say that although the situation is critical, the flooding will not destabilise the entire mine. "it would take quite a while for the water to dissolve so much salt inside to pose a problem of stability, we are talking about months, years, not days, weeks, in any case," Sandor said. In recent years, water leaks have already posed a problem to the mine, and authorities have carried out works to prevent infiltration. The Romanian government offered assistance to the region to deal with the emergency situation, and the ministry of economy assured the residents that it would make further investments to reduce the impact of the salt mine's flooding on Romanian tourism and reopen the mine for visitors.
