Report highlights worrying rise in racial intolerance

Date: 29/01/04

LEVELS of racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and intolerance in Europe still give real "cause for concern", according to a new report.

The study by the European Commission against racism and intolerance looked at ongoing efforts to combat racism in five European countries: Belgium, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Norway and Switzerland. Although only one, Belgium, is currently an EU member, all five are members of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe.

The report reserves some of its fiercest criticism for Belgium, where, it says, "much remains to be done" to ensure that foreigners and immigrants enjoy "genuine" equal employment opportunities.

"The increase in manifestations of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia calls for the concerted efforts of Belgian society as a whole against these phenomena."

It also says the issue of political parties in Belgium which resort to racist or xenophobic propaganda is of "special concern".

In Slovakia, one of ten countries due to join the EU on 1 May, the Council of Europe's race watchdog body - says that racially-motivated violence, including "serious" acts of police brutality, continues.

"The Roma [gypsy] minority remains severely disadvantaged in most areas of life, particularly in housing, employment and education."

The report calls for a "full, transparent and impartial" inquiry into recent allegations concerning sterilization of Roma women in Slovakia without their consent.

In its verdict on Bulgaria, due to join the EU in 2007, the report says minority groups, asylum-seekers and refugees still suffer discrimination.

"There is still excessive use of firearms and force by the police against Roma and there is a problem of segregation of Roma children in schools," it says.

The Council of Europe's expert body on combating racism, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), today released five new reports examining racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and intolerance in Belgium, Bulgaria, Norway, Slovakia and Switzerland. ECRI recognises that, in all of these five Council of Europe member countries, positive developments have occurred. At the same time, the reports detail continuing grounds for concern for the Commission:

http://www.coe.int/t/E/human_rights/ecri/ http://www.coe.int/t/E/human_rights/ecri/

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