EDITORIAL
Dear Readers,
You may already know a lot about the impact of George Floyd’s murder and policing in the US, but if you know less about the situation in Europe, you should read the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights new paper “Your rights matter: Police stops – Fundamental Rights Survey”. As Euronews explains, “we continue to see incidents of police impunity that go unpunished.” For instance, “last year, a 19-year-old man of Moroccan descent, Adil, died after being hit by a police car in Brussels. Lamine Moïse Bangoura, a 27-year-old black man, died after suffering from asphyxiation and acute stress during a house eviction…a 45-year-old black woman was assaulted by security guards at a metro station in Stockholm in 2018…”
Also, an interesting article in the Yorkshire Post has revealed that the rate of stillbirths in Asian babies is higher than white babies due to deprivation.
Scroll down for European News, thanks!
Take care,
Thushari Perera
A digital resource on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Issues
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THE UNITED KINGDOM
CULTURE, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT
‘I was 10 when it first happened’: Jermaine Jenas on why stop-and-search is failing black children, The Guardian, 28 March 2021
“Accused of carrying drugs. Handcuffed. Tasered. As the TV presenter and former footballer helms a new documentary, he explains how prejudice harms young people. The Truth About Police Stop and Search airs Monday 31 May at 10pm on Channel 4.”
Study opens to find best workplaces based on ethnicity, Televisual, 26 May 2021
“The study will look to uncover employee satisfaction within their workplace, employer’s responses to the Covid-19 and Black Lives Matter issues, as well as scoring employers on its image, talent development and diversity on their senior management team. Participants will also be asked to evaluate other employers that stood out positively. The organisations that receive the highest total scores will make the final list each year, with the results announced in July at the IPPR Oxford Media Convention.”
GOVERNMENT 
Tory Islamophobia report a ‘whitewash’, say Muslims in party, The Guardian, 26 May 2021
“Lady Warsi disagrees with inquiry that there is no evidence of institutional racism”
Non-UK troops who have served for 12 years could stay in country for free, The Evening Standard, 27 May 2021
“The public consultation, which started on Wednesday, is due to last six weeks.”
Recent UK cuts to global health funding will cause irrevocable damage under the guise of ‘tough but necessary decisions’, LSE British Politics and Policy, 26 May 20
“…explain why recent cuts to global health funding by the UK are devastating for certain countries and groups, while they also create a dangerous vacuum into which ‘philanthrocapitalists’ and private foundations will step, allowing them to set global development agendas without any political mandate.”
Patel unveils digital visa to help ‘count people entering and leaving UK’, The Guardian, 23 May 2021
“US-style electronic travel authorisation will automatically determine the eligibility of visitors in advance”
COMMUNITIES
Covid-related racism has traumatised East and South East Asian communities, study finds, University of Nottingham, 25 May 2021
“The pilot study was carried out by Dr Hongwei Bao from the University of Nottingham’s School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies. It reveals the experiences of the ESEA community and their needs and demands in the context of the ongoing global crisis.”
Petition calls for action for BME women who experience violence, In Your Area, 25 May 2021
“The stories and experiences of Black, Brown and Migrant women who experience violence are sadly not often heard, nor are they accurately reflected in statistics.”
Black British Voices: “We can’t put our trust in a system that doesn’t see or hear us”, The Voice, 24 May 2021
“‘Black people are not a standardized or uniform group. We felt it was past time to actually go and ask people themselves. Young Black people in particular get spoken about, but they don’t often get spoken to – we aim to listen.’ says Dr Monrose. A national survey is launching today as part of a wider research project investigating the “evolution of Black British identities” – giving Black people in the UK an opportunity to “define themselves in an autonomous way” for the very first time. The Black British Voices Project is a partnership between The Voice Newspaper, the University of Cambridge’s Sociology Department and black-led consultancy I-Cubed.”
POLICING & JUSTICE SYSTEM
UK supreme court to take on paid interns from underrepresented groups, The Guardian, 27 May 2021
“Scheme for aspiring lawyers comes as court faces scrutiny over lack of diversity”
EU report details role of race and ethnicity in use of ‘stop and search’, The Guardian, 25 May 2021
“In the UK, 3% of the general population was stopped by police compared with 5% of people from or descended from sub-Saharan Africa and 10% of Gypsies and Travellers. The Independent Office for Police Conduct last year criticised the Metropolitan police, responsible for almost half of all the police stops carried out in England and Wales, for multiple errors that had undermined confidence in the community.”
Why are cases of young Black children being kidnapped or abducted going up?, Melan Mag, 23 May 2021
“The recent spate of increasing numbers of missing Black children is causing real concern among parents in the capital. Seemingly, every few day there is another picture posted of a young cousin or young sibling who has disappeared from the streets of London, a fact which seems all the more inexplicable when you consider London is a city with a reported 691,000 CCTV cameras monitoring our every move, one for every 13 people!”
OTHER NEWSLETTERS
EDUCATION
UK university urges businesses to support apprenticeship campaign, DiversityQ, 25 May 2021
“York St John University has launched a campaign to encourage more employers to adopt apprenticeship schemes ahead of the Government’s incentive payments deadline on 30th September 2021 where “employers will receive £3,000 for new apprentices of any age who join their organisation.””
Britain’s racist 1970s education policies still resonate today, The Guardian, 27 May 2021
“A recent documentary shines a light on how thousands of Black children were unjustly consigned to ‘educationally subnormal’ schools”
Proportion of black and minority ethnic students at Cambridge at a record high, ITV, 19 May 2021
“Nearly three in 10 (29.3%) UK undergraduates admitted to the institution in 2020 were from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds – up from 27.8% the previous year, figures show.”
EMPLOYMENT & WORK
Ethnicity pay gap: Why the UK needs mandatory reporting, The Conversation, 25 May 2021
“The idea that there are too few ethnic minority employees to provide useful data is misleading at best.”
Why Show The Salary?, Showthesalary.com, 2021
“You’ll stop perpetuating pay gaps and ensure everyone can access a fair wage…For example, when asking current/previous salaries was banned, pay increased for Black candidates by 13% and for women by 8%. We also know that substantial pay gaps exist for other groups, such as candidates with disabilities and the LGBTQIA+ community, meaning that asking current salary discriminates against these groups too…”
Racist bullies kept jobs despite abusing Sikh colleague – and one was promoted, The Metro, 24 May 2021
“At least two men have kept their jobs after they bullied a co-worker so badly he is now unable to work – and one of them has even been given a promotion.”
HEALTH & WELL-BEING
Rate of stillbirths in Asian babies higher in Yorkshire than the national average, as report warns deprivation is a key factor in baby loss, Yorkshire Post, 27 May 2021
“The NHS must act urgently to reduce stillbirths in non-white babies, a charity leader has warned after figures reveal the number of stillborn Asian babies in Yorkshire and the Humber is above the national average.”
RELIGION
Eve Pitts: the Church of England’s first Black female vicar – and one of its fiercest critics, The Guardian, 27 May 2021
“Despite attempts to drive her out of the church, she has spent decades fighting racism wherever she has encountered it. Now she is pushing the C of E to honour the enslaved people it exploited”
HOUSING
Black, Asian and disabled tenants ‘more likely to face housing discrimination’, The Guardian, 26 May 2021
“Shelter says those affected will disproportionately inhabit shoddy, unsafe and unsuitable homes in UK”
FOOD & ENVIRONMENT
Report: Building a food system that works for everyone, IPPR, 6 May 2021
“The global food system is intricately linked to many of the greatest problems facing the world today, from the rise of non-communicable diseases, childhood hunger and food insecurity to environmental degradation, species loss and climate change. Over recent decades, the food system has become increasingly wasteful, processed and environmentally damaging.”
MPs to debate child food poverty petition started by Marcus Rashford, UK Parliament, 20 May 2021
“During the session, the Committee heard from a range of experts including representatives from FareShare, The Trussell Trust, The Children’s Society, and The Food Foundation.”
ROYALS & THE MONARCHY
Meghan and Harry’s Former Charity Didn’t Mismanage Funds, Says the U.K. Charity Commission, Vanity Fair, 25 May 2021
“Last July, the anti-monarchy advocacy group Republic wrote a letter to the Charity Commission claiming that a transfer of funds from Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Royal Foundation to Harry and Meghan’s new charity was the result of a conflict of interest.”
TECH & DIGITAL
38% of those in UK tech sector believe their employments response to George Floyd killing was tokenistic, HR News, 26 May 2021
“For many, the past 12 months had not led to significant improvements in racism, as 51% of respondents said they had ‘observed no change’ when it came to witnessing instances of racism whilst 30% believed ‘things have gotten worse’ in terms of race relations in the UK. This is in contrast to just 4% that said things had got ‘significantly better.’ The survey was commissioned this month by Black Tech Fest, a sister event to London Tech Week.”
SPORT
Marcus Rashford Suffers Racial Abuse On Social Media In Europa League Aftermath, 101 Great Goals, 27 May 2021
“United failed to make good on all their progress shown this season both at home and abroad, and though they finished runner-up to rivals Manchester City in the Premier League, many have already begun criticizing players – including Rashford – for failing to bring the club their first trophy since 2016-17. But criticism of poor performance is one thing, but fans turning to targeted racial abuse because a club failed to win a match is vile and utterly reprehensible.”
WIDER EUROPE
George Floyd’s murder lifted the veil on racism in Europe’s policing, Euronews, 25 May 2021
“In Europe, meanwhile, we continue to see incidents of police impunity that go unpunished. Last year, a 19-year-old man of Moroccan descent, Adil, died after being hit by a police car in Brussels. Lamine Moïse Bangoura, a 27-year-old black man, died after suffering from asphyxiation and acute stress during a house eviction in 2018. Multiple officers lay on him, resulting in his death. 3 years on, his family is still campaigning and demanding answers that they may never get. In February 2018, a 45-year-old black woman was assaulted by security guards at a metro station in Stockholm after filming another violent encounter between security guards. The victim herself was accused of assault and convicted, whilst the security guards escaped punishment.”
Your rights matter: Police stops – Fundamental Rights Survey, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 25 May 2021
“This paper presents statistical survey data for the EU on how often people are stopped by the police, in what kind of situations they are stopped, the action taken by the police during stops, and views on whether or not the police acted respectfully.”
If EU blocks vaccine waivers, it can drop ‘solidarity’ talk, EU Observer, 24 May 2021
“If European leaders are serious about “ensuring no one is left behind,” it’s time to join with the WHO, health worker unions, the Biden Administration and the majority of the world’s governments, pushing for a Covid patent-waiver at the WTO”
Europe’s Strategic Autonomy Trap, Project Syndicate, 27 May 2021
“When the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, the countries that comprise today’s EU, plus the United Kingdom, accounted for 27.8% of global GDP (in terms of purchasing power parity). For the US, that share was 22.2%. China, with a share of 4%, still hardly registered as an economic power. Thirty years later, the EU, together with the UK, accounted for 16% of global output, still slightly ahead of America’s 15%. The big shift was in China’s position, which had surpassed its Western counterparts with a share of 18.3%.”
DENMARK
Racism in Denmark: Video of Muslim family suffering verbal abuse ignites political debate, The National News, 27 May 2021
“A video of a Danish man verbally abusing a couple and their two small children has gone viral, prompting several Danish politicians including Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to condemn the racist act. Kodes Hamdi was with her husband and children on a day out at Kastrup Harbour in the suburbs of Copenhagen when a man approached and began shouting at them.”
How Denmark’s Syrian refugee residency move reflects shifting policies across Europe, The New Humanitarian, 17 May 2021
“While most of the more than 35,000 Syrians living in Denmark are not affected, 380 Syrians living in Denmark – including children – have so far had their status revoked and have been asked to voluntarily return to Syria. If they don’t, they could be sent to bare-bones deportation centres that human rights watchdogs say are “unacceptable for people”.”
FRANCE
France: Convictions against peaceful protesters who marched against xenophobic group must be quashed , Amnesty International, 26 May 2021
“Misusing anti-smuggling laws to convict courageous activists who marched against the illegal activities of the racist and xenophobic group Generation Identitaire is not only an outrage but a breach of their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. “Rather than being criminalized in this way, the Briançon 7 should instead be celebrated for opposing actions that threatened the safety and rights of refugees and migrants. Their convictions should be quashed.”
French students sentenced for anti-Chinese Covid-19 Twitter posts, CNN, 26 May 2021
“Soc Lam, a lawyer for the Association of Young Chinese People in France and one of the plaintiffs in the case, told CNN on Wednesday that the trial had ‘brought the public and the judges’ attention on this phenomenon, so that those messages of hate stop.’…But many European countries, including France, Germany and Belgium, do not collect demographic data on ethnicity for historical reasons, making it difficult to take an accurate measure of the scale of the problem.”
Calls for nationwide day of demonstrations in France against ‘far-right ideology’, The Local France, 21 May 2021
“Some 60 organisations – from the CGT and FSU unions and left-wing political party La France Insoumise to rights organisations including SOS Racisme, Ligue des droits de l’Homme and Oxfam – have called for demonstrations to take place in towns and cities across France on Saturday, June 12th.”
GERMANY
German firm uses ‘racist’ codes to ‘discriminate’ against Muslims, TRT World, 22 May 2021
“Brebau GmbH, the second-biggest real estate company in the city of Bremen, used codes to tag applicants with ethnic or migration background, daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reports, making them unable to rent a home or apartment from the company.”
ITALY
Italy’s Roma forced eviction crisis demands EU action, Al Jazeera, 26 May 2021
“For Roma, Italy’s so-called ‘Nomad Emergency’ never really ended, it just became invisible.”
MALTA
Malta meets some of Council of Europe Commission’s recommendations… on paper, The Shift, 21 May 2021
“The Council of Europe’s Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) has published its conclusions on Malta’s implementation of priority recommendations made in 2018 on establishing a mechanism for collecting data on hate crime incidents and hate speech, and regularising the country’s stand on residency for irregular migrants who cannot be allowing returned to their country of origin.”
SPAIN
Spain’s postal service introduces skin-tone stamps to fight racism — and makes the whitest one the most valuable, The Washington Post, 27 May 2021
“Spain’s postal service prompted widespread criticism this week after introducing skin-tone stamps — with the lightest ones being the most valuable — and promoting them as part of an anti-racism campaign…Correos’s intention “was good,” acknowledged Moha Gerehou, author of “What’s a Black Man Like You Doing in a Place Like This,” a recently published book on racism in Spain. But Gerehou said it is no coincidence that a well-intentioned anti-racism campaign had ended up sending a racist message.”
Video: Court overturns Spanish island migration policy, Deutsche Welle, 26 May 2021
“In 2020, more than 20,000 migrants from North Africa reached the Canaries. But because Spain denies them to move to the mainland, campaigners say the islands have become a “migrant prison.” A court has now overturned that policy.”
Image Credits: Pixabay, UK Conservative Party, European Agency for Fundamental Rights.
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