EDITORIAL
Hi Folks!
How are you doing? Did you miss the newsletter last week? I decided to have a short holiday last week, but please do not worry as there is plenty to read this week. As usual, I have tried to highlight reports on discrimination and inequality both in the UK and wider Europe.
Surprisingly, according to a new report by British Future, public attitudes to immigration are more positive than negative and most people would now support British businesses being allowed to recruit from overseas to address staff shortages.
Also, Deutsche Welle has an interesting article on the German election. They interestingly ask whether immigrant voters are ignored and The Mayor EU reports that Denmark wants migrants to work 37 hours a week to earn benefits.
Hope you don’t mind if I remind you that Black Europe Resources currently operates on a voluntary basis, so if you wish to support the continuation of Black Europe Resources, please go to Donors & Sponsors, thank you!
Happy Reading!
Thushari Perera
A digital resource on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Issues
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UK NEWS
CULTURE, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT
Selling off Channel 4 would be an act of cultural vandalism. Even Margaret Thatcher knew that, The Guardian, 17 September 2021
“You can see why Channel 4 does not sit well with Tory culture warriors. The broadcaster places representing “unheard voices” as a high priority, and it attracts young audiences who are not predisposed towards contemporary Toryism.”
Creative sector ‘still dominated by straight white men in London’, Evening Standard, 13 September 2021
“The UK’s creative industries are dominated by “a narrow subset” of the population and the pandemic has only made it worse, according to a new report.”
English Orchestra Sacks Half Its Players To Become ‘More Diverse’, Slippedisc, 12 September 2021
“We understand that English Touring Opera has sacked half of its players in a bid to replace them with ‘diverse’ musicians, as required by Arts Council England. The dismissal came out of the blue. Here is what the freelance players were told on Friday by the company’s boss…”
37 South Asian Artists Share What Music Means To Them, MixMag, 10 September 2021
“Our guest editor Nabihah Iqbal spoke to a cross-section of artists from the South Asian community about their musical memories and insights”
Nitin Sawhney talks Music, ‘Immigrants’ & Racism, Desiblitz, 10 September 2021
“Nitin Sawhney, a pioneering artist, spoke exclusively to us about his meteoric rise in music, the album ‘Immigrants’, and breaking barriers.”
TECH
Racist Emojis Are the Latest Test for Facebook, Twitter Moderators, Bloomberg, 13 September 2021
“After England lost to Italy this July in the final of the UEFA European Championship, Black players for the British side faced an onslaught of bananas. Instead of physical fruit, these were emojis slung at their social media profiles, along with monkeys and other imagery.”
Barclays relaunches expanded accelerator programme for black entrepreneurs, Business Live, 13 September 2021
“The bank’s scheme is for looking to help early-stage tech businesses”
Facebook office cleaner who led protests at London site fears for his job, The Guardian, 12 September 2021
“Suspended union rep calls on social media giant to intervene after exhausted workers complain of extra workload”
EMPLOYMENT & WORK
The Pay And Progression Of Women Of Colour – A Literature Review, Fawcett, September 2021
“This report highlights that whilst WoC are severely underrepresented in management and senior leadership positions, the structural oppressions and systemic disadvantages leading to their underrepresentation, begins well before they even enter the workplace. These structural inequalities, whilst changing form, start at school and university, follow them into entering employment, trying to progress at work and finally, at senior leadership stages… This report also presents solutions from the literature of what is needed from educators, employers and government to effectively tackle this life cycle of barriers WoC face in regard to pay and progressionThis report is funded by the Smallwood Trust.” READ THE FULL REPORT HERE
Just 13 out of FTSE 100 employers reveal ethnicity pay gaps, The Guardian, 15 September 2021
“Major employers such as Next, Unilever and Aviva have yet to declare figures”
Edinburgh engineer helps aerospace firm recruit diverse workforce, Edinburgh News, 13 September 2021
“A woman involved in the design of a combat aircraft at a leading aerospace company has called on young people and girls to turn to a career in engineering.”
Campaign Launched Against Food Company Ocado Over Poverty Pay, Each Other, 10 September 2021
“The campaign follows public outcry over revelations that Ocado workers – who continued to work throughout the pandemic – are still seeing their opportunities for work outsourced and earning under £5 per hour…“BLM UK strongly supports the under-paid and exploited Ocado drivers who are overwhelmingly Black and people of colour…””
Major rise in race discrimination claims in 2020, HR Magazine, 7 September 2021
“Employment tribunals in the UK saw a 48% rise in the number of race discrimination claims in 2020, according to new data stemming from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.”
Black interns: ‘You just need to give us a chance’, BBC News, 6 September 2021
“Gold got an internship at City firm Evercore through a programme called 10,000 Black Interns. The programme, which aims to help create future black business leaders, has just announced 2,000 places at top companies are up for grabs.”
EDUCATION
Fitzwilliam College launch online taster programme for BME Year 11 pupils, Varsity Online, 16 September 2021
“The taster programme aims to help participating pupils develop study skills, get acquainted with university subjects, and obtain insights on studying at the University of Cambridge.”
Suicide prevention, OfS, 10 September 2021
“Groups that have been identified as particularly at higher risk of suicide include those who have experienced bereavement, LGBTQ+ people, asylum seekers and refugees, those who have experienced trauma, people with a pre-existing mental health condition or those with underlying health conditions.”
International students in UK generate huge economic gains – study, The Guardian, 9 September 2021
“Research shows 10 students arriving from outside EU will generate £1m of net economic impact during studies”
Thousands of British students in limbo with post-Brexit visa chaos, The Guardian, 1 September 2021
“Students delay studying abroad and some even switch continents because of visa delays”
HEALTH & WELL-BEING
New report reveals the extent of the barriers migrants face accessing healthcare during the pandemic, University of Birmingham, 14 September 2021
“Doctors of the World (DOTW), the Nuffield Foundation and the University of Birmingham have today published, Migration and Vulnerability during the Pandemic: Barriers to Wellbeing, which has revealed that refugees, asylum seekers and migrants reported higher levels of bad health and inadequate housing during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as difficulties registering with a GP and accessing remote healthcare services, suggesting significant unmet healthcare needs.”
A tale of two pandemics: low-paid workers hit hardest by Covid class divide, TUC, 9 September 2021
“The coronavirus crisis has been a tale of two pandemics – while some, often well-paid, workers have been able to work from home, save money and are fully paid when off sick, lower-paid workers have faced a much tougher time.”
Research Project – Black, Covid and In Lockdown: In our own words, West Bromwich African Caribbean Resource Centre, 8 September 2021
“Who are more vaccine hesitant Black men or Black women? Is there a difference between West Midlands boroughs? What influences decisions to take a vaccine or not? How have the Government, NHS, local government, churches and the charitable sector scored in the support that they have provided? How has it affected families? What is the impact of racism on trust and compliance? What has caused people to change their minds?” Read the report here.
FOOD
Why I don’t stick to football, The Spectator, 11 September 2021
“…While I wish I could say significant progress has been made to stabilise households suffering with food insecurity across the UK, the reality is it’s become much worse — 27 per cent worse than pre-pandemic. In fact, you could fill 27 Wembley stadiums with the 2.5 million children who are struggling to know where their next meal is coming from today. Low-income families are now faced with further deadlines, whether the end of furlough or the social security cut…”
Community sector provides rapid response to food insecurities, navca, 8 September 2021
“The Food Insecurities Report, completed by Rose Regeneration demonstrates the importance of collaboration in the pandemic. Food insecurity provides a lens through which to understand a wider range of impacts linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, food insecurity demonstrates the role that the voluntary and community sector (VCS) has played in the pandemic – not just in helping to provide food support, but in linking this support to mitigate the effects of the broader social and economic impacts on local communities.”
HOUSING
JRF highlights “shameful” racial disparities in housing system, Mortgage Introducer, 14 September 2021
“Welfare and immigration policies are contributing to unequal access to affordable housing among black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, according to a report from the independent Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF).”
How planning is failing to address race inequality in housing, Inside Housing, 13 September 2021
“…One particular problem that Ms Bristow points out is in local plans and housing strategies. When councils draw up these documents, which go on to shape what homes are built and where, they must consider the housing needs of a list of groups. This includes those who require affordable housing, families with children, students, disabled people, and even people who want to build their own homes. But the only ethnic community that is recognised is Travellers…” Download the Report here.
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNITIES
Warming attitudes to immigration create space for action to ease labour shortages, British Future, 14 September 2021
“‘Immigration: A changing debate’ draws on the latest findings from Ipsos MORI research that has tracked changing public attitudes to immigration across twelve waves of research since 2015.”
New statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 617, Free Movement, 13 September 2021
“On 10 September 2021 the Home Office published a statement of changes to the Immigration Rules (HC 617). It is 183 pages long and makes adjustments in quite a number of areas. Some of the main changes are: Banning entry to the UK with an ID card rather than a passport (with exceptions for some existing residents) Tweaks to existing resettlement schemes for Afghans, including granting indefinite leave to remain from the outset. A new International Sportsperson route, consolidating what were the Tier 2 and Tier 5 sporting visas Tweaks to Global Talent, making it slightly easier to get an endorsement, and doubling the number of awards that mean no…”
Sajid Javid insists Universal Credit cut will go ahead amid warnings of ‘catastrophic’ consequences, The Canary, 12 September 2021
“The foundation warned that over a fifth of families in some areas of the UK stood to lose more than £1,000 a year in benefits. For those earning the least, cutting the uplift will look like an income drop of a scale usually only seen in recessions. This comes after 100 charity and campaigning organisations wrote to the government on 2 September. They urged the government not to cut the uplift to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit in the October Spending Review.”
Wales a ‘divided country’ on immigration, say anti-racism campaigners, BBC News, 6 September 2021
“A survey conducted on behalf of Hope Not Hate suggested most people (57%) believe immigrants have changed their local area for the better. However 43% of respondents said they have made things worse.”
In the lead up to Black History Month, the #YouCanAdopt campaign launches a new film featuring Black adoptive parents sharing their experiences, The Voice Online, 13 September 2021
“With Black, Asian and Mixed Ethnicity children waiting longer to be placed for adoption than their White counterparts, and fewer than 5% of adopters in England coming from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background, the #YouCanAdopt campaign has relaunched to acknowledge and celebrate adopters from the Black community while encouraging more people to consider adoption.”
After 20 years of war, we’re getting an Afghanistan inquiry. But it’s not the one we need. The Canary, 11 September 2021
“Certainly the resurgent Taliban is no friend of human rights and democracy. But this isn’t the whole story. The scope of the inquiry will not extend to the legacy of human rights abuses carried out in Afghanistan by the West and its allies.”
POLICING & JUSTICE SYSTEM
Police watchdog probes case of Black man, 70, left in hospital after being stopped for faulty brake light, The Independent, 17 September 2021
“…a woman identifying herself as the man’s daughter posted photos of his injuries in Instagram, saying he suffered a broken nose, fractures to the upper cheek and cuts. She says officers assaulted her father…”
The Policing Bill will criminalise young Black women who have already been abused, The Independent, 15 September 2021
“The proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill due to be debated in the House of Lords this week risks criminalising young women and deepening racial inequality. In doing so, it runs against the Government’s commitment in 2018 to radically reduce the number of women and girls in prison, and to tackle racial disparity in the criminal justice system.” Read the Briefing Paper here.
Police urged to better protect black women who face domestic abuse, The Guardian, 15 September 0221
“Sistah Space’s call for mandatory training in UK backed by Michaela Coel, FKA twigs and Women’s Equality party”
A threat to public safety: policing, racism and the Covid-19 pandemic, Institute of Race Relations, 13 September 2021
“A new report from the IRR and Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) suggests that policing during the Covid-19 pandemic undermines public health measures whilst disproportionately targeting Black and Minority Ethnic communities.”
SPORT
Emma Raducanu victory sparks debate over multiculturalism in the UK, The Guardian, 12 September 2021
“Some have hailed the tennis star as a model of British diversity, while others see pitfalls in holding her up as an example”
Azeem Rafiq: Report by Yorkshire finds former player was ‘victim of racial harassment and bullying’, BBC Sports, 10 September 2021
“Azeem Rafiq was the “victim of racial harassment and bullying”, according to the findings released from a report by his former club Yorkshire. Last year, Rafiq, 30, claimed “institutional racism” at the club left him close to taking his own life. Seven of the 43 allegations made by the player have been upheld by an independent panel.”
THE MONARCHY & ROYALS
BLM gives cautious welcome to Queen’s reported backing, The Guardian, 10 September 2021
“Anti-racism movement says ‘actions speak louder than words’ after comments attributing royal assent”
WIDER EUROPE NEWS
UK parliament bars Chinese envoy in sanctions row, EU Observer, 15 September 2021
“Speakers of both chambers of the British parliament have declined entry to China’s new UK ambassador, Zheng Zeguang, pending the lifting of Chinese sanctions on several British MPs, including former Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith. China, earlier the year, also blacklisted MEPs in Brussels in revenge for EU sanctions over its abuse of the Uighur minority, prompting the European Parliament to freeze ratification of a landmark China-EU investment treaty.”
Gig economy workers need EU to end digital modern-day slavery, EU Observer, 14 September 2021
“The solution is really quite simple: in principle, all platform workers must be considered as employees”
Access to healthcare for homeless children and families, European Commission, 13 September 2021
“This research note examines the challenges that homeless children and family face in accessing healthcare, interventions aimed at supporting their access to healthcare, and facilitators of these interventions. It is based on a targeted literature review and consists of a short (30 page) report aimed at policy makers.”
Europe’s reputation as a cosmopolitan haven has been exposed as a mirage, The Guardian, 12 September 2021
“The EU increasingly embraces the idea of a continental identity, one that’s white and Christian. Is it really the liberal body of remainer lore?”
AUSTRIA
Austrian Interior Minister criticises EU over migration, Euractiv, 15 September 2021
“At a European Police Congress on Tuesday, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer criticised the EU for its alleged hesitancy to address migration issues sufficiently and reiterated that Austria won’t admit Afghan refugees.”
DENMARK
Denmark wants migrants to work 37 hours a week to earn benefits, The Mayor EU, 8 September 2021
“…the “Denmark Can Do More I” reform plan lists a new work logic whereby migrants and people with foreign backgrounds must complete 37 hours of work per week in order to be eligible for welfare benefits…”
FRANCE
Police violence and racism: Macron outlines French plan for greater transparency over abuses, Euronews, 15 September 2021
“The national consultation on police was notably prompted by the publication at the end of last year of videos showing a Black man beaten up by several police officers, using a truncheon and tear gas for no apparent reason.”
Extreme-right TV pundit could outflank Marine Le Pen in French election, The National News, 15 September 2021
“Eric Zemmour, known for his anti-Islam and anti-immigration tirades, considers bid for presidency”
GERMANY
German election: Are immigrant voters ignored?, Deutsche Welle, 15 September 2021
“Germany’s electorate includes some 7.4 million citizens with international roots, while many more millions of residents from abroad aren’t allowed to vote. Both groups are often overlooked by political parties.”
GREECE
Commission asks Greece for transparency on pushbacks to release migration funds, Euractiv, 13 September 2021
“The European Commission has asked Greece to set up an “independent” mechanism to monitor and avoid pushbacks of migrants at its border as a condition to release an additional €15.83 million in migration funding requested by Athens.”
HUNGARY
Pope Francis and Hungary’s Orban meet in Budapest amid clash of views on migrants, France24, 12 September 2021
“On one hand, Orban is a self-styled defender of “Christian Europe” from migration. On the other, Pope Francis urges help for the marginalised and those of all religions fleeing war and poverty.”
IRELAND
Pamela Uba: First black Miss Ireland reveals she’s suffered racism and bullying since win, Yahoo News, 9 September 2021
“Pamela Uba, a former asylum seeker, became the first black winner of the title in its 74-year history when she was crowned on Sunday evening. She told Sky News she had been overwhelmed with congratulatory messages, but that she had also received a “lot” of racist comments.”
ITALY
In Italy, the Afghan exodus has sparked a heated and divisive debate, Euronews, 13 September 2021
“Over the past decade, Italy has found itself at the forefront of Europe’s migrant crisis. Over the past weeks, it has evacuated more than 5,000 Afghans. While other European governments have turned their backs, Italy’s prime minister, Mario Draghi — who currently leads a big tent coalition government — has openly welcomed refugees to Italy, criticising the EU’s overall approach.”
NETHERLANDS
Ministers admit 22 interpreters left in Kabul, ahead of debate with MPs, Dutch News, 15 September 2021
“Some 22 Afghans who worked as interpreters for the Dutch in Afghanistan have been left behind, but officials are in contact with some of them, ministers told MPs ahead of Wednesday’s debate on the issue.”
PORTUGAL
Top judge concerned about future of female colleagues in Afghanistan, Euractiv, September 2021
“The International Association of Judges (UIM) has alerted the international community and the respective governments to the “terrible problem” of Afghan women judges, whose lives are in danger under the new Taliban regime in the country, the UIM president said on Monday.”
SLOVAKIA
Pope Francis condemns discrimination and prejudice against Roma, Euractiv, 16 September 2021
“Francis said Roma population has too often been the object of prejudice, harsh judgements, stereotyping and defamatory words and gestures. “Restoring dignity means passing from prejudice to dialogue, from introspection to integration,” he added.”
SPAIN
Spanish TV Apologizes for Racist Comment About Black Madrid Player, VOA, 11 September 2021
“Spain’s state television on Friday condemned a racist comment made by a guest sports commentator during the presentation of Real Madrid player Eduardo Camavinga.”
SWITZERLAND
Racism on the rise in Switzerland, says government report, Swissinfo, 7 September 2021
“Prejudices against certain groups are latent, it says. For example, among people who do not completely reject prejudice, one in five have negative prejudices against Muslims and Jews, and one in ten against black-skinned people. One third of the population feels bothered at work, in their neighbourhood or in their daily life by people they perceive as “different”.” Read the report here (currently only available in German).
Educational inequalities highlighted by Covid-19 pandemic, Swissinfo, 7 September 2021
“The fact that socio-economic status strongly influences educational outcomes in Switzerland has long been flagged up by the OECD. For example, students from lower socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to opt for the vocational route over the academic one. Foreign-born adults are also more likely to face problems on the jobs market, it says. “
Image Credits: Pixabay
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