‘Shocking’ report says anti-Black racism on the rise in European Union

Almost half of those of African descent in the European Union report discrimination and say they’ve been verbally harassed and threatened.

Nearly half of all Europeans of African descent in the European Union have suffered anti-Black racism in their daily lives, a report by an EU rights agency alleges.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights — or FRA for short — said its African immigrants, both first- and second-generation, claim they have been verbally harassed and threatened in the EU, plus say they worry about their safety. Moreover, throughout Europe, they endure discrimination in the workplace and when looking for a home.

“People of African descent are routinely met with unfair treatment and bias when seeking jobs or homes,” Michael O’Flaherty, FRA director, wrote in the foreword of “Being Black in the EU – Experiences of People of African Descent,” its 123-page report. “Racial discrimination, harassment, and violence continue to haunt their daily lives. These are not isolated incidents but recurring experiences across all aspects of life.”

According to The Guardian, FRA’s poll of 6,752 people of African descent in 13 EU nations found that 47% of those queried had experienced discrimination, up from 39% that felt the same way during the last “Being Black in the EU” survey, taken in 2016. Those polled lived in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

“Let us say this yet again: racism has no place in Europe,” O’Flaherty wrote in the more recent report.  “Being confronted with the true scale of racism is both shocking and shameful. These findings should be a wake-up call for action on equality and inclusion for people of African descent.”

In the workplace, the report said, people of African descent were employed at about the same rate as the overall population, however, they were more likely to be overqualified for their job or hired on a temporary basis. Nearly one in three said they face discrimination when looking for employment, and almost one in four reported discrimination at work.

The housing market presents problems, too, the survey said: One in four respondents said private property owners wouldn’t rent to them because of their racial or ethnic origin. 

Much of the discrimination remains invisible, O’Flaherty asserted. “Incidents of racial discrimination, racist harassment and violence often go unreported,” he wrote, “denying victims the support they are legally entitled to receive from the institutions meant to protect them.”

O’Flaherty noted that “a major milestone” occurred after the murder of George Floyd in 2020 at the hands of Minneapolis police. 

“As an immediate response to the killing of George Floyd and the mass protests it ignited, the EU adopted the first ever EU Anti-Racism Action Plan (2020-2025),” he wrote. “Addressing racism head on, it serves to tackle individual attitudes and behaviors.”

And while O’Flaherty called the plan “a positive step forward,” he added, “its lasting effect will depend on its extension and the renewed commitment of the EU and its Member States past 2025.”

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