The Equinet Working Group on Equality Law published ‘Fighting discrimination on the ground of race and ethnic origin‘ in February 2017.
The paper found:
- Equality bodies are valuable actors in fighting discrimination on the ground of race and ethnic origin if they are independent, adequately resourced and empowered to do so.
- Equality bodies report a significant rise in discrimination, hate speech and hate crime related to race and ethnic origin.
- 12 out of 19 equality bodies indicated a more aggressive public discourse around refugees and migrants, an increase in hate speech and racist behavior more generally and an increase of hostility towards racial and ethnic minorities of all kinds.
- Negative media coverage and political speeches have exacerbated the situation. Negative public discourse and hostility have thus increased towards migrants and refugees, as well as ethnic minority Europeans.
- 17 out of 19 equality bodies indicated that Roma tend to find themselves in particularly vulnerable situations compared to other racial and ethnic minorities.
Download a two-page summary or the full report.
