Europe: A new report has found that anti-Black racism is rising throughout Europe, with the first half of people of African descent facing discrimination in their daily lives.
The study, conducted by the European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), found that 46 percent of first- and second-generation black immigrants in 13 EU countries have experienced discrimination. This may range from verbal harassment to being denied a home or job. The result reveals a six percent jump since 2016.
Discrimination is particularly high in Germany and Austria, the countries that have witnessed the revival of anti-migrant, populist movements. In these nations, more than 75 percent of respondents reported experiencing discrimination in the last five years.
FRA Director Mr. Michael O’Flaherty referred to the findings as “shocking and shameful”. Mr. O’Flaherty noted that EU states must tackle the problem “head-on.”
“Let us say this yet again: racism has no place in Europe. These findings should be a wake-up call for action on equality and inclusion for people of African descent,” the Director commented.
The FRA-commissioned study, titled ‘Being Black in the EU: The Experience of People of African Descent,’ was conducted by interviewing 6,752 people of African descent in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.
“Despite high levels of discrimination, victims rarely report their incidents to authorities or file a complaint with an equality body due to a lack of awareness of available resources. In the last year, only nine percent of respondents who felt discriminated against said they had reported the cases,” the report further remarked.
As a response to the findings, the FRA encouraged EU states to “raise awareness of anti-discrimination legislation and relevant redress mechanisms” for victims.
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