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ENAR Weekly Mail 364
17 May 2013
NEWS FROM ENAR
ENAR Debate: 'Challenges and concerns regarding racially motivated hate violence in Europe'
ENAR and the Lithuanian Centre for Human Rights are organising this debate to launch ENAR's
publication 'Recycling Hatred: Racism(s) in Europe today' and to discuss in greater detail common
challenges and concerns regarding racially motivated hate violence in Europe. Date and venue: 24
May, Vilnius, Lithuania. Read more
ERPC calls on the European Commission to ensure greater Roma participation and more
effective measures to combat discrimination more effective measures to combat discrimination
The European Roma Policy Coalition (ERPC), of which ENAR is a founding member, welcomes the
invitation from Vice-President Reding and Commissioner Andor to discuss the implementation of
the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020. This discussion is very
timely as the lack of progress in many Member States is a cause for alarm. Read more
KIM Biennial Conference on “Belonging”
One of the main questions in Norway today and in Europe at large is whether our societies are
becoming too diverse to sustain the obligations and benefits inherent to the development of
cohesive and generous welfare states. Norway’s Contact Committee for Immigrants and the
Authorities, organising this conference, aimed to engage with others who envision citizenship as
caring and inclusive, and who share their goal of nurturing belonging and more welcoming
communities. ENAR’s Deputy Director for Policy, Shannon Pfohman, spoke at this event in a
workshop on diaspora and transnationalism. Read more
On ENAR’s blog: Trust-Building and Identity in a Multicultural Society
Marwan Muhammad, of ENAR member organisation CCIF, spoke at a high-level conference on
right-wing extremism and hate criem in Oslo, Norway on 14 and 15 May. This is his speech on how
to build trust and identity in a multicultural society. Read more
NEWS FROM THE ENAR NETWORK
CCIF at International Conference on Right-wing Extremism and Hate Crime in Europe and
Beyond
On 14 May, international experts and stakeholders gathered in Oslo for a two-day conference on
right-wing extremism and hate crime directed towards minorities in Europe and beyond. Mr
Marwan Muhammad of ENAR member organisations Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France
(CCIF) spoke on the issue of Trust-Building and Identity in a Multicultural Society. Read more
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Communiqué de presse Muslim Rights Belgium: Port du foulard pour les enseignantes de
religion musulmane, Une décision claire et cohérente du Conseil d’Etat
Muslims Rights Belgium salue la décision claire et cohérente du Conseil d’Etat réaffirmant le droit
légitime du port de signe convictionnel pour les enseignantes de religion musulmane. Read more
CCME: Remembering persons who have lost their lives on the way to Europe
CCME and the Conference of European Churches call for commemoration of persons who have
lost their lives on their way to Europe. They have issued a letter and material, which is published
jointly with the German organisation on Church Asylum. Read more
Runnymede Bulletin: Young People
The Spring 2013 edition of Runnymede's Bulletin, focusing on Young People, is now available to
read online. Articles include: Male Black Youth Unemployment; The Marginalisation of Refugee
Children; Reducing Inequalities in School Exclusions; and Exploring "Digital Race". Read more
Summer Internship at the Romedia Foundation – Budapest
You can now apply to be an intern here at Romedia Foundation! Romedia Foundation is looking
for an intern with a working knowledge of German, English and an understanding of the challenges
facing by Roma. Applications must be completed by 30 May. It's a three-month internship. Read
more
PROGRESSIVE STORIES ON DIVERSITY
Une synagogue sauvée par la communauté musulmane
Une petite communauté juive de Bradford, dans le Yorkshire de l'Ouest en Angleterre, a vu sa
synagogue sauvée par des musulmans. La communauté en question était en effet trop petite
(environ 30 membres) pour pouvoir subvenir financièrement à la gestion de l'édifice, un bâtiment
de style mauresque. Read more
Romani students from Czech Republic excelling at British school
News server Aktuálně.cz has run a photo-essay on Babington Community College in the English
town of Leicester. More than half of its pupils (54 %) are children whose mother tongue is not
English. They are the children of the local immigrants who comprise a significant proportion of the
town’s population. Currently 82 Romani children are attending the school, which features an
inclusive education system, and no one at Babington is bothered by the fact that they are Romani.
Teachers work with them the same way they work with all the other pupils, and it seems the
children are benefiting from the approach. Read more
‘Roma Boys’ docudrama premieres in UK
Today marks the UK premiere of an award-winning Czech film on the dual prejudices faced by
LGBT Roma from both outside and within their own community and families. Read more
Fifty percent of second-generation immigrants say they feel Spanish
Spain "is no longer a country of immigrants," says Alejandro Portes, co-author of a report on
integration among second-generation immigrants. In a study carried out by the Ortega y Gasset
University Institute and Princeton University, a comparison between the same target group in
2008 and 2012 shows a 20 percent increase in the number of second-generation children who feel
Spanish - from 30 percent to 50 percent. Read more
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Suppression du mot «race» : une première mesure qui en appelle d’autres
Les députés examinent jeudi 16 mai une proposition de loi, à l’initiative des députés du Front de
gauche, visant à supprimer le terme litigieux de « race » figurant dans une soixantaine de textes
législatifs, comme cela avait déjà été proposé en 2003. Read more
NEWS FROM EUROPE
Greek government freezes anti-racism bill for 'reassessment'
An anti-racism bill aimed at reining in the ultra-right Golden Dawn by banning from politics MPs
found to have been involved in racist violence will be "reassessed" before its submission to
Parliament, Justice Minister Antonis Roupakiotis said. Read more
Racial storm in France over viral anti-gay marriage poster
A poster calling for an anti-gay rights demonstration in Paris has been attacked as being racist
after going viral overnight in the French Twittersphere. The poster, designed by an anti-same sex
marriage activist, depicts France’s Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira, who is black, as a raging
gorilla/King Kong, overwhelmed by a flow of demonstrators from the “Manif Pour Tous,” the main
anti-same sex organization. Read more
Greek nazis burn Roma people’s homes
According to reports of journalists in Xanthi and the state TV station ET3, residents of the city have
invited a group of neonazis to attack the community of Roma people. The excuse was more or less
the same like other regions of the country. The residents talk about a number of small-robberies in
their area which is increased lately. The residents together with the nazis set the half of the Roma
people tents on fire. The local police didn’t show up during the pogrom incident. Read more
Un fonctionnaire musulman licencié pour son extrémisme
Un Belge converti à l'islam, employé à la Ville de Bruxelles, a été licencié parce qu'il a refusé de
serrer la main de son échevine de tutelle, Karine Lalieux (PS), L'échevin en charge du personnel
communal, Philippe Close (PS), a expliqué que l'ex-employé des musées de Bruxelles a refusé de
serrer la main de Karine Lalieux "prétextant que sa religion lui interdisait de toucher des femmes".
Read more
Islamophobie : la ligne rouge est franchie, madame Taubira, vous devez réagir !
"Que faire des musulmans une fois le Coran Interdit ?". C'est le titre d'un article publié il y a
quelques semaines sur le site Boulevard Voltaire, animé par Robert Ménard, lui-même peu avare
en propos hostiles à l'islam. Aucune réaction officielle, aucune condamnation. Voilà qui fait bondir
Guillaume Weill-Raynal, ex-avocat et essayiste, qui transmet cette lettre ouverte à Christiane
Taubira. Read more
Netherlands: Labour backs leader on illegal immigrants, with tough conditions
The Labour party’s members’ council on Sunday backed the decision by leader Diederik Samsom
to support making it a criminal offence to be an illegal immigrant. However, they also voted in
favour of a string of measures to make official policy towards illegal immigrants ‘more humane’
and for scrapping a police quota. Read more
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Greece: Brutal Athens Attack Scars Afghan Teen
A 14-year-old Afghan youth said he was beaten in Athens and doctors at Medecins du Monde
(MDM,) a health care volunteer group, said they treated him for serious injuries, including to his
face. The boy said that a group of men dressed in black clothes, assaulted him, beat him and
scarred his face with a broken beer bottle after asking him where he comes from and if he carried
with him any residence permit papers. The young Afghan is currently well and under protection in
a shelter, while efforts are being made to locate his family, said Canakis. Read more
Czech Republic: Jews document tripling of online anti-Semitism
The Jewish Community of Prague documented a tripling of online instances of anti-Semitic hate
speech last year. The community documented 82 instances of online hate speech on Czech
websites in the last year, compared to only 26 the previous year. The authors recorded no physical
assault or threats due to anti-Semitism in 2012, but did register six attacks on property and
ten instances of harassment, mainly via email. Read more
Slovakia: NGO accuses Supreme Court of legitimising Roma humiliation
According to the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Slovakia, the Supreme Court has justified
hate and degrading speech against the Roma minority, thereby legitimising the view that Roma
are inferior and that their dignity is of less importance than other citizens of this country.
According to the Supreme Court's opinion, the distribution of campaign leaflets with the text
"With your trust, I can … do away with unfair favouritism for not only Gypsy parasites" does not
amount to offense of defamation of nation, race and beliefs. Read more
Bulgaria: Nationalists cash in on Bulgarians' unhappiness
A Bulgarian nationalist party which has protested against the Roma minority and wants to
nationalize foreign-owned firms has emerged as a kingmaker from an election on Sunday by
tapping into voters' disillusionment with mainstream politicians. Volen Siderov, leader of Attack,
stepped up rhetoric and populist pledges to improve the lives of poor Bulgarians after the previous
government resigned in February in the face of demonstrations and self-immolations. Read more
"Islamophobie": comment les amalgames entretiennent le rejet des Français musulmans
Derrière le terme d'"islamophobie", on peut mettre ce que l'on veut : du racisme le plus primaire à
la phobie du terrorisme. Pourquoi le débat autour de l'utilisation de ce terme est-il stérile ?
Finalement, ce n'est pas le mot qui compte, c'est la problématique sociétale de l'intégration. C'est
en tout cas le point de vue de Samuel Grzybowski, président de "Coexister". Read more
EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS
European Commission making headway on Roma integration
European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding (Justice, Citizenship and Fundamental Rights)
and Commissioner László Andor (Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) met with civil society
organisations, including ENAR, on 15 May to discuss Roma integration in Europe. The Roma
Roundtable event brought together key players from Roma civil society and came ahead of the
next Commission report on progress in implementing national strategies for Roma integration, due
to be adopted this year. Read more
Council of Europe: Europe must combat racist extremism and uphold human rights
The Human Rights Commissioner has issued a comment highlighting that Europe has been
experiencing a worrying intensification of activities of racist extremist organisations, including
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political parties. According to some commentators, the upsurge has even reached the point of “an
early form of far right terror”. It worries him deeply that the European community and national
political leaders appear not to be fully aware of the serious threat that these organisations pose to
the rule of law and human rights. Read more
FRA survey: Fear, isolation and discrimination common in Europe’s LGBT community
The EU’s largest LGBT hate crime and discrimination online survey ever conducted shows that
many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people cannot be themselves in their daily
lives. Many hide their identity and live in isolation or even fear. Others experience discrimination,
and even violence, when being themselves. Read more
EESC hearing: European minimum income and poverty indicators
Minimum income schemes are important tools to combat poverty and social exclusion, since they
ensure personal security, play a significant role in redistributing wealth and guarantee more
solidarity and social justice. This hearing organized by the European Economic and Social
Committee will reflect on a better measurement of poverty and on the challenges of adopting a
European minimum income scheme. It will bring together experts and people involved in advocacy
work to contribute to the EESC opinion. Date and venue: 28 May 2013, Brussels. Read more
UNITED NATIONS
OHCHR Report 2012
The UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has publishehd it annual report,
assessing the progress in implementing the 2012-2013 Management Plan. Read more
NEWS FROM OTHER NETWORKS
EU 2020: Civil society proposals for a smart, sustainable and inclusive recovery
At a Public Hearing in the European Parliament, European Civil Society Organisations have joined
forces in an ad-hoc coalition to present country-specific recommendations for 2013 in the areas of
employment, poverty, education, tax, environmental change and gender equality. Together, they
call for a more balanced social, sustainable and equality-based Economic and Monetary Union,
Europe 2020 Strategy and effective multi-stakeholder engagement in the whole European
Semester process. Read more
ERRC: Italian Policies are Violating Human Rights of Roma
Italian policies towards the Roma and Sinti violate the basic human rights of thousands of families,
and do not encourage their social integration. Associazione 21 luglio and the European Roma
Rights Centre (ERRC) drew attention to the ongoing problem on the International Day of Families
promoted by the United Nations. Read more
A member of the Swedish anti-racist magazine MANA reflects on the challenges posed by
Operation REVA
Asylum and migrants’ rights activists had been warning about the dangers posed by Operation
REVA, the police operation to pursue, detain and deport undocumented migrants, ever since a
pilot study was commissioned by the Swedish government in 2010. But it was only when REVA,
which was piloted in Malmö, was rolled out nationwide and came to the streets of Stockholm, that
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opposition became widespread, with thousands of people marching against racial profiling in
Malmö, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Norrköping and Uppsala. Read more
ILGA-Europe comprehensive overview of the LGBTI people rights and lives in Europe 2013
To mark the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia on 17 May, ILGA-Europe
launched its Rainbow Europe package reviewing the human rights situation and assessing what life
is like for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people in Europe in 2013. Read more
Mango ne doit plus avoir recours à l'esclavage au Bangladesh
Une pétition pour que Mango n'ait plus recours l'esclavage au Bangladesh et assure une totale
transparence dans la fabrication de ses produits. Read more
PUBLICATIONS
Study on social networks, social capital and refugee integration
A major new study found that women refugees have more difficulty finding work and suffer
greater health problems than their male counterparts. The research carried out by the University
of Birmingham and Cardiff University noted: “Compelling evidence of a striking gender difference
in emotional and physical health between amale and female refugees.” It also found that “despite
relatively high levels of pre-migration employment, women fare much worse than men in all types
of employment, across all sweeps”. Female refugees were more likely to be found in “feminised
roles” such as personal service, sales and customer service. Read more
MPI Europe Policy Brief Examines Developing European Approach to Migration and
Environmental Change
A new Migration Policy Institute Europe policy brief, Migration and environmental change:
Assessing the developing European approach, examines the topic, finding that while such
migration is likely to be largely concentrated in areas outside of Europe, there are far-reaching
implications for policy. Read more
Researchers establish link between racism and stupidity
Findings taken from numerous research projects strongly indicate that prejudice, racism and
intolerance are more likely to be present in individuals with greater cognitive rigidity, less
cognitive flexibility and lower integrative complexity. Read more
EVENTS
Université d'été en Etudes Romani
Le concept de l’Université d’été en Etudes Romani est né d’une réflexion mûre et partagée par de
nombreux chercheurs et universitaires Roms de France, d’Europe et des Etats Unis sur le besoin
impérieux et fondamental de développer, diffuser et donner de la visibilité aux savoirs
académiques romani ainsi qu’à la perception et l’interprétation que peuvent avoir les
universitaires Roms du monde et de leur discipline respective. Date et lieu : 8-12 Juillet, Lyon.
Read more
Protection Interrupted: Dublin Regulation's Impact on Asylum Seekers' Protection
During 2012, JRS Europe and its partners interviewed 257 asylum seekers and migrants in nine EU
countries, all of whom were in the 'Dublin system'. The results will be published in a new report,
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Protection Interrupted. The Jesuit Refugee Service, the Halina Nieć Legal Aid Centre & the
Hungarian Helsinki Committee invite you to learn about the report at a Public conference on 4
June in Brussels. To register for the conference, send a message to: [email protected]
VACANCIES
REF seeks a consultant for the assessment of changes in Hungarian legislation on education of
Romani children and youth
The consultant or consortium of consultants shall collect data by interviews with students,
teachers, parents and other identified stakeholders. Interview guidelines should be developed as
part of the methodological concept delivered in the application. The concept should include
baseline data collection from the current school year as well as the data from the school year
2013/2014, which will be the first year influenced by the changes. Read more
BPRI seeks Roma coordinator for Protection from Discrimination
BPRI is seeking to recruit a Consultant to provide technical assistance to the Ombudsman and to
serve as Coordinator for Protection from Discrimination. The deadline for applications is 17 May
2013. Read more
PhD and Post-doc vacancies at VUB/Brussels
The Institute for European Studies and the Department of Political Science of the Vrije Universiteit
Brussel are hiring 5 PhD researchers and 2 postdoctoral researchers for their research
programmes on ‘Evaluating Democratic Governance in Europe’ (EDGE) and on ‘Participation and
Representation in Modern Democracies' (PARTIREP). Applications must be submitted online by 10
June 2013. The starting date is 1 October 2013 or as soon as possible thereafter. Read more
Open Society Fellowship
The Open Society Fellowship was founded in 2008 to support individuals pursuing innovative and
unconventional approaches to fundamental open society challenges. The fellowship funds work
that will enrich public understanding of those challenges and stimulate far-reaching and probing
conversations within the Open Society Foundations and in the world. Interested applicants should
first download and review the fellowship guidelines at left. Applications are accepted online at
oas.soros.org/oas. Read more
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