Parliament must vote for clear stance against racism
Anti-racism resolution
Following the tragic murder of George Floyd and protests in the US and around the world, the European Parliament will (today) debate and (Friday) vote on the Resolution on the anti-racism protests following the death of George Floyd. The resolution, on the initiative of the Greens/EFA group, condemns the killing of the George Floyd and calls on the American government to take action against structural racism and police violence, to condemn the use of extreme force and racial profiling by police, including here in the EU, and to side with those who demonstrate peacefully against structural racism and discrimination. The cross-party resolution is supported by the main groups in the Parliament.
Alice Bah Kuhnke, Greens/EFA shadow rapporteur on the resolution and Member of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee, comments:
"Racism occurs in every country in the world. Police brutality disproportionately affects black people and is something the EU, its Member States and institutions have to stamp out. The European Parliament must strongly condemn the appalling death of George Floyd and the crackdowns on peaceful US protesters and the press. The United States’ government should take decisive steps to address the structural racism and inequalities in their country, as reflected through police brutality.
"The EU must show solidarity with the massive anti-racist protests all over the world, and condemn racism and police brutality everywhere. The protests against racism have given us a real opportunity for genuine change. Racism isn’t isolated to the US, it exists in Europe and worldwide. The EU still lacks legislation on anti-discrimination outside of the workplace. This resolution is a vital way to put pressure on the EU to adopt proper legislation and support good practices against racism and discrimination. As the rapporteur of the Anti-Discrimination Directive, I call on the Council and the Commission to unblock the Directive immediately."
Philippe Lamberts, President of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, comments:
"Most Members of the European Parliament are, like me, white and born of a society where we have not been discriminated against in our careers or have the privilege of not being ignored. We are part of a society where a noisy majority say they are free from prejudice, but continue to accept institutionalized racism.
"Let us look in the mirror: We live in a society that calls itself modern and open, but refuses to deal with its relics of colonialism, a society which condemns the murder of George Floyd and is indignant at the wall erected by Donald Trump, but turns a blind eye to the murders and horrible deaths of migrants and leaves thousands of people to be shipwrecked in the Mediterranean Sea.
"Racism is not an ordinary point of view to be debated; it is a scourge on all our societies. MEPs should support our call for an end to everyday abuse, institutional racism and all structural discrimination in the EU. Racism has many faces and announcements alone are not enough; we all have to fight concretely against racism, discrimination and right-wing extremism whenever it rears its ugly head - be it in politics, the police, education, employment, housing, sports, the workplace or in school. Black lives matter, always and everywhere."
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