It is not a coincidence, but a general trend: people who are part of ethnic minorities are stopped and searched more regularly, by the police, throughout Europe, and especially in some countries: this is the conclusion of the report by theEuropean Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (From).
The investigation revealed that the police of the countries examined (the 27 member states of the European Union, plus the United Kingdom and North Macedonia), most often stopped men, young people, ethnic minorities, Muslims or people who did not identify as heterosexual.
Officers searched or requested identity documents from one in three people of minority ethnicity compared to 14% of the rest of the citizens. Four in five of the general population said the police treated them with respect, compared with 46% of minority groups.
But, of course, the definition of discriminatory profiles, for which, for example, belonging to an ethnic minority is the only reason for the police to stop someone, is illegal throughout Europe. “Everyone has the right to be treated equally,” explained Michael O’Flaherty, the director of Fra. «A year ago, the protests of Black Lives Matter they stressed the need to tackle racism and discrimination, which are still all too common in our societies. It is time to rebuild trust between all communities and ensure that police stops are always fair, justified and proportionate. “
Yet, according to the survey, in Austria, nearly half (49%) of immigrants and descendants of immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa were stopped by the police, compared with 25% of the general population. Last year Amnesty International reported “institutional racism within the Austrian police forces and other components of the Austrian criminal justice system”.
Both in Croatia that in Greece, one third of Roma have been stopped compared to 17-18% of the general population. In Spain, only 4% of the general population reported being stopped by the police, but the percentage rose to 14% among immigrants from North Africa and 32% among Roma. In UK, 3% of the general population was stopped by the police compared to 5% of people originating or descending from Sub-Saharan Africa and 10% of Roma.
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