Council of Europe’s Commission against Racism and Intolerance: published its Annual report for 2023
On June 20, the Council of Europe’s Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published its Annual report for 2023. ECRI is a unique human rights monitoring body which specialises in questions relating to the fight against racism, discrimination, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance in Europe; it is composed of 46 members appointed on the basis of their independence, impartiality, moral authority and recognised expertise.
This year’s annual report focuses on three main areas: addressing the situation of people displaced by war and other emergencies, countering the rise of antisemitism in Europe as a result of the current conflict in the Middle East and taking resolute action against anti-Muslim racism and discrimination across Europe.
With regard to the first key trend, the Russian Federation's ongoing war against Ukraine has displaced millions of Ukrainians seeking protection across Europe. Additionally, Russian citizens fleeing conscription or political persecution have sought refuge in Council of Europe states. Furthermore, over 100,000 Karabakh Armenians fled to Armenia due to Azerbaijan's military operation of September 2023.
ECRI continued to witness admirable efforts by the authorities and societies of Council of Europe member states aimed at accommodating the needs of persons displaced from Ukraine. While the dominant narratives remained those of solidarity and support, a number of anti-Ukrainian hate incidents have also been reported. In the case of refugees and other beneficiaries of international protection coming from other parts of the world, the ECRI noted recurring cases of states that restricted access to asylum and a significant rise in anti-immigrant and at times anti-Muslim public discourse.
Secondly, a number of European countries have experienced a spike in antisemitism since the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel's subsequent war in Gaza. These ranged from hate speech, both online and offline, including death threats, to vandalising and desecrating Jewish communal places. In several countries, the number of reported antisemitic incidents in the last three months of 2023 far exceeded the number usually reported for an entire year, and in some cases was much higher. It is of particular concern that schools, which should be places where future generations learn about and practice diversity, inclusion and mutual respect, are experiencing a high number of incidents.
In some countries, there was a clear increase in the number of hate incidents against Muslims, including online anti-Muslim hate speech, in the aftermath of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. Muslims were blamed for this and other attacks in the Middle East by stereotyping entire communities and associating them with the use of violence. Muslims, or those perceived to be Muslims, also continued to be negatively affected by the implementation of anti-terrorism or counter-extremism laws or policies. Persons wearing visible religious symbols or traditional clothing were at times represented as being associated with terrorism or extremism; this led to situations of discrimination in access to healthcare.