Black Lives Matter
This week, we share articles from Germany, Spain, France and the Netherlands reacting to the protests in the US and in Europe after the murder of George Floyd.
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Racism in Europe
DW's Chiponda Chimbelu reflects on the George Floyd killing and writes that Europe needs to now come to terms with its own racism and colonial history. He believes that the current protests in the US and in some European cities showcase the level of frustration that black people feel in the face of institutional and structural racism. Chimbelu states that friends have reached out to him after the killing, making him consider the reality for black people in the US and Europe. He wants Europeans to reflect more on their historical ties to slavery and colonalism and realise that racism and discrimination against people of colour cannot be dismissed as just an American issue. Despite efforts from the media and education system to change people's perceptions on colonialism and race, there is still little awareness on the European continent about racism, which is further exacerbated by the lack of data being collected on the matter.
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Support for peaceful protesters
ElMundo writes about the UN and EU’s support for peaceful protests following the killing of George Floyd in the US. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas sympathises with the protesters, while stressing the importance of keeping the demonstrations peaceful. He also expressed that he hoped the protests would have an effect in the US. His reaction comes after 2.000 people attended a protest outside the US Embassy in Berlin. El Mundo also reports that the EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell supports the peaceful protests and has described the killing of George Floyd as an abuse of power. Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet notes that the protests, together with the pandemic's disproportionate impact on ethnic minorities, have laid bare "endemic inequalities" in the US. Statistics show that COVID-19 is having a devastating impact on black populations especially in the US, France, the UK and Brazil.
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The French take to the streets
On Tuesday, 20.000 people came together in Paris to support the family of Adama Traoré, who died in police custody in Paris in 2016. Le Monde reports that the march had been banned due to COVID-19 and resulted in 18 people being arrested. Asked about police violence, the French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner promised that the slightest racist remark made by a police officer would lead to an investigation. Government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye noted that even though the demonstrations were held in the context of George Floyd protests in the US, the situation in the US and France are not comparable. Some senators have condemned the rally because the state is under a health emergency and gatherings larger than 10 people are prohibited. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the French left-wing, came to the defense of young people, who he claims have been victims of incessant controls, injustice and violence at the hands of the French police.
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From the Netherlands to the US
Trouw talks to Naomie Pieter, a leader of the Dutch branch of the BlackLivesMatter movement, on the importance of demonstrations in these times. Pieter says that although the Dutch demonstrations were born out of solidarity George Floyd and black people in America, they also aim to tackle racism in the Netherlands. She describes how as a black woman in the Netherlands, she often deals with institutional racism. One instance was in 2016, while protesting in Rotterdam against the "Zwarte Piet", the Dutch blackface tradition, where she was brutally arrested. BlackLivesMatter NL emerged in 2013 and are committed to stopping all forms of violence against black people. The abuses include discrimination in the labour market, education, police and the tax and customs administration. Demonstrations in the Netherlands have received some backlash due to public health concerns, but Pieter says the outrage is rather selective, especially considering the opening of hardware stores, beaches, and garden centers.
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