People Of African Descent Face 'Dire Picture' Of Racism In EU
Source: The Guardian
Almost a third of people of African descent polled in a new EU survey say they have experienced racial harassment in the last five years, a report that claims racial discrimination is “commonplace” across 12 European countries reveals.
People of African descent face “a dire picture” of discrimination in housing, the workplace and everyday life, the survey of 5,803 people by the European Union’s fundamental rights agency states.
Perceived racial harassment, such as offensive gestures, comments or threats, was highest in Finland (63%) and Luxembourg (52%) and least prevalent in the UK (21%) and Malta (20%). One in 20 respondents said they had been a victim of a physical attack in the last five years, ranging from 14% in Finland to 2% in Portugal. The figure was 3% for the UK.
“The survey paints a dire picture of the reality on the ground,” said the agency’s director, Michael O’Flaherty, in a preface to the report. Referring to the EU’s 2000 racial equality directive, he said: “Almost 20 years after adoption of EU laws forbidding discrimination, people of African descent face widespread and entrenched prejudice and exclusion.” -MORE...
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/28/people-of-african-descent-face-dire-picture-of-racism-in-eu
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Finland has not had much immigration or diversity until very recently. Recent immigrants always face hostility. Some of the other countries like the UK or the Mediterranean countries have been getting immigrants from Africa for hundreds of years.
It's an example of a country being very liberal in some areas but not others. People who don't like change would be resistant to immigration.
Sweden, Iraq, Somalia. Finland, total population 5.5 million. Standard white issues of racism must be at work, my view.
WIKI. As of 2017, there are 373,325 foreign people residing in Finland, which corresponds to 6.8% of the population. Numerous polls in 2010 indicated that the majority of the Finnish people want to limit immigration to the country in order to preserve regional cultural diversity.
Immigration has been a major factor of population growth and cultural change throughout Finland. Today, there are 140,000 foreign born people residing in Finland. Foreign born individuals correspond to 2.7% of the population of Finland.
However, as of 2011 there are 244,827 persons with a foreign first language (other than Finnish, Swedish or Sami), who account for 4.5% of the population.The largest groups appear to be Russians, Estonians, and Somalis. Meanwhile, immigration from Sweden has halted the decrease in the Swedish-speaking population.
In 2017, hundreds of Muslim asylum seekers from Iraq and Afghanistan converted to Christianity after having had their first asylum application rejected by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), in order to re-apply for asylum on the grounds of religious persecution.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_Finland
Immigration is a tricky subject now, & other links are from the administration's govt. agencies and conservative groups.
Here's a chart of *Immigrants to the US with Temporary Protected Status, *Countries of Origin Noted.
Key Facts About US Immigration Policies And Proposed Changes, Pew Research
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/02/26/key-facts-about-u-s-immigration-policies-and-proposed-changes/
Re your question, I think African/Black people would be a bit more welcome in Europe than the southern US, esp. now. But Europe and South America are seeing the rise of similar extremist right-wing elements that favor conservative white European Christians. Leaders like Trump & Brazil's new President Bolsanaro have expressed contempt for black people, esp. from Haiti, the Caribbean and Nigeria, Africa. It's a very difficult issue now.
