The Council of Europe is organising the 2nd edition of the film festival “The fortnight of Roma cinema” , on 11-25 June 2008, in Strasbourg, to celebrate the art, culture and contribution to European society of the Roma.

Internationally celebrated film maker Tony Gatlif (Gadjo Dilo, Latcho Drom, Swing, Transylvania, Exiles among others), will participate in a public forum on 16 June about the Roma, some 10 million European citizens found in almost all Council of Europe member states – and often the target of racist attack and public disdain.

The two-week festival will feature nine critically acclaimed films at the Odyssée cinema in Strasbourg. Council of Europe representatives and experts will be on hand for discussions after certain times.

The ambassador of Finland, whose country has donated much to help make the festival possible will participate.

Interview by Sergio Nava - Radio 24 (Italy-Italian) - realesed by Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights, about the law by decree on security matters in Italy.

(News bulletin of 13h, 16/05/08)

Anti-Romani Speech in Europe’s Public Space - The Mechanism of Hate Speech
Henry Scicluna 1

Introduction

Hate speech can take various forms, ranging from offensive remarks to incitement to violence. In the case of Roma, hate speech covers the whole range of abuse and follows a pattern distinct from ordinary abusive speech against any given group. Whether it is a minor insult or an outright incitement to killing, the purpose of the perpetrator is the same: To exclude and eliminate Roma from society. What is noticeable in most countries is a constant and systematic escalation in the gravity of hate speech rather than sporadic incidents.

Council of Europe and Lilian Thuram unite against racism

On 13 May at its Paris meeting, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published its ‘Unite Against Racism’ declaration, in the presence of French international footballer Lilian Thuram. The declaration, supported by a video message from Secretary General Terry Davis, was issued ahead of the Euro 2008 football tournament. The commission wants the event to demonstrate a commitment to combatting racism and racial discrimination in football and set out guidelines for tackling the problem in national football leagues.

Declaration by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance of the Council of Europe (ECRI) on the occasion of Euro 2008

“Unite against racism”

Paris, 13 May

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) of the Council of Europe:

Strasbourg, 07.05.2008 – Improving the living conditions of Roma citizens by safeguarding their basic human rights, promoting access to services and supporting their participation in social and political life and further empowerment are the priorities of a joint Council of Europe/European Commission awareness-raising project to be launched in Moldova and Ukraine on 14 May.

The project,  entitled “Empowering the Roma communities and fighting against anti-Gypsyism”, will provide training on the monitoring and evaluation of Roma national policies for  government officials, but also training for teachers and anti-trafficking mediators from Moldova and Ukraine.

The project will also include the launch of Dosta!, an awareness-raising campaign promoting Roma rights which has already been successfully carried out in five countries in South Eastern Europe  with the support of the authorities and Roma communities.

Our Voices Heard – Amare Glasura Ashunde – a Romani Women’s Rights Conference held in Sweden in December 2007, provided a forum for discussion about the challenges facing Romani women today. It was an opportunity to share information and good practices between policymakers and Romani Women’s Networks across Europe.
 

A magazine based on the speeches and discussions held at the conference, which was co-organised by the
Swedish Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality, the Council of Europe and the European Union Agency for
Fundamental Rights, has now been published.
 

The core themes of the conference were: Romani Women’s Rights, Combating Trafficking, Respecting Reproductive Rights and Roma Access to Public Health Care.
 

The opinions expressed in the texts do not necessarily reflect those of the organisers of the conference.

Strasbourg, 8 April 2008

I congratulate our fellow Europeans on the occasion of the International Roma Day. We should use this opportunity to celebrate the contribution of the Roma people to the cultural diversity and richness of Europe.

For some time, the Council of Europe has been campaigning against prejudice towards the Roma community in the South East Europe, and we want to extend the “Dosta!” campaign to all Council of Europe member states.

“Dosta” means “Enough” in Romani, but today is also an opportunity to say “More!”, meaning more rights, more equality, more integration and more respect for our fellow Europeans who belong to Roma community.

***

Racial profiling is racism: Statement by Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21 March) 
 
Strasbourg, 19.03.2008 - “Racial discrimination not only hurts its victims. It is also damaging to the society which harbours it. A society which ignores, tolerates, encourages or practices discrimination, on racial or any other grounds, is dysfunctional and riddled with risks.

Last year, a high level international conference (*), organised by the Council of Europe, identified discrimination and especially racial discrimination as something which is itself conducive to the spread of political extremism and violence. The conference concluded that anti-terrorist measures which are discriminatory on grounds of race, language, religion, nationality or ethnic origin are counterproductive and ineffective in the long term.