European police used racial discrimination when enforcing coronavirus lockdowns: Amnesty International
Police forces across Europe were marred by systemic racism when implementing coronavirus lockdown measures, Amnesty International said in a report published on Wednesday.
The non-governmental organization which focuses on human rights said that while enforcing lockdowns, police across 12 European countries “disproportionately targeted ethnic minority and marginalized groups with violence, discriminatory identity checks, forced quarantines and fines.”
Read more: Activists call for amnesty as COVID-19 spreads in Russian jails
The investigation revealed “a disturbing pattern of racial bias which is linked to concerns about institutional racism within police forces, and echoes wider concerns raised in the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests.”
The death of George Floyd on May 25 while in police custody in Minneapolis sparked protests around the world and “highlighted the pervasiveness of discriminatory policing and impunity in Europe as well,” the report added.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Washington, DC
One of the largest rallies in the United States was held in the capital, Washington, DC, where thousands of people of all colors took to the streets near the White House, which was barricaded with black metal grates.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
New York City
Thousands of protesters in New York City gathered in the city’s squares and parks to demonstrate.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Berlin
People in the German capital sat in silent protest for 8 minutes and 46 seconds — the amount of time a white police officer kneeled on George Floyd’s neck before he lost consciousness as three other officers stood nearby.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Munich
Some 30,000 people assembled at Munich’s Königsplatz to show solidarity with other protesters and the Black Lives Matter movement.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
St. Petersburg, Florida
People of St. Petersburg in the US state of Florida went out in the rain to make their voices heard.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Paris
Hundreds of people gathered in Paris defying a police ban on large protests. Members of the multiracial crowd chanted the name of Adama Traore, a black man whose death while in police custody has been likened by critics to Floyd’s death.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Manchester
Many protesters, including some of these in the English city of Manchester, wore protective face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Basel
Arond 5,000 people gathered in Basel, Switzerland, in a Black Lives Matter demonstration there.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Adelaide
Crowds filled Victoria Square in Adelaide after receiving special permission for the event. The march through the southern Australian city was held after police Commissioner Grant Stevens approved the rally on Friday. “This is a unique and extraordinary event. There is a sentiment that suggests people should have a right to protest on significant matters,” Stevens said.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Tunis
In Tunis, Tunisia, hundreds of protesters chanted: “We want justice! We want to breathe!”
Read more: Blacks in the US targeted by an unfair justice system
Poorer areas subjected to greater crackdowns
The enforcement of lockdowns meant poorer communities were more likely to suffer greater crackdowns, according to Amnesty, and these zones often have a higher proportion of people from ethnic minorities.
In Seine-Saint-Denis, the poorest area of mainland France where the majority of inhabitants are Black or of North African origin, the number of fines handed out for breaching lockdown measures was three times higher than in the rest of the country, Amnesty said. Furthermore, poorer areas were often subjected to longer overnight curfews.
In the UK, police in London registered a 22% rise in stop and searches between March and April of this year. During that same period the proportion of Black people who were searched increased by almost a third.
Roma settlements imposed with militarized quarantines
Meanwhile, discrimination against Roma minorities in Bulgaria and Slovakia was evident during lockdown, the report said. Governments from both countries brought in mandatory quarantines on Roma settlements, for example.
In Slovakia they also tasked the military with enforcing quarantines while Amnesty considers that this option “is not suitable to carry out public health measures.“
During mandatory quarantines in Bulgaria, over 50,000 Roma citizens were cut off from the rest of the country and suffered severe food shortages, according to Amnesty’s investigations.
The 12 countries covered in the report were Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Serbia, Slovakia, Romania, Spain and the UK.