European Parliament resolution of 26 March 2019 on fundamental rights of people of African descent
A. whereas the term ‘people of African descent’ may also be used with ‘Afro-European’, ‘African European’, ‘Black European’, ‘Afro-Caribbean’ or ‘Black-Caribbean’, and refers to people of African ancestry or descent who are born in, citizens of, or living in Europe;
B. whereas the terms ‘Afrophobia’, ‘Afri-phobia’ and ‘anti-black racism’ refer to a specific form of racism, including any act of violence or discrimination, fuelled by historical abuses and negative stereotyping, and leading to the exclusion and dehumanisation of people of African descent; whereas this correlates to historically repressive structures of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade, as recognised by the Council of Europe’s High Commissioner for Human Rights;
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F. whereas histories of injustices against Africans and people of African descent, including enslavement, forced labour, racial apartheid, massacres, and genocides in the context of European colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade, remain largely unrecognised and unaccounted for at an institutional level in the Member States;
G. whereas the persistence of discriminatory stereotypes in some traditions across Europe, including the use of blackfacing, perpetuates deeply rooted stereotypes about people of African descent which can exacerbate discrimination;
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K. whereas only limited data is available on racial discrimination in the education system; whereas, however, evidence suggests that children of African descent in the Member States are awarded lower grades than their white peers in schools, and early school leaving is markedly higher among children of African descent ;
L. whereas adults and children of African descent are increasingly vulnerable when held in police custody, with numerous incidents of violence and deaths recorded; having regard to the routine use of racial profiling, discriminatory stop‑and‑search practices and surveillance in the context of abuse of power in law enforcement, crime prevention, counter-terrorism measures, or immigration control;
M. whereas legal remedies for discrimination exist and strong and specific policies are needed to address the structural racism experienced by people of African descent in Europe, including in employment, education, health, criminal justice and political participation and in the impact of migration and asylum policies and practices;
N. whereas people of African descent in Europe experience discrimination in the housing market and spatial segregation in low-income areas, with poor quality and cramped housing;
O. whereas people of African descent have contributed significantly to building European society throughout history, and whereas large numbers of them face discrimination in the labour market;
P. whereas people of African descent are disproportionally represented among the lower- income strata of the European population;
Q. whereas people of African descent are overwhelmingly underrepresented in political and lawmaking institutions, at European, national and local levels in the European Union;
R. whereas politicians of African descent are still facing ignominious attacks in public sphere at both national and European levels;
S. whereas the racism and discrimination experienced by people of African descent is structural and often intersects with other forms of discrimination and oppression on the basis of sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation;
T. whereas a rise in Afrophobic attacks in Europe has recently been directly targeted against third-country nationals, particularly refugees and migrants;
