Category: Statements

Brussels, 20 October 2020

The Forum of Muslim Youth and Student Organisations would like to reiterate the condolences shared by our Member Organisation EMF (Etudiants Musulmans de France) following the barbaric event of last Friday 16 October. The freedom of education, expression, together with the freedom of assembly and of conscience make up the foundations of our ethnically and religiously diverse liberal democracies and these principles must be safeguarded.

We therefore find it incredibly disappointing to observe the plainly opportunistic behaviour displayed  by the French government supported by far right and other extremist groups to use this barbaric event in order to criminalise and dissolve the CCIF (Collective Against Islamophobia in France).

CCIF remains one of FEMYSO’s partners, having done critical work to protect the rights and the voices of the most marginalised. What we are seeing now is a direct attack on CCIF for their longstanding efforts to protect those that suffer discrimination due to their faith and an attempt to criminalise the fight against Islamophobia. In a country that saw a 59% rise in Islamophobic attacks last year (French National Observatory of Islamophobia).

The proposal to dissolve the CCIF and other Muslim organisations has no legal foundation and is a direct attack of the rule of law and Art. 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. It is behaviour that is based on non-legal accusations and is being conducted with full impunity. Criminalising the work that is done to fight Islamophobia, a form of racism that is institutionalised will set a dangerous precedent to cherry pick which religious and racialised groups to protect, and which ones to dehumanise and rob of their freedoms. All of us in Europe know very well the horrendous consequences at mass scale that can lead from such actions targeting a religious minority.

FEMYSO has been advocating for civic education, human rights and anti-racism for over 20 years. We have always worked closely with our partners across Europe in order to form a strong voice against marginalisation, stigmatisation and human rights violations. We call on the French government to put an immediate halt to unfounded allegations and decisions conducted outside of a coherent legal framework. We voice our strongest support to CCIF and the work they are doing. FEMYSO will always stand up against intolerance and will work for a diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe.

[ENDS]

Notes

1. FEMYSO (est. 1996) is a network organisation for 33 Muslim youth and student organisations across 20 European countries, and is the leading voice for European Muslim youth, developing and empowering them, and working to build a more diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe.
2. For more information or requests please email media@femyso.org

 

In the face of rising racism, scholars, activists and civil society organisations express their support for the UN Working Group on People of African Descent, and call on the UN to heed the call for reparatory justice

To the Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner for Human rights and the General Assembly of the United Nations

In the midst of growing international calls that Black Lives Matter and the enduring legacies of enslavement and colonialism be repaired, we – the undersigned – express our strong support for the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, urge the UN to more vigorously insist on the effective implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024, and also call on the UN to heed the growing international call for reparatory justice.

The Working Group is a result of the third UN World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, 2001. Article 7 of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action calls upon the Commission on Human Rights “to consider establishing a working group or other mechanism of the United Nations to study the problems of racial discrimination faced by people of African descent living in the African Diaspora and make proposals for the elimination of racial discrimination against people of African descent”.

The existence of the UN Working Group of People of African Descent is critical in the continued implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action – which remains the world’s most comprehensive human rights instrument against racial discrimination.

The Working Group is a unique UN mechanism to monitor structural racism against African peoples – including Africans and people of African descent – around the world, give voice to and support civil society efforts to fight the highly racialised forms of racism that African peoples are subjected to and to advise Governments on how to ensure non-discrimination and the full and equal enjoyment of human rights for African peoples around the world.

As defined by the Human Rights Council Resolution 9/14 from 2008, it belongs to the mandate of the Working Group:

“(a) To study the problems of racial discrimination faced by people of African descent living in the diaspora and, to that end, gather all relevant information from Governments, non-governmental organisations and other relevant sources, including through the holding of public meetings with them;
(b) To propose measures to ensure full and effective access to the justice system by people of African descent;
(c) To submit recommendations on the design, implementation and enforcement of effective measures to eliminate racial profiling of people of African descent;
(d) To make proposals on the elimination of racial discrimination against Africans and people of African descent in all parts of the world;
(e) To address all the issues concerning the well-being of Africans and people of African descent contained in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action”.

This mandate is critical since African peoples were victims of the crime against humanity of enslavement and systems of colonialism and continue to be victims of their consequences. Around the world African peoples continue to be particularly vulnerable to racial discrimination based on Afriphobia, structural discrimination, exclusion, invisibility and marginalisation. The role of the UN Working Group is therefore also unique in that it offers expertise on how the histories and effects of enslavement and colonialism continue to shape the lives of African peoples and the sort of measures that are needed to repair these legacies.

This role of the Working Group is not merely important for people of African descent, but in the long-run it serves to break down racial hierarchy more generally, strengthen the unity of the human family and ensure the full integration of equality and non-discrimination as fundamental human rights principles.

Among the many accomplishments of the Working Group is the establishment of the UN International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024. Within the framework of this Decade, the Working Group has also been responsible for pushing for a UN Permanent International Forum for African Peoples and a Declaration for the Rights of African Peoples.

We are very concerned that today there are forces that want to undermine the existence of the Working Group. We are also very concerned that so far there has been little international recognition of the UN Decade and its objectives. The neglect that the Decade so far has been met with is symptomatic of an unwillingness to face up and bring justice to the enduring legacies of colonialism and enslavement.

Given all this, we strongly urge the Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner for Human rights and the General Assembly of the United Nations to in word as well as in deed assert its support for:

The Working Group, and also further strengthen its mandate by making sure that its members are recruited among the foremost experts in the world on people of African descent;
The International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024, including the development of a Declaration for the Rights of African Peoples and a Permanent International Forum for African Peoples;
An international UN conference on reparatory and restorative justice for enslavement and colonialism.
Signed by,

1. Action for Equality, Support, Antiracism (KISA), Cyprus

2. Richard Adams, Chairman of the Board, Institute of the Black World (IBW), USA

3. ADEFRA Grassroots e.v., Germany

4. African Diaspora Youth Network in Europe (ADYNE)

5. African Empowerment Center, Denmark

6. Afro-Colombian Solidarity Network (ACSN), Colombia

7. AK Panafrikanismus – Panafricanism Working Group Germany, Germany

8. The Anti-racist Academy (ArA), Sweden

9. James Early, Institute for Policy Studies Board, USA

10. Arturo Escobar, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

11. Asociación de Consejos Comunitarios de Guapi (ASOCONGUAPI), Colombia

12. Asociación de Consejos Comunitarios de Timbiquí (ASOTIMBIQUÍ), Colombia

13. Asociación para la Defensa del Medio Ambiente y la Cultura Negra (ASO MANOS NEGRA), Colombia

14. Autoridad Nacional Afrocolombiana (ANAFRO), Colombia

15. Prof. Sir Hilary Beckles, Chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, Jamaica

16. Gurminder K Bhambra, Professor in Sociology, University of Warwick, United Kingdom

17. Black Study Group, United Kingdom

18. Blaksox, United Kingdom

19. Fernne Brennan, Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Essex and Senior Advisor to the Expert Advisory Group for the Slave Trade Reparations project (STeR), United Kingdom

20. Caribbean Philosophical Association (CPA)

21. Monica Carrillo, Director of LUNDU Centro de Estudios y Promoción Afroperuanos — Center for Afro-Peruvian Studies, Peru

22. Augustus Casely-Hayford, Historian, Curator and Broadcaster, United Kingdom

23. Empress Ijahnya Christian, Ethiopia

24. Conseil des Communautés Africaines en Europe et en Belgique , Belgium

25. Conseil Représentatif des Associations Noires (CRAN), France

26. Imaniyé Dalila Daniel, Artist, Martinique

27. Dr. Ron Daniels, President of the Institute of the Black World (IBW) and Convenor of the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC), USA

28. Decades of Heroes for the Elimination of Racism and Oppression (D’HERO), The Netherlands

29. Marcelo Dias, President of the Reparations Commission of the Bar Association of Brazil — da Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil / Seção Rio de Janeiro (OAB/RJ), Brazil

30. Ejim Dike, Executive Director of the US Human Rights Network, USA

31. Alejandra Egido, President of Todo en Sepia Asociacion de Mujeres Afrodescendientes en la Argentina (TES), Argentina

32. European Network Against Racism (ENAR)

33. European Network of People of African Descent (ENPAD)

34. Fight Racism Now (FRN), Sweden

35. El Foro Interétnico Solidaridad Chocó (FISCH), Colombia

36. Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organizations (FEMYSO), Belgium

37. The Frantz Fanon Foundation, France

38. Manuel Garcia-Orozco, Chaco World Music Nueva York, USA

39. Global Afrikan Congress UK (GACuk), United Kingdom

40. Stephen Haymes, Associate Professor of Educational Policy and Research, DePaul University, USA

41. Zita Holbourne, National Co-Chair and Co-Founder of Black Activists Against Cuts UK (BARAC UK), PCS Union National Executive and member of TUC Race Relations Committee, United Kingdom

42. Grupo de Academics e Intelectuales en Defensa del Pacifico Colombiano (GAIDEPAC) — Group of Academics and Intellectuals in Defense of the Colombian Pacific, Colombia

43. Gus John, Associate Professor of Education at the University College London and member of the African Union Sixth Region Technical Committee of Experts, United Kingdom

44. The Immigrant Parents & Guardians Support Association (IPGSA), Ireland

45. Initiative Schwarze Menschen in Deutschland (ISD), Germany

46. El Instituto Mexicano de Derechos Humanos y Democracia A.C (IMDHD) — The Mexican Institute for Human Rights and Democracy, Mexico

47. Justice 21, Bulgaria

48. Alnoor Ladha, Executive Director of The Rules, South Africa

49. Cristian Baez Lazcano, Director of Afrochilena Lumbanga, Chile

50. Firoze Manji, Daraja Press, Kenya, Québec -Canada

51. Migrant Tales, Finland

52. Movimento Negro Unificado (MNU), Brazil

53. Narrative Eye, United Kingdom

54. National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC), USA

55. Carlos Alvarez Nazareno, President of Agrupación Afro Xango, Argentina

56. Miguel Angel Avila Nazareno, Coordinator General of Proceso AfroAmerica XXI – Ecuador, Ecuador

57. New Urban Collective (NUC), Netherlands

58. Denise Noble, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Black Studies at Birmingham City University, United Kingdom

59. Operation Black Vote (OBV), United Kingdom

60. Organização para Libertação do Povo Negro (OLPN), Brazil

61. Oxford Pan-African Forum (OXPAF), United Kingdom

62. Pan Africanism Working Group, Germany

63. Pan African Movement for Justice, Sweden

64. Mai-Elka Prado, Founder of Festival Afrolatino de Nueva York, USA

65. Amilcar Priestley, Director of Afrolatino Project, New York, USA

66. Proceso de Comunidades Negras en Colombia (PCN), Colombia

67. Raad van Afrikaanse gemeenschappen in Europa afdeling Vlaanderen, Belgium

68. Rhodes Must Fall Oxford (RMFO), United Kingdom

69. Azeneth Báez Ríos, President of De Mujeres Afrochilenas Hijas de Azapa, Chile

70. Don Rojas, Director of Communications, Institute of the Black World (IBW), USA

71. Kitimbwa Sabuni, Secretary General, the Afro-Swedish National Association, Sweden

72. Lisa Scott, CEO of Afropresencia, Nueva York, USA

73. Kris Sealey, Associate Professor in Philosophy and Director of the Peace and Justice Studies Program at Fairfield University, USA

74. Robbie Shilliam, Professor in International Relations, Queen Mary University of London

75. Stephen A. Small, Associate Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies, University of California Berkeley, USA

76. Soul Rebel Movement, Netherlands

77. Antumi Toasijé, Centro Panafricano and Centro de Estudios Panafricanos, Spain

78. Opal Tometi, Executive Director of Black Alliance for Just Immigration and Co-founder of Black Lives Matter, USA

79. Stanley C. Trent, Associate Professor in Education, University of Virginia, USA

80. Aminata Dramane Traoré, Author and former Minister of Culture and Tourism of Mali, Mali

81. The Ubele Initiative, United Kingdom

82. Hanétha Vété-Congolo, Professor and Chair of the Romance Languages and Literature Department at Bowdoin College, USA

83. Patrick Vernon OBE, Trustee of the Bernie Grant Trust, United Kingdom

84. Group of Academics in Defence of the Pacific and Afro-Descendant Communities (GAIDEPAC), Colombia

The 2nd of August marks the Roma Genocide Remembrance Day, FEMYSO commemorates and remembers the suffering of Europe’s Roma and Sinti communities which were impacted by a genocidal campaign carried out by the Nazi regime and its allies before and during World War II. It should be noted that Europe’s Roma and Sinti population describe the Nazi genocide as the ‘Porajmos’, which translates to ‘the devouring’.

Between 1936 and 1944, over 200,000 Roma and Sinti were either murdered or died due to starvation or disease. Note that this number amounts to about 25% of the Roma and Sinti population before World War II. Many more were denied access to education, were imprisoned, used as forced labour, and subject to forced medical experimentation and sterilisation. Auschwitz was closed and Roma and Sinti people were either murdered in gas chambers or sent for forced labour in other concentration camps,

Many of the atrocities committed against the Roma and Sinti by the Nazi regime and its allies, were only fully recognised in 1981 in West Germany. Regrettably still today Europe’s Roma and Sinti communities are targeted by hateful political discourse and discrimination.

History taught us the heinous crimes that took place before and during World War II, however, it is our responsibility, as European citizens, to ensure that such heinous crimes towards any community ever takes place.

FEMYSO is deeply concerned of the escalation of persecution and violence directed at Europe’s Roma and Sinti communities, and calls on European governments and institutions to improve and strengthen their legal protection, and to prosecute Political discourse aimed at inciting violence against the Roma and Sinti communities.

FEMYSO will always stand on the side of the oppressed and we will continue our work towards a more diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe.

Nine years have passed since the Oslo and Utøya terrorist attacks which claimed the innocent lives of 77 person, most of whom were very young people. These two terrorist attacks were motivated by racist hatred, which in recent years we have witnessed its mainstreaming in the public discourse, including verbal and physical attacks on minority groups and organisations defending human rights. Hate Speech provides the context for Hate Crimes to take place as it dehumanises its targets and provides justification for violence and heinous crimes.

FEMYSO calls upon political entities, including MEPs, to take a firm stand against racism, intolerance, and hatred.

We call upon entities in the wider political and civil society spectrum to put more effort in tackling hatred and violence.

We call upon the member states of the Council of Europe to establish this day, 22nd of July, as the European Day for Victims of Hate Crime.

FEMYSO stands with communities and organisations fighting for human rights, fundamental freedoms and human dignity.

What is Europe Day? On the 9th of May 1950, Robert Schuman, French foreign minister at the time, proposed the creation of a common organisation between several European states and this is how the predecessor of the European Union was created.

As an organisation that strives every day to build a diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe and we celebrate the existence of the EU and are thankful for it providing a strong framework which has only advanced our work.

It is on days like this we remember the importance of solidarity and striving for the common good – which are principles that the European Union was founded on and still manifests in our lives up until this day. It is these principles that we call upon member states to channel when addressing some of the historical and present-day inequalities that some of its citizens are subjected to.

In a world of unilateralism, where the thoughts and needs of the few are prioritised over the many, every single day the European Union provides a shining example of how those standing together will always trump those that are standing apart.

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed our lives and its effects will be felt for the foreseeable future. When we overcome this pandemic, as a society we have a choice –  we either return to how things were, or we take the principles that Europe was founded upon and we work towards creating a more equitable society which all citizens of Europe deserve.

Let 2020 be the year where instead of celebrating Europe day and moving on, we reflected upon the foresight of our predecessors and strengthened our union for the better.