Victims of race crimes not protected across Europe, report claims

Criminal justice systems across Europe are failing to protect victims of race crimes, according to a new report covering 24 EU countries.

The European Network Against Racism found that subtle forms of racism exist in justice systems, from when a crime is reported right through to investigation and prosecution.

ENAR says most countries in the EU have policies and guidelines in place to deal with racist crimes, but they are not enforced because of institutional racism in law enforcement agencies.

“Twenty years after the Macpherson Report revealed that the British police was institutionally racist, we now find that criminal justice systems across the European Union fail to protect victims of racist crimes," said Karen Taylor, Chair of the European Network Against Racism.

“We need a significant change within the criminal justice system, if racial justice is to prevail for victims of racist crime in Europe. Governments and institutions can better respond to hate crimes if they commit to review the practice, policies and procedures that disadvantage certain groups," she added.

Shane O'Curry, the organisation's Irish Director, says the findings back up statistics about race crime reporting here.

"It explains the statistic that we have consistently over the last six years that fewer than a third of people who experience serious racist crimes even report them to the police in this country," he said.