AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE
EU must stop racism in Spain, not people
(Brussels, 14 December 2011) Amnesty International has report released today, Spain: Stop racism, not people: Racial profiling and immigration control in Spain, Amnesty International exposes racial profiling by the Spanish police. The organisation has condemned the practice, which seeks to identify irregular migrants, as discriminatory and unlawful, saying that it fuels racism and xenophobia.
“The EU must put pressure on Spain to halt identity checks and stop detaining people on grounds of their ethnic or racial characteristics”, said Nicolas Beger, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office. “The EU can’t credibly claim to be combating racism and xenophobia if it doesn’t face up to the fact that the police are currently stopping people in the street simply because they appear to belong to an ethnic minority. The EU and the Spanish Government must stop racism, not people.”
Amnesty International has asked the EU to strengthen links between its anti-discrimination and immigration policy. It has recommended that the European Commission includes police racial profiling in its monitoring of the Race Directive’s implementation.
For interviews or further comment, please contact:-
Peter Clarke
Media & Communications Officer
European Institutions Office, Amnesty International
Tel: +32 (0)2 548 2773
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