In the light of the anti-racism protests in the US and across the EU, representatives of the European institutions have discussed how minorities often face racism, discrimination and police violence in Europe.

“The European Union is deeply committed to fighting all forms of discrimination within its borders as well as in the world at large. We have the tools, legislation, knowledge, education, counter-narratives, but also condemnation of any form of racially motivated violence, hate speech and discrimination,” said Nikolina Brnjac, Croatian State Secretary, when representing the Council during a dedicated plenary session of the European Parliament in June.

The Fundamental Rights Agency report from 2019, ‘Being Black in the EU’, shows that nearly one in three respondents of African descent (30%) had experienced what they perceived as racist harassment in the five years before the survey. Some 5% of respondents had experienced what they perceived as racist violence (including assault by a police officer).

So how can racism be tackled? The author Ibram X. Kendi puts it like this: “The heartbeat of antiracism is self-reflection, recognition, admission and fundamentally self-critique.”

If you want to delve further into this question, we have some reading suggestions for you. The non-exhaustive list compiled by the Council Library features topics such as:

• what are microaggressions, how to recognise them and stop them from happening
• how individuals can ‘unmask’ their own whiteness and take meaningful steps to reduce unconscious bias and break down structural racism
• 10 commitments that organisations can and should make that will help achieve racial equity

And if you can’t find the right moment to read, the list also contains podcasts and TED talks by speakers such as Reni Eddo-Lodge, the author of the best-selling Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race.