The European Union’s human rights watchdog (ECRI) has cautioned that law enforcement agencies throughout Europe are still practicing racial profiling.
The ECRI reported on Wednesday that this practice continues, where authorities make decisions based on ethnicity, skin color, religion, or nationality instead of factual information. This occurs not only during stop-and-search operations but also when managing border control.
“We have observed that not even a single member state within the Council of Europe can claim complete immunity from racial profiling,” said Bertil Cottier, who chairs the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), during an interview with Euronews.
Concerns over new technologies
Specialists are worried regarding the police departments’ intentions to widely implement facial recognition systems. They argue that proper protections must be established beforehand.
Even with the stringent guidelines of the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act, effective from August 2024, implementation differs among various member countries.
For instance, French law enforcement has consistently employed facial recognition technology.
for numerous years, and on the streets
Belgium is exploring the possibility of systematically implementing
The contentious tech aimed at monitoring individuals who have been convicted or are under suspicion of being offenders.
The Council of Europe highlighted studies suggesting that this technology could potentially lead to incorrect identification of people.
“We have concerns about this development. Whenever new technologies arise, they invariably become an issue in terms of discrimination,” stated Cottier. “There is a risk that if these technologies are misused, they could exacerbate the problem.” This is why the ECRI closely monitors advancing technologies.
The Council of Europe has approved a framework convention regarding artificial intelligence and human rights.
Cottier stated that one committee within the Council of Europe is addressing anti-discrimination concerns and is in the process of formulating a particular recommendation focused on AI and discrimination.
The Council of Europe states that countries are not addressing police racial profiling effectively.
The ECRI report does not mention particular instances in individual nations.
Previously, though, the organization has issued nation-specific reports.
In France, for example,
the ECRI has consistently advised
that officials implement an efficient method for documenting identity verifications conducted by police officers.
In the previous year, the Council of Europe hosted a round table involving French officials, law enforcement agencies, and non-governmental organizations to address the recommendation through discussion.
“Certainly, France stands out as a nation where racial profiling is an issue,” stated Cottier.
“However, as we observed a few months back with disappointment, our suggestion for addressing racial profiling – specifically tracking down the law enforcement officers who unjustifiably stopped individuals – appears to have been disregarded up until now,” Cottier noted.
In 2023, France’s top administrative court determined that the government was not effectively addressing the extensively reported issue of racial profiling by law enforcement agencies.
Non-governmental organizations have cautioned that this practice
harms the connection between law enforcement and community
So even the ECRI stated in their report that “racial profiling fosters a sense of humiliation and inequity within society.”
“The actions endanger the efforts of law enforcement officers who adhere to legal guidelines and ethical policing standards, as well as those dedicated to fighting racism and racial discrimination,” noted the ECRI specialists.
The Italian government responds strongly to the study.
Another country of worry is Italy.
“While touring Italy, we observed instances of racial profiling among law enforcement agencies. We advised the Italian government to address this matter with due seriousness,” remarked Cottier.
In this scenario, law enforcement particularly engages in racial profiling against the Roma community and individuals of African descent.
An
October 2024 report
encouraged Italy to conduct an autonomous investigation aimed at evaluating the extent of racial profiling within its law enforcement agencies.
Nevertheless, the Italian government countered it.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni supported “the men and women who, daily, labor diligently and selflessly to guarantee the security of all citizens, irrespective of their differences.”
In the meantime, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini described the ECRI as “an ineffective entity.”
Cottier feels remorse about this reaction. “It seemed like we were criticizing Italy and the Italian law enforcement for practicing racial profiling when we actually only requested the Italian government to evaluate the issue,” he explained.
The ECRI chairman admitted that it continues to be a sensitive matter. He stated, “We do not aim to oppose the police. We understand their necessity and wish to have faith in them. This is precisely what makes it challenging at times to alert governments about this problem,” Cottier explained.
