There is no place for racism and discrimination in our societies, say MEPs, asking the EU to take a strong and decisive stand against racism, violence and injustice.
WEB DESK
The European Parliament on Friday voted to declare “Black Lives Matter” in a resolution to denounce racism and white supremacy. The resolution has no legal ramifications, however it sends a signal of support to anti-racism protests.
“We have to make sure that in all our societies, all citizens are free,” EU parliamentarian Miriam Dalli said during a plenary session earlier in the week. “Black lives do matter — we have to speak loud and clear and say: remove white knees from Black necks.”
Protests against racism and police brutality have spread across Europe in recently after the killing of unarmed Black man George Floyd in Minneapolis in the US on May 25.
- Black Lives Matter, says the EP, denouncing white supremacy
- MEPs strongly condemn “appalling” death of George Floyd and support peaceful protests
- Racial discrimination and harassment remain commonplace throughout the EU
- End racial profiling in criminal law and ensure that police brutality is punished
The resolution was passed by 493 votes to 104 and “strongly condemns the appalling death of George Floyd.”
The EU parliamentary group Renew Europe backed the resolution, with parliamentarian Samira Rafaela citing the EU’s motto “United in diversity.”
Resolution condemns US and EU alike
The resolution also condemns the heavy-handed reaction in the US to protesters and criticizes US President Donald Trump for his “inflammatory rhetoric” as he threatened to deploy the military against protesters.
However, EU member states were not exempt from criticism. The European Parliament called upon EU capitals to denounce “the disproportionate use of force and racist tendencies in law enforcement.”
The new resolution also identifies the historic slave trade, which many countries in the bloc financially benefited from, as a “crime against humanity.”
The European Parliament also passed a resolution on Friday which threatens China with legal action if Beijing imposes a new security law on Hong Kong.