Anti-Racism and Diversity Week 2023
In light of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21st March), the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), co-hosted the second ever EU Anti-Racism and Diversity Week in Brussels 21-22 March 2023 alongside Members of the European Parliament.
The event welcomed over 150 anti-racist activists and organisations from across Europe to exchange on the current state of racism in Europe alongside Members of the European Parliament.
Over the course of two days, a series of panels on a range of different topics (EU Anti-racism action plan and National Anti-racism Action Plans, Artificial intelligence, Climate Justice, Intersectional discrimination, Migration, and Decolonisation) provided a space for holding crucial conversations about the current state-of-play of racial discrimination, its different manifestations and the existing policy tools to counter racism in Europe.
Dialogue with Members of the Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup (ARDI) encouraged solidarity and further collaboration with Civil Society in order to help mainstream racial equality and advance the ongoing European anti-discrimination agenda.
In the context of the shrinking of civic space, the rise of far-right political movements and anti-European sentiments alongside the increase of hate-speech and defamation against human rights defenders, constructive assessment of the institutional and civic priorities in relation to racism are required to effectively counter discrimination against racialised communities.
ENAR thanks the Members of the European Parliament (Samira Rafaela, Pierrette-Herzberger Fofana, Romeo Franz, Isabel Carvalhais, Peter Pollak, Cornelia Ernst, Milan Brglez and Monica Semedo) for co-hosting the Anti-Racism and Diversity Week and for their participation to panel discussions. As a civil society organisation leading on the anti-racism movement in Europe, we emphasise on the importance of working alongside the institutions towards a #unionofequality
