Strasbourg (France): Racial profiling and
some politicians exploiting racial and xenophobic stereotypes
persist in France despite progress in fighting discrimination,
a Council of Europe report said on Tuesday.
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance
(ECRI) issued its fourth report on France with positive
comments on the country`s High Authority against
Discrimination and for Equality (HALDE) for "its key and
growing role in the fight against racism".
However, "while there had been improvements in certain
areas, some issues gave rise for concern, such as minorities`
perception of the police, prejudice against Muslims and the
tone of the immigration debate," said Nils Muiznieks,
chair of ECRI, the Council`s independent human rights body.
Many racial acts go unreported and for those that are
referred to authorities there is a low conviction rate, the
report said.
"The police frequently resort to racial profiling and
take law enforcement decisions on the basis of racial, ethnic
or religious stereotypes" rather than individual behaviour, it
said.
PTI
