Annual Racism Report identifies 630 cases of discrimination
In 2021, a record number of cases of racial discrimination were registered in Switzerland, with schools and other educational institutions seeing a notable increase.
This content was published on April 24, 2022 – 16:51
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According to the Federal Commission against Racism (EKR), the majority of the 630 cases registered by the country’s 23 racism advice centers were in the workplace or in educational institutions. annual reportexternal linkpublished on Sunday.
The 94 cases in the education sector were highlighted by the ECR, which called for better training to help teachers spot discrimination and give them the tools to respond.
The type of discrimination most frequently mentioned was now xenophobia (218 cases), followed by racism towards blacks (207). Anti-Islamic (53) or anti-Arab (51) discrimination was also common.
A new category of anti-Asian racism was also included in the report for the first time, with 41 incidents reported – mostly insults, derogatory remarks or demeaning characterizations.
At 31, anti-Semitic incidents were also slightly higher than in the previous year; and the EKR reiterated that the tense period of the pandemic had facilitated the spread of anti-Jewish ideas, including those that downplayed or denied the Holocaust.
As early as February this year, Jewish organizations in Switzerland expressed concern about a significant increase in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories related to the Covid-19 pandemic and attacks on Swiss synagogues.
Authorities have not ignored such incidents, and earlier this month the government announced an increase in funding to protect Jewish and Muslim minority groups in Switzerland – particularly at their places of worship.
Snapshot, not a compendium
As for the ECR report, its preamble states that the cases covered are not an “exhaustive and complete” overview of all racist acts in 2021. Rather, the report is an “overview of the cases that have been reported to counseling centers, the realities that [these cases] can reflect and the way they were treated”.
The FCR further stated that although the number of cases is increasing, “this does not necessarily mean that racial discrimination is generally increasing in Switzerland; but there is a growing will among victims to speak up and seek help.”
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