Vienna [Austria], October 26: In a study conducted on racism against black people in 13 EU states, the European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) said on Wednesday that Germany came off worst in many areas.
Approximately 77% of respondents in Germany said they had been discriminated against in the past five years because of the colour of their skin, their origin or their religion, according to the report.
This is the highest proportion among the 13 EU countries in which people with African roots were surveyed on racism and discrimination.
Austria, where the FRA is based, had similarly poor scores, according to the study.
About 45% of the over 6,700 study participants in Europe experienced racist discrimination in recent years. That is six percentage points higher than a previous study from 2016.
According to the survey, Germany is also at the top of the list when it comes to racially motivated assaults, with 54% of the respondents there saying they experienced harassment - the highest percentage among the 13 states in the study.
In addition, 9% reported experiencing violence against their person in Germany. This figure was only surpassed by Finland with 11%.
More than half of the black respondents in Germany felt discriminated against when seeking employment. The mean value of the 13 states was about one-third.
According to the survey, almost 40% of black students in German schools are confronted with racist insults or threats, similar to Ireland, Finland and Austria.
FRA Director Michael O'Flaherty described the trend as "shocking." O'Flaherty said the EU and its member states must "better target their efforts and ensure people of African descent too can enjoy their rights freely without racism and discrimination."
Source: Qatar Tribune