REPORT: The impact of counter-terrorism law and policy on racialised groups at risk of racism in Europe

Published by the European Network Against Racism in 2021

When the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) decided to document the impact of counter-terrorism and counter radicalisation measures, Europe was reeling from deadly attacks in Paris (2015) that triggered a range of policy discussions that resulted in further securisation of Europe.

Several human rights organisations, including ENAR, were quick to warn policy-makers about the potential infringement of human rights and discrimination and stigmatisation of certain racialised groups. They developed a toolkit to support organisations to document the impact of discrimination and their own research project.

Through this research, ENAR has seen the impact of these security measures goes very deep, and the stigmatisation of certain groups can have a psychological and traumatic impact on individuals and communities. This report highlights how structural racism can manifest in Europe through policy-making developed under the cover of securitising Europe. In practice, policing and surveillance systems used in the name of safety can be harmful and used as a fishing expedition to capture data and create environments where people feel unsafe.

Read more about the report here.