The European-wide Action Week Against Racism

From conferences, lectures, street theatre performances and concerts to wiping off the racist slogans from the city walls. This is just a small part of the events, which were organised through the whole week of March (17-25) in all Europe on the occasion of Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination. The celebration has begun on the  21^st of March on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The majority of events this year were organised in the frame of the campaign ‘Open your mind. Speak out against racism’ organised by the UNITED network (http://www.unitedagainstracism.org). UNITED for Intercultural Action comprises over 560 organisations, for which the fight against racism not only means criticising racist policies on the European or local level, but it also means preventing racism and racist stereotypes in our local area and in our own minds. European Foundation of Human Rights, which joined the UNITED group in 2012, will take part in two marches in the defence of human rights and freedoms in March (http://www.efhr.eu/2012/02/03/marches-for-defence-of-human-rights/?lang=en).

The main goal of The march actions was conveying the message to the public opinion. Various actions were taken to achieve it and the form was important as well. Special lectures on discrimination (http://www.efhr.eu/2012/03/28/does-the-law-may-allow-discrimination/?lang=en), distributing leaflets about human rights, collecting signatures for petitions (http://www.efhr.eu/2011/09/28/european-foundation-of-human-rights-forwards-three-further-petitions-to-brussels/?lang=en). Many organisations used this time to publish their annual report and to point out the most important problems. In the ‘International Calendar,’ No. 99,  which is issued by the UNITED for Intercultural Action, there is a list of organisations from European countries, which took many intense activities during The European-wide Action Week Against Racism.

The European-wide Action Week Against Racism has not finished in March but it lasts for the whole year. . European Foundation of Human Rights would like to invite you to participate in a varied programme of UNITED partners in 2012. The projects of our foundation can be found in the Calendar on the pages number 5 and 15.

We would like to thank all the people who took and will take part in the fight against racism.

Translated by Adam Gałązka within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.

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