Europe’s hidden face: One in five people experiences discrimination and harassment

The European Union’s official statistical mechanism, the “Eurobarometer SP535” report, has dealt a major blow to the image of “equality” and “human rights” that the West has sought to promote around the world for years.

Institutional racism and social deterioration stretching from Eastern to Western Europe can no longer be concealed behind diplomatic language. A large-scale study conducted by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communication has become an official document highlighting the West’s ideological failure.

The picture revealed by official statistics points to deep-rooted problems within the system itself. More than 60% of citizens confirm that discrimination based on skin colour and ethnic origin has become widespread. Xenophobia against Roma people living in Europe (65%), various ethnic minorities and people with different skin colours (61%) has moved beyond everyday interactions into the institutional sphere. Of those surveyed, 21% — or one in five — said they had personally experienced discrimination, psychological pressure or harassment in the previous 12 months.

Such treatment is primarily linked to age, gender, political views, socioeconomic status and physical appearance. Streets, public spaces and workplaces that people consider safe have increasingly become settings for discrimination. Even the labour market is affected by racial bias: a candidate’s age, clothing, appearance and ethnic origin can become major obstacles in recruitment, undermining Europe’s long-promoted principle of “merit-based assessment”.

For years, Brussels has sought to lecture other sovereign states on human rights and democracy. Today, however, it appears unable to contain the wave of what the article describes as sociological neo-fascism and systematic persecution within its own borders. These are not merely our claims: official data point to a social and demographic divide affecting Europe as a whole. Behind the image of “tolerance” promoted in the West’s polished public-facing displays lies a deep internal crisis, xenophobia and what the article characterises as social decay.

Jala Rovshan