European Anti-Racism Summit 2022
21 March 2022
09:30 – 16:00 CET
European Anti-Racism Summit 2022
Moderator: Shada Islam, Independent EU Observer
The European Commission is hosting this Summit in cooperation with the European
Parliament Anti-racism and Diversity Intergroup and with the Council of Europe’s
European Commission against Racism and Intolerance
On 21 March 2022, the Commission organised the European Anti-Racism Summit 2022 with the support of the ARDI Intergroup of the European Parliament and Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI/CoE) with the involvement of civil society, equality bodies and grassroots organisations. This year, the meaningful participation of youth in the fight against racism was also highlighted within the context of the European Year of Youth 2022.
Six months ago, marked the first anniversary of the EU anti-racism Action Plan 2020-2025 and the implementation of the action plan is moving forward at full speed. One year after the first Anti-Racism Summit, held in March 2021, the second edition was an opportune time to highlight some of the accomplishments achieved up to that point.
On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the European Anti-Racism Summit 2022 gathering numerous key stakeholders revisited the importance of the need to continue our concerted efforts in the fight against racism in the European Union.
Timea Junghaus, ERIAC Executive Director, participated in the Break-out session 4: Examination of the past.
The discussion on structural racism also entails an examination of the past, present and future of the cultural fabric of Europe. The question of restitution of art and objects that were brought to Europe, often stolen, during European colonialism is a main part of this. Civil society in many European countries is demanding decolonization of the public space. Demands entail, the removal of statues and the renaming of streets that honour former colonialists.
This ongoing debate is necessary because it reveals the historical continuities of colonialism and the racism which gave the ideological basis for it. In order to understand structural racism in Europe one therefore has to engage in European Colonialism as well.
Scene setting: Anne Wetsi-Mpoma, art historian, curator, author and gallery owner, Belgium/Congo
Moderation: Shanon Bobinger, Systemic Life-, & Business Coach/ Moderator/ Public Speaker, Germany
- Laura Nsengiyumva, artivist, Belgium
- Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA, Co-president of the ARDI Intergroup, Germany
- Timea Junghaus, Executive Director of the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) and art historian and contemporary art curator, Germany
- Sheray Warmington, research fellow at the Center for reparation research of the University of the West Indies.
- Josefina Skerk, advocate for Sami Rights, a Member of the Sami Parliament and former Vice President, Sweden
- Malick Ndiaye Associate Professor in the Modern Languages and the African and African American Studies programs at Seattle University, France
- Ronny Naftaniel, Vice Chair CEJI
Watch the Break-out Session 4 here: https://www.antiracism-eusummit2022.eu/agenda/break-out-session-4-examination-of-the-past-restitution-and-decolonisation-of-public-spaces/