Sep
A Danish woman, who allegedly refused to take off her niqab at the Brussels airport, has been deported after police were unable to identify her, according to a Belgian official Saturday. State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Theo Francken confirmed the incident on his official Twitter account. “A Danish citizen coming from Tunis refused to […]
Sep
Clearing refugees from public parks and transport hubs in Brussels has been described as “inhuman” by a Belgian NGO. Brussels-based aid organization Humain on Tuesday said recent increased police action against refugees taking shelter in parks and metro stations had caused anxiety. It claimed the 500-600 refugees who had been based in the Maximilian Park […]
Jul
Open NGO Letter to EU Member States and Institutions Regarding the Export of Surveillance Equipment Following the alarming evidence that EU-made electronic surveillance equipment is still being exported to authoritarian countries around the world, we strongly urge all EU member states and institutions to respect their human rights obligations and call on them to prioritise […]
Jul
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) upheld Belgium’s Muslim face veil ban in a ruling announced Tuesday. The court ruled that the restriction sought to guarantee social cohesion, the “protection of the rights and freedoms of others” and that it was “necessary in a democratic society.” The court rejected arguments by three Muslim women […]
Jun
12 months ago the EU launched a partnership approach for working with African countries on managing migration. To date this has failed to provide safe and regular channels for migration or offer long-term solutions that improve the lives of people on the move, said Oxfam today. European heads of state and government, meeting today in […]
Jun
A report by the European police body Europol says the PKK terror group remains operative in Europe and has strong support in France, Italy and Switzerland. The PKK terror group attacked Turkish institutions and private property across Europe last year, the EU’s top law enforcement body said on Thursday. “A number of incidents targeting Turkish […]
May
Africa is poor, but we can try to help its people. It’s a simple statement, repeated through a thousand images, newspaper stories and charity appeals each year, so that it takes on the weight of truth. When we read it, we reinforce assumptions and stories about Africa that we’ve heard throughout our lives. We reconfirm […]
May
The European Commissioner for migration issues has given Poland and Hungary one month to comply with the EU’s migrant relocation package or face legal action. There is a target to relocate 160,000 refugees from Greece and Italy by September, but so far less than 20,000 have been moved to other EU states. At a parliamentary […]
May
The number of lone migrant children applying for asylum in Europe dropped by a third in 2016, according to the European Union’s statistics office, but child rights advocates said many unaccompanied children are not reflected in official figures and remain at risk of abuse. Eurostat this week said 63,290 lone children applied for asylum in […]
May
Belgium’s Wallooon region has voted to ban kosher and halal meats by outlawing the slaughter of unstunned animals. The environment committee of southern Belgium’s Walloon Parliament voted unanimously for the ban, which will take effect on 1 September, 2019. Both Jewish kosher and Islamic halal rituals require the butcher to swiftly slaughter the animal by […]
