Council of Europe: It will have measures to combat hatred of minorities in Norway

There is still a lack of trust between minorities and the authorities in Norway. Minority groups have expressed concern about hate speech directed at them, the Council of Europe wrote in a recent assessment report.

The Council of Europe relates why there are not enough good numbers and information about minorities in Norway.

This data is contained in the Council’s recent assessment report on how Norway is following the recommendations of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. They include forest Finns, Jews, Finns, Norwegians, Gypsies, Gypsies, or Tatars, and the Sami people.

space hate

– There are no figures for victims of hate crimes or hate speech, but the Advisory Committee was informed by its interlocutors of the hatred that Roma, Gypsies or Tatars are subjected to on a daily basis, the council wrote.

Figures on anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes can be found in the respective action plans. The Council recommends that action plans against hatred of Muslims and Jews be expanded to include anti-Gypsies, that is, hatred of Roma.

The authorities must obtain figures for anti-Gypsy-motivated crimes and ensure that they are promptly and efficiently investigated and, where appropriate, prosecuted and punished, writes the Council of Europe.

The council made it clear that parts of society still suffer from anti-Semitism and racism. They believe that this is due to the fact that most people in Norway do not have sufficient knowledge of minorities, and that this is an obstacle to working with integration.

Violence and abuse

The Sámi Parliament is subject to the Framework Convention for the first time. They have been open to discussion about violence against women and sexual abuse of children in the Sami regions.

Efforts are being made to prepare an Action Plan against Violence in Close Relations targeting the Sami population. The Council wrote that efforts should be made to map and deal with violence in the context of close relations with Roma.

In addition, the Council of Europe calls on the Norwegian authorities to take an active role in improving cross-border cooperation between Norway, Finland and Sweden on Sami issues and ensuring the protection of Sami rights.

A new business plan is under design

The government is concerned about the widening of racist and other extremist ideas, says the Minister for Labor and Social Inclusion, Martí Magus Persen (Labour).

The ministry is working on an action plan to combat racism and discrimination, which will be completed according to the plan by the end of 2023. It will focus in particular on racism and discrimination in working life, as well as against youth.

In March, a meeting was held with many different organizations representing indigenous peoples and minorities.

They provided input into the action plan, including on the challenges people face in space in Norway today. The plan would include all groups subject to racism, racial and religious discrimination, Pearson said.

(© NTB)