European-Wide Action Week Against Racism

Enjoy Diversity!

Diversity is a VirtueSolidarity a Duty! The discrimination and exclusion of minorities has a significant impact on society. Biased media coverage, hate speech, political exploitation of topics such as immigration and integration or their religious and cultural customs incites different groups in society against each other. Acts of ignorance, mistrust and hate shape the overall atmosphere and consequentially affect everybody’s environment - minority or not. But we must not despair: there are people all over Europe who share a common vision of Europe as a land of equal rights and opportunities for all. People, who look deeper and open their minds, people who have the courage to stand up and speak out against racism. All these people, Europe's antiracist movement, have to stick together and combine forces to be effective and successful in their fight for tolerance and equality. We must work united to make our message strong and promote solidarity!

Open Your Mind - Enjoy DiversityThis year’s UNITED campaign focused on highlighting the positive aspects of an intercultural society in Europe. The diversity that enriches our towns, regions and countries should be enjoyed rather than treated with hate and hostility. That is why it was important to campaign with the slogan “Enjoy Diversity” transmitting this message on a local, regional and European level. Racism must not be tolerated, not ignored Let’s confront it UNITED!

Activities in 47 Countries!The European-Wide Action Week Against Racism, which took place between the 13th and the 21st of March 2010 was joined by hundreds of grass-roots organisations, mobilising against racism and xenophobia. During the

week, thousands of people coming from all over Europe, from Barcelona to Skopje, from Reykjavík to Samara united in their fight against racism and for a world full of respect and understanding.

Diversity was promoted by actions such as interactive workshops, street protests, conferences, roundtables, intercultural festivals, exhibitions, lively discussions, lectures, seminars and much more, all to encourage people to enjoy and value the diversity of today’s intercultural society in Europe.

In the Netherlands the Diversity Award Show with international guests honoured people actively involved in antiracist work, giving civil society good examples to follow. In Poland a huge campaign involving more than a dozen cities was organised to stop an auction portal from selling material with racist, xenophobic and neonazi content.

Why This Campaign?The 21st of March was declared the “International Day for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination” by the General Assembly of the United Nations as a reaction to the murder of 69 anti-apartheid demonstrators in Sharpeville, South-Africa, in 1960. UNITED initiated the European-Wide Action Week Against Racism around the 21st of March in 1992 to protest against current forms of racism and discrimination and to promote diversity, intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding. Racism and discrimination are not just local issues, but have a European dimension, which is why they have to be fought on all levels: local, national and European.

The strength of UNITED campaigns is the amount and variety of organisations, individuals and countries that participate in them and the creativity and diversity of the activities that are organised. Shaping this huge campaign together, we learn from each other and gain

new energy, inspiration and motivation to continue with our everyday struggle against racism. We are proof that there is an enormous amount of people that believe in an open, multicultural society, we can generate European-wide publicity for the single actions we organize in our own different countries and the common vision that lies behind. Together we are UNITED!

Campaigning With UNITEDThe European-Wide Action Week Against Racism has grown into the largest annual antiracist campaign, involving thousands of people in the fight against racism. We, who work at the UNITED secretariat in Amsterdam, are often asked how such a huge campaign can be coordinated by such a small office with only a few staff members. The answer is quite simple: UNITED is not an office, it is the European network against nationalism, racism, fascism and in support of migrants and refugees. This means that all participating organisations carried out their own activities, but were able to benefit from a strong network structure and the support of the UNITED secretariat who coordinated the campaign: we prepared campaign material, distributed it all over Europe, we actively motivated hundreds of NGOs via e-mail and phone-calls, we supported them by offering knowledge and helping them to find partners etc, and we produced a “List of Activities”, which gives an overview on all events that took place during the Action Week.

To get European-wide attention for the campaign and to help the single organisations within the network to make their actions visible and known by a wide public, we sent out a media release to all the important European press agencies, newspapers etc. and finally published this report. On behalf of the whole network, we would like to thank the participating organisations for making this successful campaign possible and for their active engagement and support in creating this report.

Thousands Campaign UNITED for an Intercultural Europe

campaign report 2010

KOSOVO MACEDONIA

AUSTRIA PORTUGAL

NETHERLANDS BELGIUMCZECHIA

MALTASERBIA

ALBANIANORTHERN IRELAND

ICELANDARMENIA

RUSSIAGEORGIA

AZERBAIJANLATVIA

ROMANIAIRELAND POLAND

DENMARKSLOVAKIA HUNGARY

LIECHTENSTEINBELARUSSWEDEN

MONTENEGRO ESTONIA CROATIA

TURKEYFRANCE

SWITZERLANDNORWAY

SPAIN LUXEMBOURG

GERMANYUKRAINE

LITHUANIAFINLAND

SLOVENIABULGARIAMOLDOVA

GREAT-BRITAINCYPRUS

ITALYGREECE

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

Report: European-wide Action Week Against Racism 13-21 March 2010page 2

Hungary: More than Ever, Counteracting

DiscriminationAfter presidential elections, Hungary has sadly taken a lurch to the right. The right-wing Fidesz party won a supermajority although the biggest breakthrough has been seen by the radical extremist, nationalist, anti-Roma and antisemitic party Jobbik who has now entered parliament for the first time in Hungarian history. Many organisations are working tirelessly to speak out against emerging populist discourses and racist and hate attacks against minorities.The Action Week Against Racism was focused in the capital, Budapest. In this city, the Roma community are marginalised and have long suffered discrimination and Jews are also by no means free from antisemitism. As counteraction, Utilapu Halozat – SCI Hungary prepared a presentation about Roma in Hungary where people could discuss this topic in depth with experts and well-known professionals in Roma issues. Human Rights Students’ Initiative organised a big campaign in the streets to raise awareness among citizens; under the maxim “Open Your Mind and Enjoy Diversity” they attracted the attention of the passers-by and youngsters by offering a new positive view about how the future could be if we all took pleasure in diversity.

The organisation Foundation for Subjective Values from Budapest attracted over 5000 young people by organising a successful concert. In collaboration with the British Embassy they developed a strategy to involve popular musicians in their activities. The project titled "ZARE - Music Against Racism" managed to get around thirty popular Hungarian bands to play at their concerts to promote the antiracist message. Every music act has its own fanbase, so each band was able to promote the concerts by using social media, and an enormous amount of people therefore came to see their idols for free. A big music television station followed the event, spreading the message throughout their national audience. The audience received the antiracist message straight from their idols; over 5000 people enjoyed the nice atmosphere, listening to Hungarian stars and joining their stand against racism! This concept is simple and so successful it will be repeated this summer.

Greece: Strengthen Bonds Among Youth and Intercultural SocietyAs Europe looks for the right solution to rescue Greece from the devastating effects of the financial crisis, many Greek organisations and institutions are systematically developing awareness-raising activities that deal with antidiscrimination and racial hatred. For the campaign, activities directed at the general public but mainly to young people took part in major cities throughout the country. The result: a land plenty of colourful events against racism and intolerance during the Action Week in March. With a discussion titled “Debate on Racism”, AEGEE-Athina brought the students of Athens closer to the topic of racially-motivated crime in Greece and why they take place. Working with youngsters, PRAXIS broadcast a radio show and appealing radio features under the UNITED campaign motto “Enjoy Diversity” in Serres. They underlined the importance of rejoicing in diversity and taking part international campaigns as 21 March. Finally, in Serres, Club Serron for UNESCO held a street action bringing together young people and others in the city to walk in one way: the end of racism.We Want a Colorful World!It is not always necessary to use words to express yourself; sometimes you can shout without opening your mouth, without using your voice. No words, no voice, only colorful ribbons, music and movement. With these ingredients students from the University of Thessaly in Volos collaborated with professors to carry out a successful open

air activity in the city centre, commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. More than 60 students and 150 citizens with many different backgrounds attended this event, organised for the first time in this city and announced by TV and radio programs.

Few materials are needed to set up this event: just long colourful ribbons and a group of active, energetic people who want to celebrate the diversity of our society. The participants created a great performance tying their ribbons together from one participant to another and following the rhythm of the music with theatrical movements. A huge colourful circle was eventually composed

in the middle of the square and these ribbons of different colours symbolised the bonds between people in an intercultural society. With the music and movements they completed a clear message:

"We Want a Colorful World! We Want a World with many Worlds" and "We Welcome Diversity!". It is an easy and fun method to encourage youngsters and wider society to break walls and enjoy the diversity of cultures. Moreover, during the whole week, a group of students presented antiracist radio programmes at the local radio station to raise awareness against discrimination. Throughout one week, Volos displayed a colourful soul speaking out racism.

*Photos by Natassa Karakatsanis

More than 60 students and hundreds of citizens attended to the demonstration in Volos

Poland: No Nazi on "Allegro" - Cleaning Up the Biggest Polish Auction PortalNever Again Association has been campaigning against the auction of neonazi items-like T-shirts, stickers, flags and CDs- on Allegro; the biggest Polish auction portal for the past one and a half years. Allegro has been accused of turning a blind eye to the rampant sale of racist and neonazi material on the internet. Its online auctions are full of explicitly nazi and racist propaganda material such as football hooligan stickers bearing the Celtic cross symbol sometimes used by Nazis, accompanied by slogans such as “Poland for the Polish” and “F*** the Gypsies”. Although these sales constitute only a tiny fraction of the company’s turnover, and despite negative media publicity and numerous approaches by anti-racist campaigners, the company refuses to curtail sales and address the issue. Polish law forbids the promotion of racist and fascist ideologies, but enforcement is notoriously lax. Extensive public debate on this issue has been widely covered in media and open letters against sales of the neonazi symbols that were signed by wellknown Polish intellectualists, artists, writers and academics in 2009 did not acheive the desired result. The company ignored all petitions and continues selling hate symbols, referring to the rules of free market and the absence of laws prohibiting sales of such products. The Allegro.pl has sent a legal document to journalists concerning this issue but the Never Again Association never received a reply. Furthermore, the fact that artists of 3 Fala Group provocatively changed “ll’ in the word “Allegro” for the campaign to “SS” caused the conflict between antiracist organisations and the online portal to escalate.

This year, in the frame-work of the European-Wide Action Week Against Racism and in cooperation with Green 2004, Green Light and 3 Fala Group (3 Wave), Never Again Association prepared a wide variety of national activities. 3 Fala Group, Poland’s leading graffiti artists, took the issue to the streets, spraying graffiti with the altered Allegro logo in protest. Bielsko-Biała, Kraków, Lublin, Olsztyn, Poznań, Bydgoszcz, Wrocław, Warszawa and other Polish cities were “invaded” during the European Action Week Against Racism with artists, musicians and activists with the theme "Nazi Never Again on Allegro". Street actions,

graffiti against Nazi on Allegro, information points, lectures, debates and the dissemination of postcards, were the most popular activities during the Action Week 2010. Numerous traditional concerts featuring famous Polish rock and pop groups under the motto “Music against Racism” were also held in different big and small Polish cities.

During the activities signatures were collected for the petition and there was also the option to sign an online internet appeal to Allegro. A plea to sign the appeal was also sent to international partners. Through managing to actively involve Polish celebrities, respected intellectuals and

famous artists Never Again Association has attracted more public attention: a method very successful in Polish society. Wide media coverage also was achieved by inviting journalists to press conferences and debates as well as alerting them to various street actions. On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination the OSCE ODIHR office held a meeting to further develop discussions and analysis of the impact that hate on the internet has on the behaviour of alleged perpetrators, as well as to evaluate legislative and other measures taken to address incitement for violent hate crimes. The meeting also aimed to provide a critical assessment of the current situation, identifying current challenges and examples of successful approaches in addressing hate on the internet from the view of practitioners. As a result, a joint statement against manifestations of racism and xenophobia with a particular focus on the Internet was made by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Council of Europe's European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).Street action, workshops and a movie projection in Poznan were organised by SCI Poland Stowarzyszenie “Jeden Swiat” - One World Association. The main topic was tolerance towards everybody. Other actions were planned by Auschwitz Jewish Center; a series of seminars for high school teachers and workshops for students on the topic “Why Do We Need Tolerance?” in Oswiecim were organised from January to November 2010.

Macedonia: Strong Networking - Let´s End Discrimination!As Macedonian parliament recently passed a new antidiscrimination law which excludes sexual orientation as a individual right, civil society has been mobilising themselves against this controversial decision. Many organisations and above all youngsters who believe in integration and freedom have joined the fight for equality and respect for basic human rights.

Youth Association CreACTive, Youth Centre of Kavadarci and Youth Club of Drenovo organised 5 action days in Kavadarci and Drenovo working in different creative fields: photo exhibitions, antidiscrimination debates, graffiti and educative workshops, a movie night and intercultural football matches joining Roma and Albanian people together. More than 100 youngsters had the opportunity to reflect on racism, prejudice, exclusion and discrimination using their own experiences. They then got active tackling them in a local level, for instance, hanging UNITED posters in local shops and revealing what they had learned to the public. Organisers were impressed by the real change in participants through the course of the project; becoming noticeably more tolerant and able to communicate better with each other. Moreover, many workshops run by the Council for Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency took place in schools in Kavadarci, raising awareness amongst children and tackling discriminatory acts in the classrooms. Through the use of an art project, they left schools free of racism in an original way. The biggest antiracist campaign took place in Bitola; Centre for Human Rights AMOS organised seminars and training courses about different

topics. The session called “United Against Racism” featured an intensive discussion also covered by the most popular TV station in the region (TERA Television), helping to spread the message among the local population as well. Youth Forum of Bitola played an important part by distributing UNITED material amongst local organisations working with minorities. Thanks to actions like these, Macedonian network against intolerance is becoming stronger and stronger. Let's continue with this activities to end discrimination!

The Council for Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency used an art project to work with antiracist topics in schools

Youth Association CreACTive prepared a lot of original workshops for youngsters

Thousands of people enjoyed the different Zare concerts

Graffiti against nazis all over Poland, one of the most popular activities during the Action Week Against Racism 2010

Strengthening the bonds among youngsters to create an intercultural society in Volos

Report: European-wide Action Week Against Racism 13-21 March 2010 page 3

Luxembourg: We All Belong to the Same Society!

Diversity is like a multicoloured ball of wool.

Up to 30 000 people visited the 27th Festival of Migration, Cultures and Citizenship this year in Luxembourg. The three-daylong event coordinated by the Comité de Liaison et d’Action des Etrangers (CLAE) took place in the most important centre for exhibitions within the Grande Région, LuxExpo, where over 2000 associations could find a place for their info-stands. The organisations, many of them involved in the field of migration, presented their work at the festival. Furthermore they organised actions for children, exotic dance shows and interesting conferences. Simultaneously, a book fair with over 80 writers also organised by CLAE took place. Writers coming from all over the world, from Africa to South America, spoke about the migration issues and situations particular to their countries, broadening the horizon of the huge amount of visitors.

Different cultures come together to knit one intercultural society, both a symbol and ideal for the modern world, overcoming differences between cultures and ethnicities; that was the message of the 27th Festival of Migration, Cultures and Citizenship. This idea was captured in the poster, featuring a multicoloured ball of wool. The enormous success of the event can be

explained by the excellent preparation beforehand. In September CLAE had already started to inform about the upcoming festival, so that more than 2000 organisations subscribed by November, a number that is increasing year by year.

Another secret of the success is the fact that each of the participating organisations did its own publicity for the festival. They were able to address many people and also reach various target groups.

Shortly before the festival, the organisation Luxembourg Against Racism organised in the frame of the European Action Week Against Racism a film screening and debate on the topic of xenophobia, migrants and refugees. The documentary “Camicie Verd. Bruciare il Tricolore” by Claudio Lazzaro dealt with the extreme right-wing party “Lega Nord” from Italy. The lively discussion afterwards was moderated by a director of history and joined by the film-maker. People could ask questions about the current situation in the country.

A major problem of modern-day Russian society is the high level of intolerance and aggression amongst youth especially, combined with a lack of positive role models and visible activism for those people who believe in values of human rights and equality. There is also no adequate anti-discrimination law that has been implemented in Russia. According to the SOVA annual report 2009 racist violence continues to grow at a high rate, including neonazi skinhead attacks and numerous everyday violent conflicts triggered by ethnic and racial hatred. At the same time, there is a growing willingness amongst young people to undertake action that counters the activities of neonazi groups and xenophobia. Youngsters feel that the presence of hatred in their society has a negative effect on them and so they are gathering for collective action in order to fight racism and intolerance.20 local groups among them partners and supporters of the Youth Human Rights Movement from Russia and also some local groups from Belarus and Ukraine took part in the Action Week. Every local group used a different approach to ask participants the challenging question of what is considered “normal” and “not normal”.Under the common name “Stop Racism” numerous activities took place. Some examples: movie screenings with discussion, a festival “The Dialogue of Cultures” with photo exhibition “No One is Illegal” and “The Art of Tolerance”, lessons of tolerance and also distribution of info material in numerous cities of Russia. An interregional competition was organised by groups from Voronezh (Russia) and Homel (Belarus) titled “Photo Hunting - Unity in Diversity”, where participants were challenged to use their cameras to “hunt” images best representing diversity and difference. Last but not least the press conference “Xenophobia Among Youth” in Moscow Independent press Centre was held.

With the catchy title "Open your Eyes!" Social Democratic Union of Youth in cooperation with Film festival “Side by Side” and Youth Human Rights Movement from St. Petersburg presented the 5th Annual Antiracist film festival in Saint Petersburg cinema “Neva”. The Festival started

with a minute of silence to honour the victims of March terrorist attacks in Moscow.During the Action Week 2010 in Saint Petersburg, Centre for Interethnic Cooperation held a 2-day training course with the title “Prevention of Extremism and Building up the Tolerance in Youth Environment”. During the training 21 students from different universities in Saint Petersburg learned about different methods and tools for fighting racism.

Samara International Society for Cultural Studies also prepared a range of activities; round table and training seminars were planned by students at several universities in Samara on the themes of multiculturalism, antiracism and diversity. These activities were supported by the distribution of antiracist posters, postcards and thematic cultural interactive games.

At Gymnasium Nr. 6 in Voronezh an awareness-raising activity among young pupils (children of elementary school) named “Pupils against Racism” took place. Older pupils from middle school visited younger schoolchildren in their classrooms and informed them about the International Day for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Afterwards they distributed paper clips, explaining how after being used by Norwegian teachers as resistance symbol against the nazi regime in 1942, they became a symbol of solidarity between antifascists all over the world.

Russia: Empowering Youth - Investment in Future!

Up to 30.000 visitors attended the Festival of Migration

Ireland: A Blitz of AntiracismStraining economic conditions have had a strong impact on communities in Ireland, but local organisations have been working tirelessly to combat the xenophobic and racist attitudes they can give rise to. Through a desire to teach people how to effectively deal with racial discrimination, the Africa Centre in Dublin launched a new service; the “AntiRacism Desk”, a support mechanism for victims of racist incidents. Over 30 victims made use of the Desk, receiving legal and professional advice on how to report incidents, encourage others to take formal action and ensure that data on discrimination is recorded and acted on, illustrating how this service can be an empowering resource for victims.

Many creative and entertaining activities also took place during the Action Week; Rúach Rhythms organised a series of intercultural African drumming workshops named “Witness One Voice” which were led by both local asylum seekers and members of the community. When schoolchildren in Donegal visited Carndonagh Library, they were treated to a thought-provoking theatre performance. A drama therapist, using racism as her main theme, used dramatic games and role-play to explore how children see themselves and others.

Central Library in Letterkenny also invited 30 primary schoolchildren to their activity “Cultural Crafts; Respecting Diversity” where they created a globe and Tree of Hope using cut-outs of hands that they had covered with personal information and lists of their favourite things. The outcome of this activity provided a temporary exhibition in the library and was a fun and creative way for the children to learn how in spite of their differences, many shared things in common.

Alongside activities such as an art competition and “Meet the Neighbours”, a community style café promoting dialogue between different communities in the South Dublin area, the Social Inclusion Unit organised “Soccer Blitz”, an ambitious project across primary and secondary schools which began with a 90 minute antiracism workshop and cultural quiz in participating schools. Workshop in schools higlighting issues of racism in sports. An exciting, lively football tournament where each class represented a different country then took place, highlighting the importance of cultural integration and showing the pupils how sport can be used for social inclusion. Kerry Action for Development Education also played their role in promoting diversity by celebrating international cultures to create a "Global Tralee". Decorated with bright UNITED posters, this event featured dance and musical performances from around the world.

After diverse workshops as a quiz game, children of different backgrounds could play a football tournament

against racism.

Students of different universities learned about different methods and tools for fighting racism

Youngsters feel the presence of hatred in their society and they are gathering for collective action to fight intolerance

UNITED campaign materials were distributed in different Russian regions among students and activists

Slovakia: Enough of Silence - Facing the Fascist Past

The date of the 14th March is very significant for the Slovak far-right as well as for Slovak antifascists, as it marks the beginning of the Slovak fascist state 1939 – 1945, which was an ally with Nazi. Even in 2010, the Slovak far-right organised their marches and rallies but also this year there has been a group of active individuals and organisations opposing these worrying history-twisting developments. Under the name “Enough of Silence” a form of cultural protest and counterbalance to the activities of the far-right was organised by People Against Racism together with the Jewish Community of Slovakia, the Holocaust Documentation Centre,

Museion, Open Society Foundation, Club Obluda, the Slovak Association of Slovak Antifascist Fighters and several active individuals.

The diverse backgrounds of the organisations involved helped to create a broad range of activities: two days programme contained not only discussions on the history and present faces of fascism but also art exhibitions as well as classical and reggae concerts. An exhibition of modern art took place on the Square of the Slovak National Uprising. The venue of the exhibition was deliberately selected as it was along the route of the right-wing march. In this way a direct opposition to the activities of the far-right was created. Visitors were given the chance to take part in the protest and confront the march of the far right directly or by visiting the exhibition and taking part in cultural activities.

Youngsters from different Slovak organisations showing their opposition to the right-wing parties

Modern art to counteract racism, a cultural protest in the main square of Bratislava

The Tree of Hope was composed using cut-outs of hands and covered with personal information of children

Writers and interested people shared experiences and spoke about migration issues during the Festival

Children also had the chance to enjoy the diverse activities

Report: European-wide Action Week Against Racism 13-21 March 2010page 4

Croatia: Ignorance is the Highway to Racism

In the early 1990s the tragic Yugoslav war began to devastate the country and the region of Zadar became a part of the new Republic of Croatia. Its economy suffered greatly at this time, not only because of the war but also due to the shady and controversial privatisation process, which caused most of its prosperous companies to diminish. Nowadays there are many projects by governmental and non-governmental organisations to rebuild the post-war local community. The Centre for Peace Studies based in Zagreb made a visit to Zadar to conduct such a project. A documentary by a well-known Croatian director was shown and a debate about tolerance, acceptance and reconciliation was held for the local community. The UNITED posters proved to be useful for raising awareness on the topics discussed. A whole selection of activities were organised in Gvozd by the Suncokret-Centre for Community Development. Their focus in this post-war area was youth and antiracist action. First of all posters were hung throughout the city, then lively discussions were held with youth and roundtables also took place. This was all with the idea that youth from different backgrounds should unite to fight against racism.

“Ignorance is the Highway to Racism” – that was the title of the workshop organised by the Croatian Youth Network. Together with 20 students they spent many hours learning and discussing various facets of racism. The aim of this activity was to raise awareness on the severity of racism and its impact on society. First of all participants discussed how archaic the concept of race is today, with relation to genetic research (Human Genome Project). During the middle section the focus was set on the past; what have been the consequences of racist ideologies and institutionalised racism? Examples from Nazi-Germany and the Apartheid in South Africa were the particular topics of discussion. Special attention was given to the analysis of political strategies to combat racism. Participants worked in groups, analysing the advantages and problems in implementing such policies.

Spain: No Space for Intolerance, Xenophobia or Racism - Never Stop Being Active!High unemployment and a lack of expectations provide the perfect conditions for the populist and anti-immigration discourse of right-wing parties to circulate amongst the Spanish population. Neonazi groups also exploit the situation and spread their message of hate quickly through internet. But these are not an obstacle for organisations and active citizens of every region in the country who every day increase their efforts to stop racist manifestations.In Madrid, Coordinadora Antifascista de Madrid held a Hip Hop concert and video forum about rap music that combats discrimination. SOS Racismo with other organisations such as CEPI Spanish-Moroccan prepared many action during the “European Week Against Racism 2010” with events such as a film screening, “Art Competition for the Equality”, round tables about migration and homelessness, workshops and theatre for children. People from different backgrounds and ages came together in fun intercultural events. Something similar was also organised in Barcelona. SOS Racisme spoke out racism during street performances, concerts and open days in their office. Participants had the opportunity to witness how this organisation is working to make the antidiscrimination message stronger. In Valencia, lots of organisations joined

forces and hold a huge live concert of celebration under the motto “Colours Against Racism and Intolerance”. Antifeixistes, Jarit, CEAR, Movimiento contra la Intolerancia, Colectiu Lambda, LGTB and hundreds of people in the crowd demonstrated that music is the perfect tool

to communicate their message to kick racism out of our societies. In Murcia, Asociación Columbares continued raising consciousness in schools. “Together Against Racism” was a series of workshops where children could be informed about these topics in an enjoyable way. In Málaga, Movimiento Contra la Intolerancia prepared “Mandela’s Action” which included workshops, seminars, campaigning and ended with a demonstration. The target groups were students, teachers, NGO members and politicians, strategically chosen so not only could progress be made at different levels, but so a strong antiracist message could be received across society. Also

Movimiento por la Paz Málaga carried out educational training to “Empower Civil Society” with successful results. The work of these Spanish organisations reveals that there is no space for intolerance, xenophobia and racism in the country. Regardless of how many acts of hatred take place, there is just as much action counteracting them; the fight against racism never stops!

The organisation SOS Racismo Gipuzkoa organised a poster competition amongst different schools to encourage debate between youngsters. After discussions about related topics and prejudices, students from Cycle of Graphic Design of IES Usandizaga were given the responsibility of organising the campaign for International Day for the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination. During the students’ meeting they realised one common feature that happens every year during the 21 March demonstration; the rain always appears. This idea, which started as a joke, finally became in the main inspiration of the campaign: Get Wet, which translated is Mójate. This expression has a

double meaning in Spanish language. On one hand, it conveys “getting wet” in the literal sense but on the other, it has means “to be active”. So the students wanted to encourage people to join the march by humorously suggesting they get wet against racism.

They therefore chose the umbrella as an icon for their protest, a symbolic object with a double meaning; used to avoid getting wet from the rain but also as protection from the racist storms that are surrounding them in the current climate. Who does not have an umbrella in their house? The slogan that was finally decided upon was “Get Wet. Equal RIGHTS, Different HUMANS” and with it, SOS Racismo, many students and more than 46 civil organisations were involved in this antiracist demonstration around the main streets of Donostia. In conclusion, a simple tool like an umbrella can be used not only as symbolic protection from racism and xenophobia but also to communicate that is important to get wet, be active and to claim equal rights for a fair society.

Croatian students discussing various faces of racism

Great Britain: In the Spotlight, Speaking BackWith their unique social and economic histories, each country has its own set of racial tensions. In recent years, Britain has seen a worrying rise in Islamophobia and many of the activities organised as part of Antiracist Week sought to address this in a positive way.

Show Racism the Red Card planned “Educating for Equality”, a series of training conferences in partnership with organisations such as the Islamic Diversity Council which were attended by 120 professionals employed in public services, especially educators. The purpose of these courses was preventing Islamophobia and homophobia and within schools through developing tools and ideas for incorporating antidiscrimination through teaching. “No Place for Racism”, a new campaign together with Oldham Athletic Football Club was also launched during Antiracist Week. Through workshops and question and answer sessions with

professional footballers, schoolchildren learned about their experiences of racism within sport and wider society. Participants lent their voices to promoting a cohesive and united Oldham and their enthusiasm was rewarded with gifts and prizes donated by Oldham Football club. Discrimination in the workplace was also a focus for The Campaign Against Cynical Diversity Management, whose “Tell the Truth About Cynical Diversity Management at Work Day” aimed to highlight discrimination issues in employment. Workplaces all over Europe were encouraged to present examples where equalities and diversity legislation has been unsuccessfully implemented to senior management, urging them to improve these working conditions and truly value diversity in their places of work.Across the country, young people were educated on antiracism; whilst some learned through Action for Social Integration’s weeklong programme of film screenings about racism, others learned through activities held in their schools. Stockport College held an open information stand throughout the week that encouraged students to find out more about tolerance and antiracism, whilst pupils at Our Lady’s RC High School in Oldham became involved with the campaign through their citizenship lessons which had a focus on anti racism especially for the week. Hounslow experienced an array of activities during Antiracist Week; as this is an area of London with an extremely large Asian community, it seemed fitting that so many members of the community were motivated to fight back against racial discrimination and make their voices heard. The local Race and Equalities Council set up information stalls in the local shopping centre

and busy parts of town to educate the public on dealing with hate crime and promoting equality. Radical Middle Way organised a youth festival, “Muslim... and Proud” which used music, debate, arts and action to celebrate Islam and showcase the talents of Muslim youth, whilst also challenging the dangerous, threatening images and clichés of them that circulate in mainstream society.

Amidst a vibrant, energetic atmosphere filled with food stalls, craft tables, traditional dress and a bazaar, young people participated in workshops addressing injustice, violence and the main issues currently facing young Muslims. A day of hard work was rounded off with a concert and comedy, giving British Muslims a rare chance to shine in the spotlight, show what they are capable of, and in turn, gaining national radio and newspaper coverage for the right reasons.

Concerts and comedy by British Muslims

Traditional food and drinks during the youth festival "Muslim... and Proud"

Lithuania: Be Aware! How Tolerant Are We?The alarming frequency of racist attacks is a clear signal for Europe to unite against racism, work towards eliminating hatred and foster tolerance in our communities must be a duty for everyone. Recent public appearances by Lithuanian politicians, especially those showing support for neonazi youth groups, are very worrying and urgent action is required. Lithuanian civil society organisations have reacted immediately to this threat to public security and, guided by the motto “from words to action”, organised different events. That is how Antiracist Week this year became very rich with debates, exhibitions, discussions and performances led by several NGO. Panevezys Margarita Rimkevicaite Technological School used the motto “Be Aware”. Teachers and students prepared a research project on the topic “How tolerant I am”, an info exhibition and debate. More than 600 people participated in Panevezys.

Within the framework of the European Action Week, one of the national museums Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum Centre of Tolerance opened its doors for young people and students to explore the temporary exhibition “Silent Cinema” by a Polish artist and to see the documentary “BRICHA – Jewish escape from post-war Lithuania”, directed by Jonas Ohman. Groups of students could attend all these activities free of charge. The aim of The Tolerance Centre; a section of the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum, is to spread the values of tolerance in society. Staff at the centre believe education is an effective way to foster tolerance in society through teaching historical truths, freedom of thought and human rights. Let’s do it “Month Against Racism!”: The actions organised by the Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI) were impressive not only the number of events and the scale which they were

performed on, but also because the Week Against Racism expanded to a whole Month Against Racism rich with diverse activities on many social groups. More than 1500 persons actively participated in the events of HRMI in Vilnius and other Lithuanian cities. From informal lessons in schools to debates in parliament with politicians, and from movie screenings to the wide-ranging discussions at the National Art Gallery – the HRMI managed to attract people locally, nationally and on a European level. The success of the action is illustrated by the variety of people involved: from Ambassadors and MEPs to public figures like famous Lithuanian artists, actors, musicians and renowned academics. Studio Vaitaitau produced a video especially for the campaign, promoting The European Week against Racism, which has been disseminated through a major news portal DELFI as well as social media (facebook, YouTube, etc.).

Symbolic protest took place through streets under the slogan: Equal Rights, Different Humans

Poster campaign prepared by a group of students: Take your umbrella but 'get wet' against racism!

Never Again Racism

Report: European-wide Action Week Against Racism 13-21 March 2010 page 5

Italy: The Best Ingredients to Taste DiversityThe ongoing legal and political support given to the ill treatment of migrants and minorities in Italy, such as inhumane Roma camps operated by government authorities and the openly racist anti-immigrant statements by Lega Nord has received widespread criticism in recent months. Activists involved in Antiracist Week therefore played an essential role in combating discrimination and educating their communities against tolerating such attitudes.Motivated by racist riots that took place within their region, Mondo Nuovo organised “Ebony and Ivory: One Day Against Racism!”, an action-packed day that involved over 100 people and is a great example of the local community coming together to tackle discrimination and support a strong anti racist message. Pupils from Nuova Europa secondary school were the main partners, contributing to the programme by producing an impressive exhibition on racism and discrimination within science, history and literature. Pupils also got creative in the kitchen, making delicious dishes for an international buffet and putting together

an antiracist playlist of songs for the event. Real enthusiasm was displayed throughout this activity by both students and guests; speakers invited for the round table debate and members of the local community voluntarily contributed additional

exhibitions and talks, helping the event grow into a more varied and ambitious day than originally planned. The vibrancy and energy of Mondo Nuovo’s activity to fight racial discrimination and celebrate cultural diversity attracted the attention of several newspapers and even a television station, helping to spread their positive message further.“The Young Decide”, a series of activities organised by ARI in Rieti used the internet as an effective tool to engage with audiences on different levels, supporting their mass media release and local information events with further activities and video releases on websites popular with youth such as You Tube and Facebook.. Focusing on the cultural dimensions

of diversity, APS Yard in Milan collaborated with organisations across the country to organize a diverse arts programme in the frame of Antiracist

Week. Film and documentaries, selected to encourage understanding and dialogue between communities and youth in particular, were screened and followed by web link discussions with recognised African writers.

Lively antiracist music concerts featuring dancehall, reggae and hip hop artists took place across Milan, inviting the audience to record their own tracks alongside performers for an event mixtape. A rich cultural week of ended with a fundraising Ethnic Dinner for Cantiere School for migrants, where guests got a real taste for diversity.

Bosnia - Herzegovina: New Law Against DiscriminationWhat can be changed by sending one postcard with a message about antidiscrimination? You can change a person’s mind. Imagine the outcome if you send 150 postcards containing parts of the prohibition of discrimination law to governmental and non-governmental institutions. The law was recently adopted in Bosnia and Herzegovina and still has some difficulties in being recognised. The Youth Group of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia Herzegovina actively sent not only the postcards, but also promoted antiracism by making posters visible in high schools, universities and public transport.

Furthermore, on 20 March the Youth Group together with four other organisations raised public awareness against racism by doing a flash mob action in Sarajevo. Around 100 people froze for some minutes in a specific way. The media

echo was enormous, newspapers as well as local TV and radio covered the action. As ethnic, national and religious separation and misunderstanding are part of everyday life in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Peace Flame House in Tuzla decided to get active within the European Action Week Against Racism. Under the title “Beauty of Diversity” creative workshops for youth were organised during the whole week. On the International Day Against Racism, an exhibition presenting the outcomes of these workshops was organised. With the contribution of famous people, such as a regionally known songwriter, the organisers made the exhibition even more attractive for visitors. Research done by ORC Tuzla over several months about the areas of discrimination showed that in the field of employment there is major discrimination in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Taking this research as a starting point, ORC Tuzla organised a debate in Brcko and invited all relevant stakeholders such as young people, educational institutions, officials and employment offices to discuss the issue of discrimination in employment and offer recommendations for overcoming the situation. After initial speeches and presentations of the situation for youth and minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia, participants reflected on the issues mentioned in the plenary. A debate followed focussing on recommendations to improve the situation concerning discrimination.Seven different concrete conclusions were collected and will be delivered to the relevant institutions.

One of them proposed the development of programmes to support the employment of youth and ethnic minorities in the private sector.Nelson Mandela is the symbol of the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa but, although he is known worldwide, there is still more education about him required. The Youth Group of Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of Republic of Srpska in Bijelijna decided to get his personal story into focus by showing a movie about his relationship to the International Day Against Racism. Thirty people watched it and started a discussion afterwards about racism. Furthermore during the whole week, posters were hung in public spaces in Bijelijna to raise awareness in civil society about racism. Both events had enormous media coverage and were broadcast on three local radio and TV stations.

The Netherlands: Creative Actions to Protect a Multicultural SocietyThe Netherlands is a country that has long been known for its tolerance, but it now faces a serious threat due to the recent rise of populist right-wing parties.

In the local elections on 4th March 2010 the party of Geert Wilders, who holds strong anti-Islam views achieved to get the majority and the second place in the two district councils they ran for. With an eye on the national elections in June 2010, where the party is also expected to make wins, there is a need for Dutch civil society to get organised. Nederland Bekent Kleur held a network meeting inviting NGOs and individuals interested in making a concrete plan of action against the possible success of Geert Wilders populism. During the action-meeting organisations from all over the country agreed to organise a festival in Amsterdam with prominent Dutch guests to

take place shortly before the national elections in June. Moreover, many other local activities were planned to promote intercultural cohesion. The meeting ended with a colourful manifestation on Amsterdam’s main square, the Dam. Referring to the name of the organising NGO, ‘Netherlands Shows its Colours’, multicoloured balloons were given to the participants and after the speeches were set free into the sky. Another NGO from the South of Netherlands, Kleurrijke Stad celebrated diversity in society as well. During their annual Rainbow festival the beauty of various cultures was shown through dance, music and workshops. The small city Purmerend was full of activities for people of any age.‘Purmerend Tegen Racisme’ held a ‘March-Cake-Competition’ for five school classes from the second grade. Their task was to design the most beautiful antidiscrimination-cake. The 8 year old children were supported by professional bakers in this difficult challenge. After the award ceremony for the most inspiring

March cake, the cakes were exhibited in the local library. Who knows if for their next birthday an antidiscrimination cake will be baked?

An international conference “Call to Europe” organised by the Eenheid is Kracht Foundation sent a wake up call to European leaders and policy makers to take real, practical action against racism and discrimination. Over seven days, 80 youth leaders from 17 different countries actively discussed policies and practice concerning Human Rights, social inclusion and youth participation. On the 21 March the conference was opened with the “Unity is Strength” festival in Rotterdam, aiming to show the diverse society within the city. The festival consisted of several parts: a NGO infomarket, soccer games and a main stage with speeches. Several hundred people joined a demonstration against racism through Rotterdam city centre. The closing event of the conference was the “International Diversity Award Show”. Five awards were handed out to active individuals or groups involved in diversity-promoting work.

Demonstration against racism in the main square of Amsterdam

Dutch newspapers reported the Rotterdam antiracist acts that brought together hundred people

Hanging posters is important to raise awareness

Speeches and presentations about minorities in Bosnia

Writers in discussion with different communities

Iceland: Painting a Multicoloured Environment

During times of economic hardship and unemployment, youth can be prone to xenophobic attitudes. For example a large number of supporters for the online campaign “Society against Polish people in Iceland” were young people. The various activities that took place in Iceland for the European-wide Action Week demonstrate a huge success in motivating youth to fight the constant threat of racism.

This year the Icelandic Human Rights Centre collaborated with community groups and NGOs such as the Icelandic Red Cross, Evangelic Lutheran Church of Iceland, YMCA youth, SEEDS and Soka Gakkai to encourage young people to participate by giving them the responsibility of creating their own programme of exciting events. A design competition organised by Iceland Human Rights Centre to find this year’s logo to be used on posters and t-shirts for participants gave young people the opportunity to shape the campaign right from the very beginning.

For one day a wave of colour, music and energy took over Smáralind shopping mall where UNITED’s slogan “Enjoy Diversity” provided the inspiration for a huge range of activities all over the mall including a game of “diversity twister” and the creation of finger and handprint art symbolising a coalition of individuals celebrating their diversity. Clowns, stilt-walkers and teenage participants occupied every space in the mall, some were “roaming performers” who surprised shoppers with attention grabbing stunts such as flash mob freeze; pre-planned moments where groups wearing the campaign t-shirts located all around the mall would freeze for one minute, creating curiosity and interest in the campaign.

The main event took place on stage, where young people treated the audience to a variety of performances including circus acts and five young girls from the Red Cross Youth performing John Lennon’s classic song about peace and diversity; “Imagine”. It is because so many different community and youth groups united in their goals that they were able to spread such a powerful antiracist message throughout Smáralind mall. Panorama prepared a programme for a national radio station about racism, getting the campaign into newspapers.

Youngsters getting active with UNITED posters

Performance in a shopping centre: many different people and youth groups united against racism

Young girls speaking out against racism: Imagine a world without discrimination

Youth leaders working during the conference in Rotterdam

Report: European-wide Action Week Against Racism 13-21 March 2010page 6

The Finnish Security Police (Supo) say there are fewer Nazi skinheads now than in the 1990's. Although this is a promising situation, it has to be kept in mind that the minds of youth are most likely to be swayed by Nazism and are therefore the most vulnerable group. That is why students are an important target group in antiracist work, especially in universities where values such as tolerance have a good opportunity to be promoted.

Preparing a whole antiracist week with an international team- that’s an intense experience ten people from Café After Eight in the Jakobstadt region did in the frame of the European Action Week Against Racism 2010. Activists from different backgrounds and language skills got together to hold presentations and workshops with over 850 students, informing them about anti-racism and promoting intercultural dialogue by using three different languages during the presentation. Furthermore, the organisers organised a film festival. The message of the Action Week was widely spread by a movie created about it and various newspaper articles. Furthermore the Youth Affairs Department of the City of Oulu was involved with young people during the whole European Action Week Against Racism. More than 400 pupils attended the discussion panel “From Youth For Youth”. Teenagers from different backgrounds shared their experiences in the panel in front of a teenage audience. The discussion focused on their everyday experiences as young people and the difficulties they face, aiming to highlight how one’s ethnic background affects their daily life. Questions like “Does the security guard also follow you whilst you are shopping?” were asked, which raised awareness in the young audience. This was a good example of peer to peer education which is one of the most successful ways to address a young audience.

Finland: From Youth For Youth

Bulgaria: NO! To Racism and ViolenceSeparatism, non-understanding of cultural differences and the resulting antagonism in society are nowadays among the most important problems for almost all European countries. Bulgaria is not an exception of this list. Completed by the lack of appropriate information and awareness about the danger of racism, antisemitism and discrimination, this antagonism is steadily growing and could seriously damage the future development of Bulgarian society.Thus, the European Jewish Congress in solidarity with SHALOM, the organisation of Jews in Bulgaria, condemned the acts of antisemitic vandalism, which occurred exactly on 21st of March – the International Day for Elimination of Race Discrimination – when vandals attacked the building of Jewish school “Dimcho Debelianov” in Sofia. These acts of violence are casting a shadow over Bulgarian society. Fortunately, to every discriminative action exists contra-action from active members of civil society. This year indeed there were lots of actions directed to raise the awareness among different population groups, especially the youngsters, the most active group. As a good example were public debates on the topic “Values of Diversity” held 19th of March in University of Sofia by Bulgarian Gender Education, Research and Technologies Foundation (GERT). The main participants, as well as actors were young people, mainly students. During the 3-hours event there were hot debates among the students and distribution of materials. Help the Needy Foundation in cooperation with East European Educational Center College and St. Apostole Hermas Center for Ecumenical Dialogue organised this year different kinds of activities directed to combat intolerance at a local level. The general motto of all the events was “NO! to racism and violence”. In the framework of this idea symposiums, lectures and discussions in schools with the participation of young students as well as training for educators and psychologists were organised. With the cooperation of Roma Infocenter and Aleko Konstantinov Library, the book launch for “Non-formal leaders in Gypsy society” was held in the Library in Plovdiv. In addition, the conference with the motto “NO! to Racism and

Violence on Bulgarian Stadiums” was organised. As a result of the conference, a declaration with the participation of trainers and famous Bulgarian football players was produced and disseminated among more than 1500 people, including media representatives. After these activities, a press conference in Plovdiv was organised in order to give the events more media coverage. All of the activities were summarised and made available to audiences on both national and local levels.

The results they of the press conference were presented in newspapers, on the internet, radio and television.

Austria: New Alliance in Antiracism-Work

During the annual press conference in Vienna, ZARA Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeit presented their annual report documenting racist incidents and structures in Austria. The most detailed and recognised yearly publication about racism and discrimination in Austria was produced for the tenth time and as it was an anniversary, conclusions were drawn. The NGO called for more involvement in the fight against structural discrimination, urging the government and civil society to stand up against racism.

Articles reporting the results of the publication were released in several newspapers in the different parts of Austria drawing attention to the need for more involvement in the antidiscrimination About 25 Austrian NGOs built up a network “Rights - Chances - Diversity” to propose more positive integration policies amidst the current tightening political discourse about migrants and refugees in Austria. A first step towards a better policy was the conference “Future Dreams: 13 Impulses for Austria Being Different – Equal” organised by SOS Mitmensch and partners where proposals for the Austrian integration policy were for the first time presented and discussed. Positive scenarios of integration were drawn based on the as yet unaccepted fact that Austria is a society characterised by migration. Moreover experts discussed the issue of how to live together. Further steps will be taken during this spring with workshops for NGOs and interested individuals to prepare concrete actions concerning the 13 proposals presented. One of the proposals focused on migration and integration as an opportunity and engine for development.

Czech Republic: Against PrejudicesThe coexistence of Czech people with other cultures and minorities has been troubled with tension and a number of hate attacks over the past months. In order to fight against hate, Czech organisations have been actively spreading a message that calls for better mutual understanding between communities and the inclusion of migrants and different religions in society.

During the Antiracist Week, workshops and multicultural festivals brought together people from a variety of backgrounds to fight against stereotypes, racism and xenophobia.

One such activity in Brno, “Actively Against Prejudices and Racism”, planned by the Museum of Romani Culture and the Jewish Museum, exhibited the spirit of the Roma and Jewish communities; their culture and history and their peaceful coexistence with mainstream Czech society from the past until present. This series of workshops and open discussions was also supported by individuals from Vietnamese and Ukrainian communities living in Czech Republic, giving an intercultural flavour to this event.

In Pardubice, the 3rd Annual Multicultural Festival was celebrated; the Europe Direct Pardubice and Pardubice Region Tourism decided that this year the festival would focus on migrants living in the region, emphasising the relationship between different cultures. A programme with more of 20 different activities such as exhibitions, concerts, lectures, an international karaoke show and sport games attracted more than 750 people who exchanged their cultural traditions: songs, traditional food and clothes, pictures and more. This event was a good example of successfully promoting diversity and embracing differences between participants. Local newspapers contributed spreading a multicultural message.

Making use of the internationally recognised campaign logo of UNITED for Intercultural Action

Poster campaign with UNITED material in Bulgaria

Denmark: Light in the Dark Political SituationRight-wing populist parties are mushrooming all over Europe. In Denmark the super-nationalistic and extreme right-wing “The Peoples Party” with Pia Kjaersgaard as its leader is the third biggest party in parliament and has major influence

on the laws. Their harsh political position against immigration alerts NGOs all over Denmark. Under the title “Breaking the Wall”, which refers to the idea that Denmark is building up a wall around itself, a two day lasting network meeting organised by SOS mod Racisme took place in Vejle. NGOs from all over Denmark took part in the event. Around 100 people followed the

interesting programme, which consisted of presentations of the work of various NGOs, but also fruitful discussions on the urgent need for cooperation. New cooperation started in planning a huge demonstration against absurd government policies in Copenhagen for June. This illustrates how united, with one goal, the work of many small organisations becomes one big movement. The organisation IndvandreNET - Landsorg for Indvandrere og Flygtninge, held a debate in Aarhus. 3 experts on thelegal situation in Denmark concerning hate crimes and racism started the discussion with their presentation about the topic. About 75 participants shared their point of view in the lively debate. Use of new media is the strategy implemented by IndvandreNET to address as many people as possible and inform them about their activities. For this action, mailing lists, website and text messages were used to attract 75 participants

Intercultural events were enjoyed by participants of all ages in the 3rd Annual Multicultural Festival of Pardubice

Latvia: Learning From Each Other

Speaking the ‘same youth language’ whilst educating about antiracism is a big advantage. That is why young people who are actively involved in youth work that promotes diversity are especially valuable to antiracist work. 30 NGO workers, volunteers and activists from met for a weeklong training course in the Latvian capital Riga. Participants from 15 different countries were invited by The European Minority Youth Network to spend the week exchanging good practices concerning youth work and were also trained in methods of intercultural learning and conflict resolution. A variety of countries were represented from Azerbaijan and Czech Republic to Germany and Denmark. The diverse programme included workshops, discussions, simulation games and presentations to ensure that participants broadened their knowledge on peace education, inclusion and participation in a wide range of ways. After the training participants returned to their countries highly motivated and eager to use the knowledge gained in their home organisations.

A session of the monthly-organised event “Intercultural Embassy” by the British Council in Latvia was dedicated to how to tackle racism. The event drew attention to the existence of racism in Latvia today and emphasised the necessity of acting against it.

Volunteers exchanging experiences during training

Europe Direct Pardubice invited people to discover how other cultures live

Open air demonstrations were supported by Vietnamese and Ukrainine communities living in Czech Republic

The international team from Café After Eight

Experts and NGO members discussing migration politics in Austria

Report: European-wide Action Week Against Racism 13-21 March 2010 page 7

Belgium: For an Intercultural SocietyIn Gent, a city where over 170 nationalities live together, it is more than necessary to stop any form of racism and discrimination. Many organisations promoted the diversity of Gent’s society during this year’s “Gentse Week Tegen Racisme”. The action week was held for the third year in a row and was coordinated by the Intercultureel Netwerk Gent. The successful week started with an opening event which was broadcast on TV, helping to achieve greater participation through the audience. The colourful programme of more than 30 events contained multicultural breakfasts, enlightening city tours, music concerts, fun speed-dating events and touching exhibitions.

These events served to facilitate communication between cultures. For example during the city tour which led participants through the Turkish neighbourhood in Gent, participants could first visit a bazar and in the second part, a visit to a big mosque in the area was scheduled. Whilst exploring the mosque, visitors could get an overview of the religious worship practicised by Gent Muslims. One of the best ways to get rid of prejudices is direct contact with- in this case – the faith. In order to counteract the belief that immigrants are not familiar with the native language they live in, the exhibition “People who are learning Dutch”, in the main library of Gent, showed pictures of the results that foreign speaking pupils have already achieved. Taking these two of the 30 events as an example, one can see the huge importance of the week.

The Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism (CNTR) from Brussels ran two surveys to investigate ‘How Tolerant

are Belgians Towards Ethnic Minorities?’ and "What’s the Perception of Ethnic Minorities on Belgium?" An important aspect of the survey was also to see how the Belgians are perceived by ethnic minorities. In order to present the results in an effective way, the organisation held a press conference. The survey concluded that there exists an ambivalent perception of diversity; on the one hand both Belgians and ethnic minorities consider a mix of cultures positive for society, but on the other hand their tolerance is limited when it comes to their families (e.g. marriages between Belgians and ethnic minorities). To sum this up, there is a tolerant position in terms of values, but in practice the positions are less tolerant. “Mainstream thinking is influenced by the ideology of racism”, states a speaker from Kwasa Kwasa. What can be done about it? For this year’s European Action Week Against Racism the organisation implemented three different activities. One lecture focused on the history of migration in order to give students background information about how migrants came to Belgium. Then a testimony from a refugee was read to encourage contact with people of a different origin. Moreover in this way the human aspect of migration was stressed. In the last activity a video about racism was shown to discuss everyday racism and its impact on people.

During the 13th Kerkwerk Multicultural Samenleven Networkday the sensitive topic of racism and discrimination in employment was touched. The aim was to see sharply what the obstacles for people with a migration history looking for work and for students that want to find an internship are. About 40 participants were welcomed during the Networkday. After an introduction, participants could choose one out of four interesting workshops. Experts from employer and employee organisations, representatives from the academic world and representatives of migration organisations held seminars and lively discussions. The Networkday reached its goal in inspiring people on how to best handle racism in the workplace.

Germany: Loud Against Racism - Over 900 Activities Happening All Over Germany

More than 900 activities in more than 300 cities marked this year’s “International Week Against Racism”, coordinated by the Interkulturelle Rat in Germany, as the most extensive and diverse in history. The involvement of schools, sport clubs, trade unions, companies and local initiatives in particular made these weeks a success with all their creativity and enthusiasm. Every year even more cities organise their own programme, such as the Eastern-German towns Leipzig and Rostock.More than a dozen of famous football clubs such as Werder Bremen or Hertha BSC from the first Bundesliga contributed to the “International Week Against Racism” by giving their official games during this two-week period an antiracist dimension by informing fans about the action weeks and calling for antiracist involvement in and outside their stadiums. The NGO Laut Gegen Nazis (Loud Against Nazis), who successfully uses new media like youtube and music to reach the young people, cooperated with local NGOs from Saarbrücken such as Youth Centre Försterstraße, Café Exodus and the DGB Youth Saar in order to create an attractive programme for youngsters during the “International Week Against Racism 2010”.The fortnight in Saarbrücken was promoted by a youth-prepared youtube video with the central message: “Do something against it!” In the three-minute lasting video, five youngsters introduced the programme, explaining the necessity of

action and calling on young people to participate – “Because anyone can be targeted by racism!”Their programme contained activities such as a discussion and workshop with a victim of right-wing violence, the documentary screening of “Black on White”, where a German journalist who disguised as a black person experienced the racism black people have to suffer in their everyday life in Germany. Furthermore, prominent

musicians managed to get a crowd of hundreds of people moving. Dozens of events during the action week coordinated by the Interkultureller Rat were dedicated to the controversial topic of Islam. Conferences, workshops and debates discussed the rising problem of Islamophobia and aimed to explain and create an understanding about the traditional values behind religious believes. The activity “Cosmopolitan Saxony? Mosque building in Leipzig” touched on a sensitive issue which has been broadly discussed since the minaret ban in Switzerland last year. The Herbert Wehner Bildungswerk together with the Sozialdemokratische

Gemeinschaft für Kommunalpolitik Sachsen decided to address people’s concerns about mosques and Islam as a Muslim community in Leipzig is planning to build a mosque in the town. Citizens who had doubts about the project were welcome to ask questions to a representative of the Muslim community. Was the perfect opportunity to allay some of their concerns about the project.

Romania: Questioning IdentitiesRomanian organisations planned activities in the frame of European Antiracist Week and worked hard to both celebrate diversity and encourage participants to reflect on the construction of their own identities. As tension between communities is often due to lack of communication and understanding, Generatie Tanara collaborated with Timisoara Refugee Centre and local schools in Timis County to organise a football match with teachers and refugees, who were all cheered on by students from Lovrin School, encouraging dialogue and creating a lively, warm atmosphere. Then it was the turn of two Italian volunteers with Generatie Tanara, who were so inspired by a recent Youth in Action workshop that they designed an innovative educational activity for high school students. “Molecula of Identity” asked each student to make a list of a few important characteristics of their identity, for example addressing ethnicity, sexuality, family relationships and home life. The volunteers mixed these molecula up and read them out loud. If any participant identified with the characteristic mentioned, regardless of whether they had listed it or not, they were asked to stand up. This exercise was effective in showing how we can share similarities with those we perceived as different, and also that these identity markers are only labels we use to simplify our individual complexities, allowing us to include and exclude ourselves from different groups. Students were then asked to complete a short piece of homework; “Victim – Perpetrator – Besider – Confronter”, where they recalled events or situations involving discrimination in which they occupied each position. The exercises

included in this classroom activity were very well planned, encouraging students to think about how their own prejudices, identities and how their opinions and behaviour can contribute to discrimination in society.

Youth were also the target audience for Association for Rights’ Protection and Social Integration (ADIS) amidst concerns of how easily teenagers are influenced by negative stereotypes that circulate about minorities and migrants. So that their message “Open Your Mind! Accept Diversity” could reach as many people as possible, ADIS distributed antiracist material nationwide including a PowerPoint presentation on racism, migration and multiculturalism they had created especially for the campaign using UNITED campaign material (posters, leaflets...). Besides they did a speech on diversity and they delivered at the University of Bucharest in front of an audiencie full of students.

Student reading the information on the backside of the UNITED campaign poster: Enjoy Diversity!

Ukraine: Educating To Be TolerantIn last few years Ukraine has experienced an influx of migration. This provoked a rise of xenophobia and racism within the country, based on a belief that their society was not prepared to cope with these drastic changes to its landscape. At this time, Ukranian society needs education about tolerance and diversity in order to shape its future positively. That is the reason why most of the activities for the European Week against Racism 2010 were focused on educating the younger generation to be tolerant.The “Living Library” organised by La Strada, Ukraine – Educational Women’s Rights Centre took place in one of the English-speaking schools in Kiev, and attracted a lot of attention both from Ukrainian pupils and foreign guests. The main idea is to make it possible for people to tell their personal story to others. The “book” – a person with a diverse backgrounds – is available for everybody to “read” – sharing its life story, culture and views on important issues. Ukrainian youngsters had the opportunity to communicate with people from China, Nigeria, South Africa, Georgia, Germany and Poland, to learn about their personal experiences as well as exploring the cultures, religions and traditions of their countries. Also, more than 170 students and young people took part in 6 educational events with a common topic “Diversity: Human Being”. Around 100 people gathered at round table

events and discussions in Mykolaiv with the aim of raising awareness about antiracism and multiculturalism.

The activities organised by The Council of National Societies of the Mykolaiv Region targeted mostly young people. Students organised street action, informing the local community about the dangers of racism and disseminating UNITED materials.Volunteers of Kharkiv club of SVIT-Ukraine in cooperation with EVS volunteers gathered for an intercultural action: they prepared and actively participated in short movie screenings and discussions held in Kharkiv. The activities aimed to raise awareness in the local community about the problem of racism in Ukrainian society.

Street actions led by youth took place every day of the Action Week in Gent

Members of The Council of National Societies with UNITED material in Russian language

21 MARCH EUROPEAN ACTION WEEK AGAINST RACISM

ENJOYDIVERSITY

21 МАРТА ЕВРОПЕЙСКАЯ НЕДЕЛЯ ДЕЙСТВИЙ ПРОТИВ РАСИЗМА

РАДУЙСЯРАЗНООБРАЗИЮ

Every year UNITED produces a new poster and slogan for the Action Week

INTERNATIONAL March “Vision Co-Operation” Symbolic resistance all over Europe, organised by The Campaign against Cynical Diversity Management. 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Report-ing the Activism!” Interviews with activists across Europe involved in the action week, organised by I CARE. 18.03.2010 “European Tell the Truth about Cynical Diversity Management at Work” Work place discussion across Europe, organised by The Campaign against Cynical Diversity Management.ALBANIA 13.03.10-19.03.10 “Equality for All - Combating Social Exclusion” Training course in Tirana, organised by Walk Together - Albania. 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Joint Efforts on Raising Public Awareness on Non-Discrimination Law” Agreement between AHC and Ministry of Education and Science, organised by AHC. 21.03.2010 “European Week Against Racism 2010” Conference raising awareness on the campaign in Tirana, organised by AEGEE-Tiranë and Vizion Integrues.ARMENIA 18.03.10-25.03.10 "Youth Against Racism" Campaign in Yerevan organised by FYCAAUSTRIA 19.03.2010 "Racism Report 2009" Press conference introducing the yearly publica-tion in Wien, organised by ZARA. 21.03.2010 “Little Alien” Movie screening and debate in Linz, organised by GAJ. 26.03.2010 “Future Dreams: 13 Impulses Austria Different - Equal” Conference in Wien, organised by SOS Mitmensch.AZERBAIJAN 14.03.2010 “One Week Without Racism!” Seminar promoting equal rights in Baku, organised by YLIC. 17.03.10-20.03.10 "Conflicts Between Social Groups" Documentary screening in Baku, organised by SHR.BELARUS 21.03.2010 “International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination” Debates in Minsk, organised by YF 18.03.2010 “Human Rights in Action” Seminar in Minsk, organised by YF.BELGIUM 12.03.10-21.03.10 “To Open Films - Creative Competition of Short Films” 5th Edi-tion of Film Festival and Film Competition Against Racism in Wallonie and Brussels, organised by Media Animation. 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Dealing with Diversity” Training courses and lecture in Gent–Ledeberg, organised by Kwasa Kwasa. 13.03.10-21.03.10 “School Without Racism” Distribution of UNITED material in Diepenbeek, organised by XIOS Hogeschool Limburg. 15.03.10-21.03.10 “Gent Week Against Racism - Value Diversity” Action-week all over Gent, organised by Intercultureel Netwerk Gent and partners. 15.03.2010 “Opening Event of Gent Week Against Racism”. Presentation of week with media in Gent. 15.03.10-20.03.10 “People Who Are Learning Dutch in Gent” Exhibition in Gent, organised by Huis van het Nederlands. 16.03.2010 “Speed Dating” Meeting in Gent, organised by Buurtcen-trum Rabot. 17.03.2010 “Al Markaz at-Tarawi” Mosque visit in Gent, organised by VOEM. 18.03.2010 “Visiting the Neighbours” City tour in Gent. 21.03.2010 “Multicontent Gent” Festive closing event with speeches, music, stand-up comedian in Gent, organised by. Intercultureel Netwerk Gent. 18.03.2010 “‘How Tolerant are Belgians Towards Ethnic Minorities?’ and ‘What’s the Perception of Ethnic Minori-ties on Belgium?’” Press conference and debate in Brussels, organised by CNTR. 18.03.2010 “Belarus Action 2010” Pan-European street action in all European coun-tries, organised by JEF-Europe. 18.03.10-26.03.10 “Action Week Against Racism” Anti-racist activities happening in Belgian cities, organised by MRAX. 18.03.2010 “Islamophobia: Universal Racism?” Debate and opening of Action Week Against Racism in Brussels, organised by MRAX. 22.03.2010 “Travelling People, Forgotten Yesterday and Today” Conference in Brussels, organised by MRAX. 27.03.2010 “If Racism Colours Your Career” 13th Networkday in Hasselt, organised by KMS.BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA 10.03.2010 “Discrimination of Youth and Ethnic Minorities in the Field of Employ-ment” Debate in Tuzla, organised by Youth Network Bosnia & Herzegovina. 13.03.10-20.03.10 “Be Tolerant!” Information of media, schools, postcards sending to different organisations in Sarajevo, organised by BHHC. 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Beauty of Diversity” Art expression in Tuzla, organised by KPM. 13.03.10-21.03.10 "All Different - All Equal" Street action and film screening in Bijeljina, organised by HCHR-RS. 20.03.2010 “Tolerant?” Flash mob street action in Sarajevo, organised by BHHC.BULGARIA 15.03.2010 “The Bulgarian Action Week Against Racism” Public debates and distribution of material in the University of Sofia, organised by GERT. 19.03.2010 “European Week Against Racism” Press conference in Plovdiv, organised by Help the Needy and partners. 21.03.2010 “Enjoy Diversity” Information day in refugee camp near Sofia, organised by Red Cross Bulgaria. 21.03.2010 “No! to Racism and Violence in Bulgarian Stadiums” Declaration addressed to football-players in Plovdiv, organised by Help the Needy and partners. 22.03.2010 “Non-formal Leaders in Gypsy society” Presentation in Plovdiv, organised by Help the Needy and partners. 23.03.2010 “Together Against Racism” Discussions on antiracist education in schools in Plovdiv and Brezovo, organised by Help the Needy and partners. 24.03.2010 “No! To Violence and Racism in Schools” Seminar and training in Plovdiv, organised by Help the Needy and partners. 25.03.2010 “No! To Racism! Yes! To humanism!” Symposium of lectures in Plovdiv, organised by Help the Needy and partners. 09.04.2010 “Roma Society in Bulgaria” Seminar in Plovdiv, organised by Help the Needy and partners.CROATIA 13.03.2010 “Tolerance and Reconciliation!”. Documentary screening, and debate in the post war community Zadar, organised by CMS. 13.03.10-21.03.10 "Youth in a Postwar Area Against Racism" Roundtables and presentations in Gvozd, organised by Suncokret-Center for Community Development. 13.03.10+19.03.10 “Ignorance Is the Highway to Racism” Workshop with music, evening with film, debate and distribution of material in Pogon, organised by CYN. 17.03.2010 “No One Is Ilegal”. Visit of centre for asylum seeker, organised by CMS. 29.03.10-30.03.10 “Football Against Discrimination, Racism and Poverty” First European congress of Roma in sports in Zagreb, organised by World Organisation of Roma.CYPRUS 14.03.2010 “Towards a Europe Without Racism” Demonstration in Nicosia, organ-ised by ARRC/ENAR in Cyprus.CZECHIA 15.03.10-19.03.10 “Actively Against Prejudices and Racism” Series of workshops and open discussions in Brno, organised by MRK and partners. 15.03.10-21.03.10 “Multicultural Week 2010” Festival with sport- and dancing events, concerts, documentary screening and workshops in Pardubice, organised by Europe Direct Pardubice.DENMARK 19.03.10-20.03.10 “Breaking the Wall?” Conference and networkmeeting in Vejle, organised by SOS mod Racisme and A Decent Denmark. 22.03.2010 “Is Racism and Hate Crimes Legal in Denmark?" Debate in Aarhus, organised by IndvandreNET.ESTONIA 21.03.2010 “Media Against Racism” Radio show in Sillamae, organised by Euro Clio Eesti.FINLAND 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Enjoy Diversity” Distribution of material in the University of Kuopio, organised by KYY. 13.03.10-21.03.10 “From Youth For Youth” Conversation panel in Oulun Kaupunki, organised by Multicultural and Equality Work. 15.03.10-21.03.10 “Week Against Racism” Diverse actions against racism in Pietarsaari, organised by Cafe After Eight. 20.03.2010 “Multicultural Spring Party” Event in Mariehamn, organised by Åland multicultural society.FRANCE 15.03.10-21.03.10 “National Education Week against Racism Reims 2010” Conferences, theater performance, music, debates exhibitions in Reims, organised by CLA. 18.03.10-19.03.10 “An Alternative Self-Representation? Ethnic Minority Media, Between Hegemony and Resistances” International conference in Poitiers, organised by Team Minority Media and Research Centre Migrinter.GEORGIA 19.03.2010 "Racism in Georgian Media" Press-conference in Tbilisi, organised by. Human Rights Center. 21.03.2010 “Peace Inside - Peace Outside” Exhibition in Tbilisi, organised by ERTOBA.GERMANY March “International Weeks Against Racism” Nation-wide campaign including more than 900 events all over Germany, organised by Interkultureller Rat in cooperation with partner organisations. 12.03.10-14.03.10.“Respect Begins in Your Head” Seminar on LGBT issues for trainers in Dresden, organised by Herbert-und-Greta-Wehner-Stiftung and Gerede. 13.03.2010 “Against It!...And Than?” Conference with workshops on how to combat right-wing extremism in Bochum, organised by Gewaltakademie Villigst and partners 15.03.2010. “Different? Cool!” Travelling exhibition in Alsdorf, organised by Jugendmigrationsdienste and VABW. 15.03.10-28.03.10 “No Racism In Football Stadiums!” Informing campaign of various famous football clubs of the German Football League all over Germany, organised

by the Football Clubs. 15.03.10-28.03.10 “Loud Against Nazis - Action Week in Saarbrücken” Podium discussions, concerts, workshops for young people in Saa-rbrücken, organised by Café Exodus, Jugendzentrum Försterstraße, DGB – Jugend Saar and Laut Gegen Nazis. 15.03.10-28.03.10 “International Weeks Against Rac-ism” 25 organisations will present 40 events in Leipzig, organised by Stadt Leipzig Referat für Migration und Integration. 17.03.2010 “Extreme = Extreme? Why the Work Against Right-wing Extremism May Not Be a Victim of Ideologic Debates” Lecture and platform discussion in Berlin, organised by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. 17.03.10-25.03.10 “Integration is a Feeling” Documentary screening and discus-sion in Berlin, organised by Bildungswerk Berlin der HBS. 18.03.2010 “With Art Against Racism” Benefit auction in Lindau, organised by Exilio. 18.03.10+22.03.10 “School Without Racism” Movie screening, exhibition and discussion in Hanau, organised by Hohe Landesschule Hanau and Autonomes Kulturzentrum, Infoladen (Kastenfrosch). 19.03.10-20.03.10 “Saxony Parliament in the Focus of Extreme Right-Wing - A Challenge for Democracy” Discussion forum and argumentation training in Chemnitz, organised by FES, Regionalbüro Dresden. 19.03.10-26.03.10 “7th Action Week Against Racism in Rostock” Events in Rostock, organised by Antirassistische Initiative Rostock and partners. 20.03.2010 “Sour Strawber-ries” Movie night and discussion about Human Rights in Saalfeld, organised by Jugend- und Wahlkreisbüro HASKALA and DIE LINKE. 21.03.2010 “Action Day Against Racism” Workshops, movie screening, discussion, performances, reading, theater play in Berlin, organised by Bildungswerk HBS and partners. 21.03.2010 “Everyone Stays!” Meeting in Hannover, organised by Roma Support Project 2010. 22.03.10-25.03.10 “Celebrities Go To Berlin Schools and Discuss With Pupils” Meeting in various schools with celebrities in Berlin, organised by Gesicht Zeigen!. 22.03.2010-26.03.2010 “Right-Wing Extremism in Bavaria” Travelling exhibition about Bavarian right-wing extremism in Augsburg, organised by FES- Bayernforum and partners. 23.03.2010 “Cosmopolitan Saxony? Building a Mosque in Leipzig” Seminar with a representative of the Muslim community answering questions in Dresden, organised by Herbert-und-Greta-Wehner-Stiftung and partner. 27.03.2010 “Migrants in a Former Industrial Area in Western Germany (Ruhrgebiet)” Seminar in Duisburg, organised by Aktuelles Forum NRW. 28.03.2010 “The Colour of My Skin” Reading the biography of a black German growing up in a little village in Dresden, organised by FES, Regionalbüro Dresden and scheune.GREAT-BRITAIN 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Action for Social Integration Against Racism” Screening week of movies in London, organised by Youth Resource Centre. 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Enjoy Diversity” Distribution of material in London, Bristol, Cardiff, Salford, Leeds and Glasgow, West Bromwich, Derby and Leicester, organised by Unite the Union Women. 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Against Racism in Schools” Lessons on anti-racism in Oldham, organised by Our Lady's RC High School. 15.03.2010 “Against Islamo-phobia” Teacher training conference at the Sunderland Glass Centre, organised by SRTRC Uk. 15.03.10-19.03.10 “Anti-Racism Event” Open information session in Stockport College, organised by Youth & Community Work Team. 17.03.2010 “Promoting Equality” Information stalls in Hounslow, organised by HREC. 18.03.2010 “No Place for Racism in Oldham” Educational workshop in the Oldham Athletic Football Club, organised by SRTRC UK. 21.03.2010 “Muslim… and Proud!” Festival of music, debates, workshops and actions in Hounslow, organised by Radical Middle Way. 22.03.2010 “Fighting Homophobia Together!” Teacher training conference at the Sunderland Glass Centre, organised by SRTRC UK.GREECE 15.03.10-21.03.10 "We Want a Colourful World!" Radio programme and street activities in Volos and Magnesia, organised by University of Thessaly. 18.03.2010 “Tackling Racism” Debate in Athens, organised by AEGEE-Athina. 20.03.2010 “Enjoy Diversity”. Exhibition in Serres, organised by Unesco Club for Serres. 20.03.2010 “Against Racism!” Radio show in the program and a spot for the theme “against racism” all week long in Serres, organised by Praxis.HUNGARY 13.03.10-22.03.10 “ZARE - Music Against Racism” Concerts, film club, exhibitions and panel discussion in Budapest, organised by FSV 15.03.2010 "Open Your Mind and Enjoy Diversity!" Campaign in Budapest, organised by HRI. 18.03.2010 “Roma in Hungary” Presentation by Romologist in Hungary, organised by Utilapu Halozat.ICELAND 13.03.10-14.03.10 “Enjoy Diversity” Announcement of the design competition for campaign in Iceland, organised by IHRC. 15.03.10-19.03.10 “Introduction Colour Your World” Intercultural role-play for city officials and government employers in Reykjavik, organised by Island Panorama. 18.03.2010 “Active in Smáralind Shoppingcenter” Festival with theater play, music, and a flash mob in Kópavogur, organised by IHRC and partners.IRELAND 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Witness One Voice” Intercultural African drumming workshop in many counties, organised by Rúach Rhythms and partners. 15.03.2010 “Sup-port the Victim” Anti-racism desk launch in Dublin, organised by Africa Centre. 15.03.2010 “Against Racism” Workshops for staff awareness on racism in Galway, organised by Galway County Council. 16.03.10+23.03.10 “Soccer Blitz!” Soccer game and workshop in schools in Dublin, organised by SIU. 17.03.2010 “Global Tralee” Intercultural music and dance event in Tralee, organised by KADE. 18.03.2010 “Drama Against Racism!" Drama workshop in Lifford, organised by Carndonagh Community Library. 19.03.10-20.03.10. “A Day In The Life of An Asy-lum Seeker” Performances in the Town Hall Theatre in Galway, organised by Town Hall Theatre. 22.03.2010 “Exploring Diversity” Discussion and crafts in Letterkenny, organised by. Europe Direct Centre. 24.03.2010 “Meet the Neighbours- Community Style Café” Meeting in Tallaght, organised by SIU.ITALY March/April 2010 “A.Ra.Xè, Agency Against Racism and Xenophobia” Activities in primary and secondary schools in Milan, organised by APS Yard. 01.03.10-21.03.10 “Antiracism Spring” Initiatives in several cities in Italy, organised by CGIL - Immigrazione. 05.03.2010 “Against Racism” Public discussion with journalists and activists in Milan, organised by Libreria DonDurito, ‘Sfumature’ and APS Yard. 10.03.2010 “Diversity as a Value” Project presentation in Roma, organised by UNAR. 12.03.2010 “Let's Discuss!” Public discussion in Milan, organised by Libreria DonDurito, ‘Sfumature’ and APS Yard. 13.03.2010 “Veloci&Furiosi HardCore proj-ect” Live concert marathon in Milan, organised by APS Yard. 13.03.2010 “Ebony and Ivory-One Day Against Racism” Debate, exhibition, music performances and international buffet in Reggio Calabria, organised by Secondary School “Nuova Europa”. 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Intercultural Dialogue” Spreading material in Bologna, organised by M. Zonarelli Cultural Centre. 19.03.10-21.03.10 “The Young Decide” Awareness rising via new media, distribution of materials and open discussion in schools, youth social center, city council info point in Rieti, organised by ARI. 20.03.2010 “Hip Hop Against Racism!” Event in Milan, organised by NoMamaPro-ject and APS Yard. 21.03.2010 "Racism-Free Zone" Movie screening and ethnic dinner in Zagarolo, organised by No Border Line ONLUS. 21.03.2010 “Francesca” Movie screening and ethnic buffet in Zagarolo, organised by No Border Line ON-LUS and APS Yard. 21.03.2010 “Enjoy Diversity” Ethnic dinner with story reading with the authors in Milan, organised by Taverna Sociale Clandestina, Libreria Don Durito and APS Yard.KOSOVO 15.03.10-21.03.10 “Enjoy Diversity” Distribution of material in Prishtinë, organised by Youth Initiative for Human Rights-Prishtina.LATVIA 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Enjoy Diversity” Educational events, lessons at schools in different cities, organised by local branches of Red Cross Youth Latvia. 15.03.10-21.03.10 “Promotion of Youth Co-operation and Networking in Conflict Prevention and Combating Racism” Training course in Riga, organised by EMYN. 25.03.2010 “What do I really know about “Racism”?” Interactive discussion and sharing personal stories in Riga, organised by British Council Latvia.LIECHTENSTEIN 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Enjoy Diversity” Distribution of material in Schaan, organised by EU Youth Program FL / 'Aha' Tipps&Infos Junge Leute.LITHUANIA 02.01.10-21.03.10 “Week Against Racism - BE AWARE” Action week in Pan-evezys, organised by. Panevezys Margarita Rimkevicaite Technological School. 02.03.10+09.03.10+16.03.10 “Enough of Silence” Discussion series “Art Against Discrimination” in Vilnius, organised by HRMI. 14.03.10-19.03.10 “Silent Cinema” “BRICHA” Temporary exhibition and screening of documentary in Vilnius, organised by Jewish Museum and partners. 16.03.10-20.03.10 “Different Cultures” Documen-tary screenings and discussions in Vilnius, organised by HRMI, Lithuanian National Commission UNESCO. 19.03.2010 “European and Lithuanian Values: Different or Equal?” Discussion in Vilnius, organised by HRMI, Lithuanian National Commission UNESCO. 24.03.2010 “Roots of Radicalism” Discussion in Vilnius, organised by HRMI, Lithuanian National Commission UNESCO.LUXEMBOURG 13.03.2010 “Camicie Verdi” Film screening and debate in Luxembourg, organised by Luxembourg Against Racism. 19.03.10-21.03.10 “27th Festival of Migrations, Cultures and Citizenship” Hundreds of lectures, music and performances in Lux-embourg, organised by CLAE. 19.03.10-21.03.10 “LuxExpo: The Manufacture of Scripture” Competition, exposition and lecture in Luxembourg, organised by CLAE.

REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Enjoy Diversity” Distribution of UNITED material in Bitola, organised by Youth Forum Bitola. 15.03.10-19.03.10 “CreACTive Week Against Racism” Exhibitions, role-plays, debates, workshops, movie night and intercultural night in Kavadarci and Drenovo, organised by Youth Association CreACTive. 19.03.10-21.03.10 “Against Racism!” Workshops in Kavadarci, organised by CPJD. 19.03.10-21.03.10 “Together Against Racism” Workshops for youth for schools, art project schools in Kavadarci, organised by CPJD. 20.03.10-21.03.10 “Let's Educate!” Training course for peer educators from all secondary schools in Bitola, organised by AMOS - Bitola. 21.03.2010 “Raising Awareness!”. Seminar session in Bitola, organised by AMOS. 22.03.10-26.03.10 “Let's Create a Racism Free School Class!” Campaign in Bitola, organised by AMOS.MALTA 20.03.10-21.03.10 “Representation of Migrants in the Media and It's Impact on Rac-ism” Press release in Malta, organised by The People for Change Foundation.MOLDOVA 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Week Against Racism in Gagauzia!” Informational campaign in various cities, organised by M-Liga, PMWLFE of Gagauzia.MONTENEGRO 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Enjoy Diversity” Street action and press conference in Pod-gorica, organised by Humanitarian Law Centre-Montenegro.NETHERLANDS 15.03.10-21.03.10 “Travelling for the Future” Preparation meeting in Eindhoven, organised by Palet and Welkom Foundation. 19.02.2010 “March-Cake” Competition of 5 school classes to design most beautiful anti-discrimination-cake in Purmerend, organised by BD. 20.03.2010 “Rainbow Festival” Workshops, live music and buffet in Eindhoven, organised by Stichting Kleurrijke Stad. 21.03.2010 “Colour Your Mind Festival - For Equal Treatment” Annual festival in Leiden, organised by Amnesty International Leiden and partners. 21.03.2010 “There Is No Pill For My 'Being Different'” Festival in Purmerend, organised by BD. 21.03.2010 “Unity Is Strength Festival” Festival with different stages ending with a colourful march in Rot-terdam, organised by Eenheid is Kracht and partners. 21.03.2010 “Racism in the Netherlands” Meeting of organisations and individuals in Amsterdam, organised by NBK. 21.03.2010 “International Day Against Racism” Manifestation in Amsterdam, organised by NBK, TMP, ARM, CFMW, EMCEMO, HTIB and partners. 21.03.10-27.03.10 “Call to Europe” Conference for Youth leaders in different cities of the Netherlands, organised by Unity is Power. 27.03.2010 "Diversity is Strength Awards - Diversity and Human Rights Prices" 6th Award show in Amsterdam, organised by Unity is Power. 02.04.10-28.04.10 “March-cake Exposition” Exposition of the March cakes in Purmerend, organised by BD Zaanstreek / Waterland.NORTHERN IRELAND 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Enjoy Diversity” Distribution of material in Belfast, organised by Nor-thern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities. 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Enjoy Diversity” Distribu-tion of material in Belfast, organised by Regional Women Organiser Unite the Union.NORWAY 21.03.2010 “Racismfree - Zone” Messenger all over Norway, organised by NPA. POLAND January 2010 - November 2010 “Why Do We Need Tolerance?” Seminars for high school teachers and workshops for students in Oswiecim, organised by Auschwitz Jewish Center. In March “Fight Racism!” Lecture, projection of a movie and exhibi-tion in cultural Centre of Krakow, organised by Never Again Association. In March “Nazi Never Again on Allegro” Lectures by professors, film screening, exhibition and signature collection in the university of Lublin and Olsztyn, organised by Never Again Association. In March “Get Students Informed!” Debate and information point in boarding school in Olsztyn, organised by Never Again Association. In March “Nazi Never Again on Allegro” Final press conference regarding the Allegro cam-paign in Poznan, organised by Never Again Association. In March “Let's Inform!” Radio interview with the President of Never Again in Bydgoszcz, organised by Never Again Association. 07.03.2010, 26.03.2010 “Music Against Racism” Concert with popular local bands and information point in Pila and Wroclaw, organised by Never Again Association and partners. 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Nazi Never Again on Allegro” Street art actions in Bielsko-Biala, organised by Never Again Association. 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Students Getting Informed!” Information points in every faculty of the University in Krakow, organised by Never Again Association. 13.03.2010 Olesno, 15.03.2010 Opole, 17.03.2010 Poznan, 18.03.2010 Gdynia, 19.03.2010 Chojnice, 20.03.2010 Tomaszow Mazowiecki, 21.03.2010 Warszawa, 22.03.2010 Starachowice (in cooperation with Culture Centre), 23.03.2010 Krakow “Music Against Racism” Huge concert tour throughout Poland, organised by Never Again Association. 15.03.10-20.03.10 “Actions Against Racism” Street Action, workshops and movie projection in Poznan, organised by SCI Poland Stowarzyszenie “Jeden Swiat” - One World Association. 21.03.2010 “Music Against Racism” Concert in Poznan co-organised by Never Again Association. 22.03.2010 “Incitement to Hatred vs. Freedom of Expression: Challenges of Combating Hate Crimes Motivated By Hate on the Internet”. Conference in Warsaw, organised by ODIHR - Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department- OSCE.PORTUGAL 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Enjoy Diversity” Distribution of material in Granja do Ulmeiro, organised by YAP-P. 19.03.10-20.03.10 “Human Rights Campaign” Campaign directed schools in Porto and Braga, organised by Atlas - Cooperativa Cultural.ROMANIA 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Open your Mind! Accept Diversity!” Information campaign and distribution of UNITED material in high-schools and Universities in Bucharest, organised by ADIS. 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Open your Mind! Accept Diversity!” Cam-paign presentation on website in Romania, organised by ADIS. 15.03.2010 “Open your Mind! Accept Diversity!” Presentation on diversity and racism at University of Bucharest, organised by ADIS. 15.03.10-21.03.10 “Molecula of the Identity” Educa-tive and sportive activities in schools in Timisoara and Timis County, organised by Generatie Tanara and Timisoara Refugee Centre.RUSSIA 14.03.10-19.03.10 “Photo Hunting - Unity in Diversity” Photo competition in Voronezh, organised by YHRM, Youth Network against Racism and Intolerance and International Network Young Europe in Russia. 14.03.10-19.03.2010 “Stop Racism!” Movie screenings and discussions in Moscow and Voronezh, organised by YHRM. 14.03.10-25.03.10 “Stop Racism!” Lessons on tolerance and distribution of material in numerous cities of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, organised by YHRM. 15.03.2010 “Multicultural Harmony in Changing Social Landscapes” Round table and training seminar at high schools, organised by Samara International Society for Cultural Studies. 18.03.2010 “Intercultural Dialogue and Reconciliation Education” Training seminar and online discussion at University in Samara, organised by Samara International Society for Cultural Studies. 19.03.2010 “Pupils Against Rac-ism” Action in school classes and poster action in Voronezh, organised by Gimnasia number 6 of Voronezh. 19.03.10-21.03.10 “Resistance Against Extremism in the Youth Environment” Training course in St. Petersburg University, organised by Cen-ter for Interethnic Cooperation. 19.03.10-23.03.10 "Open your Eyes!" Film festival in St. Petersburg, organised by Social Democratic Union of Youth and supported by UNITED and other Russian organisations. 19.03.10-25.03.10 “The Dialogue of Cultures” Festival with photo exhibitions in Murmansk, organised by YHRM. 19.03.10-29.03.10 “United Against Xenophobia” Movie screening with discussion, distribution of materials in Saint-Petersburg, organised by YHRM. 22.03.2010 “I Choose the Diversity” Training game and presentation of exhibition at Samara, organised by Samara International Society for Cultural Studies. 26.03.2010 “Xeno-phobia Among Youth: from Studies to Contra-Action” Press conference and report in Moscow, organised by YHRM and Moscow Helsinki Group.SERBIA 05.03.10-21.03.10 "All the Same" Workshop and party in Kovacica, organised by YCDK. 08.03.10-08.04.10 “Month of Roma Women Activism” Huge campaign covering 25 Serbian cities, organised by Women's Space and partners.

08.03.2010 “Solidarity For Our Rights” Demonstration in Belgrade, organised by Women in Black. 14.03.2010 “Position of Roma Women” Workshop in Ljubovija, or-ganised by Roma Women Initiative of Ljubovija. 15.03.2010 “Month of Roma Wom-en Activism” Press conference announcement of activities in Novi Sad, organised by Roma Women Association Amarilis (Novi Sad) and Roma Researchers (Zabalj). 25.03.2010 “Roma Women Today” Round table discussion in Novi Sad, organised by Roma Women Association Amarilis and Roma Researchers . 25.03.2010 “The Invisible” Open presentation of Roma Women Network of Vojvodina in Ruma, organised by Romano tono, Vrdnik, Lutujuca srca, Ruma. 02.04.2010 “Position of Roma Girls in the Educational System” Round table discussion in Krusevac, organised by Association Romano alav and partners. 08.04.2010 “First SOS Hotline in Roma Language” Opening in Belgrade, organised by Udruzenje Romkinja Dae. 13.03.10-21.03.10 “Comics Exhibition Against Racism” Discussion and exhibition in Krajevo, organised by Association Art Workshop 22.03.2010 “KultUrban Swap 'Interculturalism'" Promotion of afro culture, distributing of UNITED posters in Belgrade, organised by Kulturban.SLOVAKIA 21.03.10-27.03.10 “Gender Equality: Europe’s Quality?” International seminar in Bratislava, organised by JEF. 13.03.10-14.03.10 “Enough of Silence” Concerts, art exhibition and party in Bratislava, organised by LPR and partners.SLOVENIA 20.03.10-21.03.10 “Slovenia Against Racism” Distribution of material and preparing a song in Stari trg pri LoÏu, organised by KUD Kontra kiäa. 21.03.2010 “Enjoy Diversity” Opening of poster exhibition of United posters in Ljubljana, organised by Zavod Voluntariat - SCI Slovenia.SPAIN 05.03.2010 “European Week Against Racism 2010” Flamenco performance, tea and food in Madrid, organised by CEPI Hispano Marroquí de Madrid and SOS Racismo Madrid. 05.03.10-26.03.10 “Art for the Equality and Against Racism 2010” Art, film and novel competition, award show and round table in Madrid, organised by CEPI Hispano Marroquí de Madrid and SOS Racismo Madrid. 10.03.10-11.03.10 “Antiracist Days in Jaén” Lunch, debates, antiracist football game and street actions in Jaén, organised by Antifascist Committee in Jaén. 13.03.2010 Villanueva de Tapia, 16.03.2010 Casares, 18.03.2010 Villanueva de Tapia “Empower Civil Society” Educational trainings, organised by Movimiento por la Paz Malaga. 15.03.2010 “Colours Against Racism and Intolerance” 2nd edition of antiracist concerts in Valencia, organised by Antifeixistes, Escola Valencian, Movimiento contra la Intolerancia, CEAR, ACPV, Jarit, ACSUD and Col.lectiu Lambda LGTB. 15.03.10-26.03.10 “Mandela's Action Week” Workshops, campaigns, seminars and demonstrations in Malaga organised by Movement Against Intolerance Malaga. 15.03.10-21.03.10 “Action Week Against Racism in Barcelona” Street performances, concerts, open days in Barcelona, organised by SOS Racisme Catalunya. 16.03.10-18.03.10 “Together Against Racism” Workshops with children in Murcia, organised by Asociacion Columbares. 20.03.2010 “Hip Hop Against Racism - No to the Foreigner Law” Video forum and concert in Madrid, organised by Coordinadora Antifascista de Madrid. 22.03.2010 “Homeless Immigrants, Mental Health and Social Exclusion. What is Happening in France?” Conference in Madrid, organised by SOS Racismo Madrid y La Casa Encendida. 23.03.2010 “Alternative Psychological Intervention, Social and Community with Homeless Migrants” Workshop in Madrid, organised by SOS Racismo Madrid and partners. 23.03.2010 “Jacob’s Ladder” Storytelling in Madrid, or-ganised by SOS Racismo Madrid. 27.03.2010 “About my Neighbors” Puppet theater in Madrid, organised by SOS Racismo Madrid and La Casa Encendida. 27.03.2010 “Love Music Hate Racism” Closing party with concerts, market and workshops in Madrid, organised by SOS Racismo Madrid and FERINE. 28.03.2010 “Get Wet! - Get Active Against Racism: Against the Criminalization of Migrants” Manifestation in Gipuzkoa, organised by SOS Racismo, Medicus Mundi and 46 citizen associations.SWEDEN 22.03.2010 “Be Prepared for the Elections!” Seminar in Malmö, organised by ABF Malmö.SWITZERLAND 20.03.2010 “International Day Against Racism” Info stands, music performances by youngsters, exhibition “Me, Racist?”, debates, reggae evening in Neuchâtel, organised by. Forum Tous différents – Tous égaux - Forum All Different - All equal.TURKEY 20.03.2010 “Campaign Against Racism, Ethnic Discrimination and Hate Crimes” Forum and exhibition in Istanbul, organised by DurDe! and Association for Social Change. 21.03.2010 “Humanity in the Prison of Racism” Conference in Silifke, organised by Arkadas - Independent News / Environmental Group.UKRAINE 14.03.10-19.03.10 “Diversity: Human Being” Cycle of educational trainings in Social Centres in Odessa, organised by La Strada Ukraine. 15.03.10-26.03.10 “Actions Against Racism” Series of short movies screening, educational activities and distri-bution of UNITED materials in Secondary Schools in Kharkiv, organised by SVIT-Ukraine. 15.03.10-19.03.10 “Diversity: Human been” Educational trainings in Kiev, organised by La Strada Ukraine. 16.03.10-21.03.10 “Students Against Racism” Student discussions in Luhansk, organised by Youth Centre for Regional Co-opera-tion. 18.03.2010 "The Living Library” Action in English Speaking School nr. 129 in Kiev, organised by La Strada Ukraine and SVIT-Ukraine. 18.03.10-19.03.10 “Enjoy Diversity” Educational events and presentations at schools in Mykolaiv, organised by CNSMR 26.03.2010 “Situation of Racism and Discrimination in Contemporary Ukrainian Society” Discussion in Kharkiv, organised by “SVIT-Ukraine”.

UNITED Against RacismLinked through UNITED for Intercultural Action, the European network against nationalism, racism, fascism and in support of migrants and refugees, more than 550 organisations from 48 European countries and from a wide variety of backgrounds work together, learn and benefit from each other’s experience. The organisations base their common actions and joint activities on mutual respect, solidarity and intercultural understanding. They meet each other at UNITED conferences, exchange information and good practices and together create cross-border activities with a strong local, national and European impact such as this campaign. While these activities are performed independently by the network organisations, the European secretariat of UNITED coordinates their work, ensures a good information flow among different organisations, the media and decision-makers and holds the network together. UNITED is an open network inviting everybody who is willing to join the European struggle against racism. It is and will remain independent from all political parties, organisations and states, but seeks an active cooperation with other anti-racist initiatives. The workers in the secretariat are in constant contact with the network organisations. Information is received regularly from more than 2700 organisations and mailings are sent all over Europe, to 2300 groups by post and to over 10.000 by E-News. Furthermore, UNITED holds the biggest archive of publications in the field of anti-racism, anti-fascism, anti-nationalism and migrants and refugees support. If you want to get involved, discuss the ideas and aims of UNITED within your organisation. Let us know that your organisation would like to join the network or to receive information about it. And please add us to your mailing list to keep the information flowing!

Report compiled by Pia, Marina, Natasha and Sara, volunteers at UNITED

18th European-Wide Action Week Against Racismoverview of activities • 13-21 march • 2010

UNITED is supported by

UNITED for Intercultural Action • Postbus 413 • NL-1000 AK Amsterdam • phone +31-20-6834778 • fax +31-20-6834582

info@unitedagainstracism.org • www.unitedagainstracism.org this publication is a supplement to Calendar of Internationalism no. 94 PRINTED BY DIJKMAN OFFSET | WWW.DIJKMAN.NL

more than 550 organisations from 48 European countries, many prominent individuals, private supporters and long-term volunteers from Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste, the European Voluntary Service Programme and Ca' Foscari University of Venice.Since 1992 financial support was received from various sponsors such as: European Commission (General Budget/Socrates/Grundtvig/Youth in Action Programme/DG Employment Social Affairs/ TACIS IBPP), Council of Europe (European Youth Foundation/European Youth Centres), OSCE-ODIHR, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, World Council of Churches, Olof Palmes MinnesFond, Cultural Council Sweden, Ministry of Education Slovenia, Green Group-, Socialist Group-, and GUE/NGL Group in the European Parliament, European Cultural Foundation, Stiftung West-Östliche Begegnung, Aktionsbündnis Gegen Gewalt, Rechtextremismus und Fremdenfeindlichkeit Brandenburg, Home Office UK, Ministry of Interior-BZK NL, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs CH, the Matra Programme of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vuurwerk Internet, Instituto Português da Juventude, National Integration Office Sweden, Service Nationale de la Jeunesse Luxembourg, LNU - Norwegian Youth Council, Europees Platform Grundtvig, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Federal Social Insurance Office (Dep. for Youth Affairs) CH, Swiss Coordination Office of Youth for Europe, Federal Service for Combating Racism (Fund for Projects Against Racism) CH, Migros Kulturprozent CH, Comunidad de Madrid, Ministry of Youth and Sport of Azerbaijan, The Swedish National Board of Youth Affairs, Rothschild Foundation, Local Municipality of Budapest, Open Society Institute, Youth Board of Cyprus, Final Frontiers Internet, Dijkman Offset and others.The information contained herein does not necessarily reflect the position nor the opinion of our sponsors. Sponsors are not to be held responsible for any use that may be made of it.UNITED’s publications can be freely re-used, translated and re-distributed, provided the source - www.unitedagainstracism.org - is mentioned and a copy is send tot the UNITED secretariat.