integration
Why right-wing extremism continues in east Germany
November 2011 saw seven people arrested in connection with a right-wing terror cell based in Zwickau in east Germany. The cell was allegedly responsible for ten murders over thirteen years. Since Germany’s reunification in 1991, the formation of extensive ‘no-go’ areas in parts of the former GDR hasn’t gone unnoticed but has remained tolerated
integration, germany, immigration, discrimination, right wing extremism, xenophobia, society
Kirtimai: Lithuania's Roma on education and 'missing England'
Less than 3, 000 Roma live in Lithuania. Representing 0.1% of the population, there are still enough Baltic 'gypsies' to serve as a scapegoat in a country feeling squeezed by the crisis. However, in one Lithuanian village, Romualda, Svetlana, Konstantin and Konsela are helping the community to lift its head
integration, union of soviet socialist republic, multikulti on the ground, discrimination, vilnius, school, poverty
Nightlife in Vilnius: ethnic minority benders
6.7% Polish, 6.3% Russian, 1.2% Belarusian, 0.7% Ukrainian, 0.1% Yiddish, 0.09% Tartar…approximately 115 communities of ethnic minorities were listed in this vein in a 2001 census in Lithuania. How integrated are these groups in local society? One way of finding out is by hitting the tiles
integration, union of soviet socialist republic, multikulti on the ground, discrimination, vilnius, russian federation, lithuania
Multiculturalism in Piazza Vittorio, Rome
Rome's Piazza Vittorio Emanuele was once a prime example of integration, but today some residents claim that the area has since become overrun by 'Chinese trash culture'. The good news is that there are efforts to unite the district's inhabitants through art
integration, italy, multikulti on the ground, immigration, rome, culture, music
University initiation rites debate hits France and Belgium
In the UK at least three people had died by 2008 because of initiation ceremonies for undergraduates, whilst recent incidents in France and Belgium featuring physical abuse and comas have helped raise awareness about a dangerous student ritual
integration, belgium, university, integration, students, society, france
Contentious Guéant circular rejects work visas in France
France’s governmental memo on employment for their residing non-European students caused quite a commotion, and we’re not talking Jerry Maguire style. Graduates like Nabil Sebti are taking a stand against what could either turn into a long-term policy of sealing France off or be a strategy to gain votes in 2012 elections
integration, protest, claude guéant, racism, paris, education system, university
'Our School' documentary: segregated Roma schools despite EU funds
When directors and producers Mona Nicoară and Miruna Coca-Cozma followed three Roma children in a small Romanian village for four years, their film initially about a success story of integration became one about the realities of ethnic segregation. Interview
integration, minority, documentary, gypsy, emir kusturica, racism, education system
Six years after riots, French discuss French 'banlieue'
In France you will get a different response to this question about its high-rise estates in the suburbs depending on whether you listen to the 'cliché factory' that is the media or the personal experiences of its inhabitants. Above all, it is the magnifying glass of France’s collective identity problem, and all of Europe is involved
integration, racism, paris, discrimination, europe, precarity, suburbs
Huzun, bourgeois, opposites: what is Orhan Pamuk’s Turkey?
Negotiations over Turkey’s accession to the European union began in 2006 but Europeans remain on their guard; the fear of the unknown is well known. The nobel literature prizewinner is one of Turkey’s main figureheads though he was accused of insulting Turkish identity. View from Poland
integration, culture, turkey, world affairs, culture calendar, stamboul
Confused, Cameron? Don’t abandon multiculturalism just yet
There's nothing particularly new in the British prime minister's 5 February claims that multiculturalism has failed. But there is something worrisome about his speech, and not only because other English-speaking countries are looking to Britain as they debate the merits of their own multiculturalism policies. View from Canada
integration, opinion, canada, david cameron, united kingdom, multiculturalism, immigration
Cameron vs. multiculturalism: British, Belgian, Spanish, Romanian press react
In a call for ‘muscular liberalism’ at the Munich security conference, the British prime minister blames multiculturalism for exacerbating Britain's problems with radical islamists. While cautiously commending Cameron's objectives, Europe’s press criticises his methods on the grounds that they play into the hands of the extreme right
integration, angela merkel, immigration, euweek, david cameron, united kingdom, multiculturalism
Three muslims in Brussels: (almost) ordinary citizens
Being Belgian and muslim poses no particular problem for Omar, Younes and Mourad. They don't wear the burqa, which is banned in Belgium, yet are often turned away from bars. In the EU capital, tolerance and rejection go hand-in-hand
integration, religion, belgium, brussels, discrimination, youth, religion and democracy
Angela Merkel: 'multiculti' German society failed, but islam 'has a place'
The German chancellor's statements on 16 October have provoked the Slovakian, British, Dutch and Polish media - both immigrants and host societies have to work on integration, or the extreme right will win. Press review
integration, angela merkel, germany, immigration, euweek, multiculturalism, politics
Romain Galati: 'In ten years people will be speaking more languages'
To mark the European day of languages on 26 September 2010 we spotted a project where learning languages and promoting integration went hand in hand. Meet the founder of Language Exchange International (LEI)
Berlin launch: Anti-islam book by German bank exec Thilo Sarrazin
The former politician launched his book 'Deutschland schafft sich ab' ('Germany abolishes itself' on 30 August in Berlin. Criticism of Germany's immigration policy is legitimate, writes the Italian, German and Austrian press, but don't attack muslims. Translated European press review selection
integration, germany, thilo sarrazin, immigration, euweek, integration, press review
France's 'war on criminality' aside, focus on Parisian Roma in 'social insertion villages'
Four years after their creation in Europe, 'social integration villages' are being presented as a 'Roma paradise'. European associations for minority protection expose some of the difficulties facing the most discriminated community in the EU. Meanwhile, the French government has since planned to dissolve 300 Roma settlements, whilst the UK is seeing its biggest Romany gypsy site, Dale Farm in Essex, bulldozed
integration, paris, association, brussels, discrimination, europe, housing
Popping into Chinatown in Manchester
Known as a Chinese village of north England, the neighbourhood is one of the most peculiar in Manchester, being the second largest tourist spot of England after London. One of the odd distinguishing factors of multiculturalism is the local community enclosed in its borders
integration, gastronomy, university, immigration, chinatown, manchester, england
In a country of 400, 000 muslims, the Swiss vote to ban minarets
On 29 November, the people of Switzerland voted to ban the construction of new minarets. The referendum initiated by the Swiss people's party and the conservative federal democratic union has dealt a severe blow to religious peace in the country, write the Estonian, Swiss, Portuguese and Austrian press
integration, switzerland, secularity, religion, neutrality, vote, euweek
Backstage: story of a Senegalese street vendor in Rome
‘La petite vendeuse de soleil’ is a moving film first shown at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival in the 'director's fortnight' category. It tells the story of a young Senegalese girl who is a street vendor for the newspaper ‘Soleil’, a common job for immigrants living in European cities. Off the cinema screens, we meet Ndjogou Thiongane in Rome, who accompanies us on a visit to the great mosque, and tells us his own story
integration, moschee, immigration, illegal immigrants, rome, lampedusa, senegal
Spain-EU: confusing electoral 'auberge espagnole'
Debates on Europe in Spain are frequently a misleading paradox. On the one hand, public opinion is attached to the European Union, which facilitated the economic and political modernisation of the country. On the other, the lack of 'political pedagogy', the campaign for the European elections in June being no exception, leaves the EU as a distant and unknown political reality
integration, european elections 2009, european constitution, rodríguez zapatero, mariano rajoy, eudebate2009, money
