Race and Policing in the EU

While police violence in the US against people of color — particularly African Americans — has made the news in Europe, very few Americans know about the issue of policing and race in Europe. In this discussion, our panelists offer academic and practitioner perspectives on the situation of different ethnic and racial minorities across Europe when they encounter the police. They will examine topics such as racial profiling, anti-discrimination law and redress by equalities bodies, far-right activity in state security agencies, social movements in response to police violence, and the border as a site for police surveillance and control of minorities at both the national and EU level.

This virtual event is organized by the Institute of European Studies at UC Berkeley. For the most updated information and the RSVP, visit their web event page.

Speakers

Eddie Bruce-Jones is Deputy Dean at Birkbeck College of Law in London. Dr Bruce-Jones serves on the Boards of Directors of the Institute for Race Relations and the UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group, and the Advisory Board of the Centre for Intersectional Justice (Berlin). He is a comparative law specialist for the Independent Commission on the Death of Oury Jalloh (on police brutality and due process) in Germany as well as Sexuality and Gender Identity Resource Co-ordinator for the Refugees in Exile Programme of the International Refugee Rights Initiative. His most recent book is “Race in the Shadow of Law: State Violence in Contemporary Europe” (2016).

Terri Givens is the CEO and Founder of the Center for Higher Education Leadership. She has more than 30 years of success in higher education, politics, international affairs, and non-profits. Terri has held leadership positions as Vice Provost at University of Texas at Austin and Provost of Menlo College (first African American and woman); professorships at University of Texas at Austin, and University of Washington. She was the founding director at the Center for European Studies at the University of Texas and led the university’s efforts in Mexico and Latin America as Vice Provost for International Activities. Terri is the author/editor of books and articles on immigration policy, European politics and security. Her most recent book is “Legislating Equality: The Politics of Antidiscrimination Policy in Europe” (2014).

Tamas Kadar is the Deputy Director (Head of Legal and Policy) of Equinet, the European Network of Equality Bodies, which are public institutions fighting discrimination at the national level. Through Equinet, members are able to share their expertise at the European level. The Network ensures that information and knowledge flows as efficiently as possible between members in order to learn from the successes achieved and the challenges raised during the implementation of their mandate at national level.

Akasemi Newsome (moderator) is Associate Director of the Institute of European Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research on the politics of labor, immigration and comparative racialization in Europe addresses topics at the forefront of international and comparative political economy, including rights and global governance, institutions, capitalist development and social movements. She has publications in the Journal of European Integration, Comparative Labor Law and Policy Journal, Perspectives on Europe and PS: Political Science and Politics. She received her PhD in political science from UC Berkeley in 2015 and is currently working on a book manuscript titled, The Color of Solidarity: Explaining the Conditions of Labor Union Support for Immigrants. Published by Palgrave in 2020 is the Handbook on EU Crises (co-edited with M. Riddervold and J. Trondal).

Sponsors: Institute of European Studies, Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality & Anti-Discrimination Law, Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law