Media portray local conflicts as racial motivated

Alert DateSeptember 17, 2008 Country: Portugal Address: Portugal General Type: Institutional discrimination Racism and discrimination phenomena: Inter-ethnic
Groups affected / Interested in: Ethnic minorities Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Media Hate speech/Racist Discourse Medium: TV Media
Victims Data
Victims Nationality/Ethnic Origin N/A
Victims Gender N/A
Victims Age N/A
Victims Number N/A
Fatalities - deaths N/A
Perpetrators Data
Perpetrators Nationality/Ethnic Origin N/A
Perpetrator Gender N/A
Perpetrator Age N/A
Perpetrators Number N/A
Extremist/Organised Group Violence No

It was not the original conflict between individuals of different ethnic origin in a re-housing neighbourhood, but the way the media have reported it, that created this racial incident. In the beginning of July a gun shooting between Roma and African individuals occurred in the Lisbon metropolitan area. Immediately televisions and the press presented the case as a racial conflict, and started a period of daily media coverage focused on the supposed relations between crime and immigration. This kind of biased journalism was promptly denounced by different NGOs and also by the Alto Comissariado para a Imigração e Diálogo Intercultural [High Commission for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue] that issued an open letter to the media.

Source:
ACIDI (High Commission for Equality and Intercultural Dialogue), 17.09.2008, http://www.acidi.gov.pt/docs/Press_Releases/Carta_Aberta_aos_Media.pdf