Institutional racism in Austria
On April 9th, 2009 amnesty international published its report on racism in the police and justice system in Austria. The report comprises a description about the Austrian obligations under international law, followed by a background analysis of the situation of ethnic minorities, racism and xenophobia in Austria. Furthermore it delineates on the legislative provisions in Austrian law before elaborating on the indicators of institutional racism. The report also covers the appointment of ethnic minorities within the police force as well as the education and training of police officers. The results disclose that the Austrian police as well as the judiciary are not granting all persons irrespective of their origin or colour of skin equal access to their services. There are repeated incidents of racist and xenophobic assaults by police officers, which are not individual cases but indicating structural and institutional forms of racism and xenophobia. As there is a lack of systematic reliable data concerning the prevalence of racism in the police and justice system in Austria the report is a qualitative analysis of legislative measures, reports by NGOs, media coverage and discrimination cases. Selected case studies are presented to analyse and illustrate racist discrimination within the police and justice system, amongst others the following:
- The ill-treatment of a Mexican citizen by police officers during the 'Donauinselfest' (Festival at the Danube Island) in June 2006.
- The ethnic profiling of a young black man by a police officer on August 26th, 2007.
- An Austrian citizen of Congolese origin was verbally abused and arrested during a traffic check in October 2007.
Source: Amnesty International (2009): Österreich Opfer oder Verdächtige. Eine Frage der Hautfarbe. Wien. http://www.amnesty-polizei.de/d/wp-content/uploads/berichtpolizeiaustriadtsch0409.pdf, Accessed on 31.10..2011.
