Tag Archives: Europe

Health + Ability

U.K. Feature | Autism

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The Autistix

Led by three members with disabilities along the autism spectrum, The Autistix are a U.K. indie band putting a spotlight on some of the great musical talent in the autism community. The Guardian profiles the group, their supportive families, and their sound.

View the video from the Guardian on YouTube.

Nationality + Migration

France Feature | Refugees

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Daily Life in the Calais Jungle

Image Credit: The Guardian
Image Credit: The Guardian

The Guardian trains its cameras on daily life the Calais Jungle refugee camp, where all-consuming existential worries and attempts to cross the border into the U.K. live alongside basic activities like food preparation, grabbing a shower, playing soccer, and attending religious services. Among these everyday activities, the Guardian traces some of the personal stories that brought individuals to Calais.

View the photo essay at the Guardian.

Class + Socioeconomics, Nationality + Migration, Race + Color + Ethnicity

Sweden News | European Migrants

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E.U. migrants in Sweden threatened by growing anti-immigrant sentiment
  • In addition to the more than 30,000 migrants of non-E.U. origin granted asylum in Sweden last year, the E.U.’s open migration policy has brought many Southern and Eastern Europeans to the country, including the highly vulnerable ethnic Roma.
  • Police estimate there are around 4,000 people begging on the street in Sweden, among whom at least 77 violent attacks have occurred in the last 18 months according to one charity group.
  • Many Roma live in tents outside major cities while saving money from begging and bottle-collecting, lacking access to adequate health care and basic living resources.

“The response has not been convincing from Sweden’s political leaders. … They have been hoping the problem will go away by itself — and it won’t.”

Read the full story at the New York Times.

(Image Credit: Moa Karlberg/The New York Times )

Gender, Race + Color + Ethnicity

U.K. News | Black British Men

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Black in London

Four years following the protests and riots that broke out following the death of black Londoner Mark Duggan, relations between the black community and law enforcement remain tense. Black men in particular express anxiety over police interactions and face targeting through stop-and-search policies. BuzzFeed News reflects on developments since Duggan’s death and the spaces black men turn to for camaraderie and relief.

“When you fail to make people in your country feel like the country belongs to them, you have riots.”

Read the full feature at BuzzFeed News.

(Image Credit: Shyamantha Asokan/BuzzFeed)

Nationality + Migration

Germany Data | Immigrants & Refugees

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Germany’s Record-High Immigrant Population

From Reuters:

Current number: ~11 million (20% of population)
Countries of origin: Mostly other European Union countries (including Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Romania)
Other sources: African and Middle Eastern refugees
Expected refugee numbers: 450,000 (up from 200,000 in 2014)

Source: Federal Statistics Office

(Image Credit: Michaela Rehle/Reuters)

Nationality + Migration

France & U.K. News | Migrants

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Migrant situation in Calais deteriorates as French and British authorities bicker over responsibility
  • Reports indicate that more than 2,000 migrants have been taken from the Eurotunnel premises connecting France and the U.K. over the last few days, although a police union stated those numbers may be inflated due to migrants making multiple attempts.
  • One man was killed and another electrocuted during the surge in attempts, while 148 made it to the U.K. side and declared asylum.
  • While France demands more border and repatriation support from the U.K., around 5,000 migrants and refugees–mostly from Africa and the Middle East–have been living in poor conditions in camps around Calais.

“It was pandemonium. … They were pouring through holes in the fences and clinging on to the Eurotunnel trains.”

Read the full story at France 24.

(Image Credit: Philippe Huguen/AFP, via France 24)

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Sweden News | Gender Identity

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Sweden’s new gender-neutral pronoun makes its way to Facebook
  • “Hen,” the relatively new alternative to “hon” (she) and “han” (he) in Swedish, has been gaining steady momentum in the last decade as an alternative to explicit gender identification in speech and writing.
  • The Facebook inclusion comes as a part of Facebook’s push to include more identification options for those with non-binary gender identities.
  • The word appeared in the Swedish dictionary for the first time earlier in the year as evidence of common usage and official acceptance.

“Facebook is a hub for other social media which use your Facebook profile. The hope is that they will realize that they have to adapt. Facebook is such a central online space and we hope this will have a ripple effect.”

Read the full story at The Local.se.

Nationality + Migration

Germany News | Refugees & Immigrants

German anti-immigrant protesters and their opponents lock horns as anti-refugee violence continues
  • Far-right demonstrators clashed with opposition in Frankfurt an der Oder and Dresden, leading to injuries and multiple arrests.
  • Ongoing anti-immigrant sentiment has led to violence against refugees throughout Germany, including arson attacks on shelters.
  • In Frankfurt an der Oder, resources have been strained as authorities struggle to build shelters and expand schooling capabilities quickly enough to accommodate the intake of refugees.

Read the full story at Reuters.

Health + Ability

U.K. Perspectives | Schizophrenia

First Person: When Schizophrenia Arrives

Daniel Smith shares his experience of the arrival of acute schizophrenia in his life, from the early warning signs through his first psychotic break to treatment and management.  Providing a glimpse of the complex emotional development and life adjustments such an arrival catalyzes, Daniel discusses the importance of acceptance, ownership, and disclosure as a part of the management process.

“Being a master of disguise … is nothing to be proud of.”

Read Daniel’s personal account at VICE.

(Image Credit: Wellcome Images, via VICE)

Nationality + Migration

Germany News | Refugees

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Rise in anti-refugee violence in Germany endangers efforts to provide safe havens for the displaced
  • In the first half of the year, 150 arson and other attacks were recorded by the government, putting 2015 on track for a significant increase over the 170 recorded in 2014.
  • One anti-immigrant demonstration in Rostock saw Albanian and Egyptian refugees attacked during a festival.
  • Germany is expected to provide shelter to 450,000 asylum-seekers this year, and at least one poll indicated 50% of Germans would like to see the country take in more.

“The right’s populist ideas are spreading like wildfire in the CSU [Christian Social Union] and it’s extremely dangerous.”

Read the full story at Reuters.

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Italy News | LGB

European human rights court rules same-sex partnership rights fall under international human rights law
  • The decision responded to a lawsuit from Italian same-sex couples, who live in the only remaining Western European country lacking some form of same-sex partnership rights.
  • Italy’s own courts have ruled in favor of such rights with support from the Italian PM, but Parliament has largely ignored the issue, refusing to create the framework establishing such rights and protections.
  • Arguing that partnership rights fall under the “right to respect for private and family life,” the ruling technically compels compliance from the 47 Council of Europe member states, though its rulings have been ignored in the past.

Read the full story at BuzzFeed.

(Image Credit: Virginia Mayo/AP, via BuzzFeed)

Gender

U.K. Feature | Men

Britain’s New Dad

The Guardian examines the changing culture of fatherhood in the U.K., with new paid paternal leave, flexible work options, shared parenting practices, and changing cultural attitudes encouraging dads to take on more domestic and familial responsibilities.  As women continue to confront the question while gaining stronger footing in the workplace, men too are beginning to ask: can they have it all?

Read the feature at The Guardian.

(Image Credit: Matthew Farrant/The Guardian)

Gender, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

Bosnia & Herzegovina News | Muslim Men

Srebrenica genocide’s 20th anniversary brings together tens of thousands
  • The event in the eastern Bosnian town memorialized the more 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys–including 136 recently identified–who were massacred by Bosnian Serb forces during the Bosnian War.
  • The Srebrenica massacre’s U.N.-backed status as a genocide has been denied by some Bosnian Serb leaders, and recently Russia vetoed a U.N. measure to condemn genocide deniers.
  • At the memorial, Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic was attacked by a crowd with rocks and water bottles, leading to his early departure.

Read the full story at Al Jazeera.

(Image Credit: Al Jazeera)

Sexual + Gender Minorities

E.U. News | LGBTI

European Parliament adds LGBTI rights to European relations policy
  • The European Neighbourhood Policy, which organizes relations between the European Union and its non-EU neighbors on the continent, now includes the LGBTI community in its promotion of minority rights.
  • Rights advocates lauded the move for giving a mandate for EU representatives to promote protections and inclusive policies in non-EU European countries.

“In a world where some countries make homophobia an active part of their domestic policy, I’m pleased to see Europe using the full clout of its economic power to counter these attitudes.”

Read the full story at PinkNews.

(Image Credit: Frederick Florin/AFP/Getty Images, via PinkNews)

Nationality + Migration, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

U.K. News | Hongkonger Immigrants

Hong Kong immigrants now constitute part of the largest ethnic minority in Northern Ireland after weathering the Troubles
  • Numbering between 6,000 and 8,000, Chinese immigrants are Northern Ireland’s largest minority, with the mostly Cantonese-speaking Hongkongers comprising around three-quarters of those immigrants.
  • The immigrants began arriving just before the start of Northern Ireland’s three decades of ethno-political conflict, remaining religiously neutral during the conflict that turned sectarian at times.
  • Now, residents thrive as restauranteurs, students, and politicians, including the UK’s first East Asian elected to a legislative body, and the Belfast Chinese Christian Church stands as a pillar of the growing Chinese evangelical community.

Read the full story at EJInsight.

(Image Credit: Mark O’Neill/EJI)