UN reports systemic racism in Switzerland, where ‘Who is afraid of the Black man?’ is a game
The United Nations report noted the Swiss "Who is afraid of the Black man?" game, seen on its playgrounds, has a racially discriminating effect.
There’s a significant problem with systemic racism in Switzerland, where children on the playground, for fun, engage in a game called “Who is afraid of the Black man?”
According to The Independent, a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council presented Monday by a UN-selected working group in Switzerland — home of the world organization’s first regional headquarters — concluded that the Swiss issue is with people of African heritage.
The UN report pointed out that “Who is afraid of the Black man?” has a racially discriminating effect. It also said that the Vaud canton, a region in Switzerland’s west, was the scene of terrible police abuse and mentioned three Black individuals’ deaths.
“The ubiquity and impunity of this misconduct indicates a serious systemic problem exists,” the report said, according to The Independent.
There were also initiatives to inform the public about facets of Swiss history mentioned in the report, including a petition and debate over removing the statue of a banker in the Neuchatel canton whose wealth came from the exploitation of enslaved Africans.
In remarks to the council Monday, Jurg Lauber, the ambassador of Switzerland to the UN in Geneva, generally agreed with the report’s results. However, he questioned the experts’ use of a few examples to draw broader conclusions.
“Switzerland agrees with your observation that racism and racial discrimination — including against people of African descent — are problems that must be tackled as a matter of urgency,” Lauber said, according to The Independent.
Measures to address the issue, he cited, include improvements in Swiss police training programs and creating cantonal consultation centers for racial discrimination victims.
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