Riots in European cities: lessons and Council of Europe response
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Text
adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of
the Assembly, on 13 March 2009 (see Doc. 11685, report of the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee,
rapporteur: Mr Blum; Doc. 11745, opinion of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and
Population, rapporteur: Mr Hancock; and Doc. 11736, opinion of the Committee on the Environment, Agriculture
and Local and Regional Affairs, rapporteur: Mr Ducarme).
- Thesaurus
1. The phenomenon
referred to as a “riot” designates a reality taking diverse forms
and stemming from a multitude of causes, often manifested by acts
of violence directed against individuals and against the state represented
by its institutions (police, firemen). The most recent urban riots,
in the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands, have prompted
a great deal of questioning and reflection on a social situation
that has changed over the last thirty years.
2. The Parliamentary Assembly reiterates its long-term concern
over the issue of urban riots, as evidenced by its various reports
on security and crime prevention in cities: setting up a European
observatory (
Recommendation
1531 (2001)), a dynamic social policy for children and adolescents
in towns and cities (
Recommendation
1532 (2001)) or the integration of immigrant women in Europe (
Resolution 1478 (2006)).
3. The Assembly also wishes to highlight the work of the Congress
of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe on the
integration of migrants and on urban security.
4. Accordingly, the Assembly calls for real awareness of this
phenomenon commonly known as rioting – frequently misunderstood
and regarded as minor – and urges the member states to introduce
strategies to prevent such outbreaks from occurring.
5. In this connection, the Assembly believes that the setting
up of a resource centre for urban security would provide a means
of pooling the quantities of information gathered with a view to
framing effective policies.
6. The Assembly and the Council of Europe have always made equal
opportunities and the combating of all forms of discrimination absolute
priorities.
7. Fully aware that riots are often the result of a long process
that has its roots in poverty, social exclusion and diverse forms
of discrimination, the Assembly believes that equal efforts must
be made towards all the citizens of European cities.
8. While every riot has its own characteristics, the Assembly
believes that global, concerted solutions must be found within a
cross-sectoral approach involving the different players (residents,
social services, police, educational sphere).
9. For these reasons the Assembly asks the member states to:
9.1 in the area of urban planning:
9.1.1 set up urban renovation schemes
as soon as possible to rehabilitate dilapidated and insalubrious
housing;
9.1.2 build new social housing on a human scale; wherever possible,
encourage large companies to develop economic activities in disadvantaged
areas with a view to improving both housing and employment conditions
in these areas;
9.1.3 step up urban planning projects in terms of facilities
and services in peripheral urban zones;
9.1.4 promote social mixing in all urban districts. Those willing
to leave the disadvantaged areas should be given more opportunities
to move to new accommodation in other parts of the city or elsewhere
in the country; this will also improve integration within society;
9.2 in the area of combating social exclusion:
9.2.1 introduce major policies to
combat precariousness;
9.2.2 combat all forms of ethnic and social discrimination both
on the labour market and in the allocation of housing, through public
actions or awareness-raising campaigns;
9.2.3 introduce employment policies both promoting the recruitment
of residents of disadvantaged areas and encouraging companies to
set up in those areas;
9.2.4 consider introducing tax incentives for those companies/organisations
who agree to take on board more people from disadvantaged areas;
9.2.5 step up efforts to build awareness and understanding among
communities living on housing estates with respect to state services
(police, firemen, administrative services);
9.2.6 support and intensify the efforts of the social and medical
services and the voluntary sector working to maintain social bonds;
9.2.7 introduce quotas for children from disadvantaged areas
to allow easier access to educational institutions and sponsorship
or scholarships;
9.2.8 promote educational policies providing better career guidance
for the younger members of communities, notably towards highly specialised
fields, including skilled self-employment;
9.2.9 confirm a policy of integration and increase programmes
aimed at integrating immigrants;
9.2.10 encourage intercultural and inter-religious dialogue;
9.3 in the area of improving the state's role:
9.3.1 encourage the integration of
migrants through creating opportunities for their greater participation
in public life and granting the right to vote at local level, in
line with Assembly
Resolution
1618 (2008) on measures to improve the democratic participation
of migrants;
9.3.2 encourage community policing initiatives with a view to
closer interaction between the population in difficult areas and
law-enforcement officials;
9.3.3 help improve community policing by assisting the training
of police officers;
9.3.4 improve training for law-enforcement agencies with respect
to both preventing and dealing with riots;
9.3.5 entrust action against all forms of crime on housing estates
to experienced police officers;
9.3.6 combat all infringements of human rights, particularly
in the areas of discrimination, racism, xenophobia and above all
police brutality;
9.3.7 place emphasis on mediation and conciliation;
9.3.8 condemn, investigate and punish any excessive and unjustified
use of force;
9.3.9 support and reinforce the role of local authorities in
taking effective action and preventing new outbreaks of rioting;
9.4 as regards the coverage and presentation of these events,
the media should be encouraged to:
9.4.1 avoid any excessive and caricatural depictions of riots;
9.4.2 carry out research and comparative analysis on long-term
consequences of the limited coverage or total absence of coverage
of violent riots in the media;
9.4.3 avoid propagating stereotypes and other prejudices regarding
life on housing estates and their residents;
9.4.4 promote the representation of people from diverse backgrounds
in the media.
