The report notes: A rise of right-wing extremism as well as other forms of nationalism is evident

The report notes: “A rise of right-wing extremism, as well as other forms of nationalism, is evident in a number of countries, such as Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Latvia, Malta and Slovak Republic.”The use of the internet as a tool for the dissemination of racist sentiment, crime and propaganda is particularly worrying given that internet crime is not often recorded and the legal difficulties that have been experienced in challenging internet-based criminal activity.”Victims of racism range from Europe’s Jewish communities to its Roma minorities. In Germany almost 15,000 refugees had their asylum claims revoked last year, compared with 577 in 1998.Anti-terror crackdowns have led to racial profiling which, by the nature of stereotyping, impacts on the wider ethnic minority groups, the report says.”Since January 2005 police in the Netherlands can ask for proof of identity. The UK also reports an increase in the disproportionate use of ’stop and search’ against minority groups.”Muslim women were disproportionately affected by an ordinance proposed by the Mayor of Treviso [Italy] in 2004 that forbade the covering of one’s face on municipal territory.”Across the Continent researchers found evidence that police forces have failed in their duty to investigate and prevent racist crime. It adds that “a lack of political will to address racism is sometimes evident and disturbing”.The section on the UK, compiled by the Runnymede Trust, chronicles the reaction to the July 7 terror attacks in London last year concluding that new immigration and security policies have helped create a situation in which racism has flourished.The report on France describes immigration policies as being “at the heart of institutional racism” in the country. The report, by non-governmental organisations in 20 EU countries, criticises governments for losing interest in the battle against racism, and says the political reaction to terrorist attacks has made life harder for ethnic minorities.
The inquiry by the European Network against Racism highlights a trend towards “increased tolerance for discriminatory behaviour particularly against immigrants and Muslims”.

All three have apparently done so.The case has become far more than the tragic story of one young soldier. The reputation of Sergei Ivanov, the Defence Minister and one of the favourites to succeed Mr Putin in 2008, is also on the line as is the prestige of the Russian army.Many unnamed military sources in the claim Pte Sychev made up his testimony and that the case was “a provocation” designed to discredit Mr Ivanov and the military’s top brass.. Racism, xenophobia and far-right extremism are on the rise across Europe, according to a comprehensive survey which found that Muslim communities face mounting discrimination and prejudice. And Pte Sychev’s mother and sister claim they have been offered $100,000 (£54,000) or a flat in Moscow or St Petersburg to drop the case.Russia’s most senior military prosecutor is also investigating reports that a mysterious general talked with three of the witnesses without a lawyer urging them to withdraw their statements. But seven months later and almost four weeks into the trial, attempts to bring the three soldiers accused of the attack to justice have become embroiled in controversy.Five witnesses including several star witnesses said to have “killer testimony” have mysteriously disappeared and not appeared in court. Pte Andrei Sychev, then aged 19 and serving as a conscript soldier, alleges that he was savagely tortured by older soldiers on New Year’s Eve of last year.
The “punishment” he endured was so extreme that doctors had to amputate his legs and his genitalia in the days following the attack and Pte Sychev is still in hospital slipping in and out of a critical condition.He appears to have fallen victim to a long-established Russian military tradition where second year recruits pick on their first year counterparts in a practice known as “Dedovshina” or “Rule of the Grandfathers”.The “Sychev affair” became a cause c?bre overnight, triggering a national debate on the merits of continuing to use a conscript army. Dylan Jones, editor of the men’s lifestyle magazine GQ, said that ties were achieving a “new level of importance” because they were worn less often..

Attempts to convict a trio of soldiers who are accused of perpetrating Russia’s most high-profile case of a brutal military initiation ceremony in recent years are at the centre of a new national scandal. Employees in some companies, especially during the present heat wave, are being allowed to turn up to work in shorts and sandals. Four out of five companies found that the more relaxed attitude increased productivity. In a survey of 560 organisations, the employment law firm Peninsula found nine out of 10 firms had a “no tie” policy as part of a more informal dress code. It employs nearly 200 architects who are currently working on 40 projects worldwide. This year, The New York Times Magazine called it one of the most admired architectural firms in the world. It is responsible for the recently opened De Young Museum in San Francisco, and current projects include the National Stadium for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the Philharmonic Hall in Hamburg.Sir Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate, said the gallery’s new developmentwas a unique opportunity for a world-renowned architectural partnership to add to their own work..