The annual report of the government unit in the Ministry of Justice to coordinate the fight against racism was submitted today (Wednesday) to Acting Minister of Justice Bnei Gantz. On the issue of institutional racism and discrimination in the public service.
According to the report, during 2020 the unit received 1,450 complaints for 506 incidents, more than three times the number of complaints (497) submitted to the unit during the previous year. The unit attributes the dramatic increase in the number of complaints to the health and social consequences of the outbreak of the corona virus, alongside the existence of the previous Knesset election campaign, which took place in the first two months of 2020.
26% of complaints were about discrimination in the provision of public service, 19% about racism, 15% about discrimination in employment, 11% about racist or stereotypical advertising, 9% about police and law enforcement, 4% about education and 3% of complaints about motivational offenses. racial.
27% of the reported incidents were for racist incidents against Ethiopians, 27% for racist incidents against people from Arab society, 19% for incidents of discrimination against ultra-Orthodox, 7% of incidents against former Soviet immigrants and 20% against others.
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Humiliation and humiliation of immigrants, Ethiopians and Arabs
Among the other complaints the unit dealt with during the year: In the Arab sector – a family of Arab origin asked to enter the park, but after the security guard at the place asked them to present ID cards and claimed to have identified them of Arab origin, he refused to admit them. In the ultra-Orthodox sector – In another complaint, it was alleged that the maternity ward in public hospitals has discriminatory treatment, which is expressed in the separation of ultra-Orthodox mothers and degrading treatment of them.
Ethiopians received a complaint from a young man of Ethiopian descent who complained that while participating in a demonstration following the death of the late Salmon Taka he was arrested along with others, allegedly solely for his participation in the protest, and about a year later received a letter from the prosecutor’s office.
Moreover, in a campaign published by the police regarding the filing of an online complaint on suspicion of a criminal offense, it was stated as a description of the generic suspect: “A man who looks like a man, medium build, dark skin color.” A woman of Ethiopian descent approached the unit and said that she had approached the tender and was not selected, although the professional opinions about her were good and the score she received by the examining committee was significantly higher than the score of the selected bidder.
Another complaint of discrimination was from the mother of a student who wanted to enroll her son in first grade at a state-religious educational institution in her hometown. The complainant claimed that during the meeting with the director of the education department in the local authority, the principal refused to register the child at the mother’s request, claiming that she was not Jewish according to the law, humiliated and looted the mother and her son.
The year in which ultra-Orthodox felt marginalized and discriminated against due to the plague
The segmentation of complaints regarding incidents by group affiliation shows that 56% of the complainants to the unit during the year contacted about incidents in relation to the ultra-Orthodox society, mainly offensive statements by public figures or statements in the media against ultra-Orthodox society, especially regarding racist publications or stereotypes in media coverage. Complaints of discrimination when receiving a service and regarding the measures taken by the Israel Police regarding the dispersal of prohibited gatherings towards the ultra-Orthodox sector.
Ganz: “A policy of zero tolerance for racism”
The unit’s monitoring of the implementation of the Palmor Committee’s recommendations for the eradication of racism, which received the validity of a government decision, shows that currently out of the committee’s 51 recommendations 36 have been made, one decision is in progress and 13 have not yet been implemented: training teachers in the fight against racism. Racism in government ministries and the establishment of a broadcasting channel for an Israeli-Ethiopian presence.
Advocate Awka Zena, head of the government unit for coordinating the fight against racism, says: “The report reflects a harsh reality of racism, discrimination and exclusion in relation to different populations in society. The unit will continue to work on changing systemic denial mechanisms and will point out the racist attitudes and forms of behavior that exist in the civil service in particular and in the public service in general. “
The Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Justice, Bnei Gantz, adds: “Unfortunately, in the shadow of the Corona epidemic and the political crisis, racist phenomena have also emerged, sometimes originating from public figures, and network phenomena that permeate society. : An active punishment policy and zero tolerance for racism, education and drafting of an ethical code for every organization and adequate training for public servants. “
“In addition, we will work in 2021 to increase the representation of all parts of Israeli society in the public service and to meet the goals set by the state – there is no good remedy for eradicating discriminatory treatment, recognition of diversity and diversity proven in Israel and around the world.”