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	Greater transparency of legislative process, fundamental for representative democracy by Access Info Europe, agencies   Access Info has welcomed the European Ombudsman recommendation that the Council of the European Union increase transparency of its legislative process in order to guarantee citizens’ right to hold their elected representatives to account and to participate in the democratic life of the EU.   Two main findings of the Ombudsman’s inquiry into transparency of the Council, to which Access Info submitted a series of proposals in December 2017, are that the Council’s systematic failure to record the names of Member States along with their positions on legislative matters constitutes maladministration, and that there is over-classification of documents as “LIMITE”, which restricts their circulation.   The Ombudsman recommends that the Council systematically record the identity of Member States, including at preparatory stages of legislative procedures.   This recommendation is in line with the case of Council v. Access Info Europe, won by Access Info on 17 October 2013, in which the Court of Justice of the EU established the right of the public to access documents containing the names of Member States putting forward legislative proposals, even at early stages of debate.   “It is positive that, following the landmark 2013 Court ruling, the Council now releases documents containing Member State names upon request, but poor record keeping often makes this meaningless and undermines accountability of EU institutions and EU Member states,” stated Helen Darbishire, Executive Director of Access Info Europe.   The Ombudsman also called for the development by the Council of clear criteria for using the ‘LIMITE’ status. The current absence of such guidelines is something that had been highlighted by Access Info in its submission as problematic, often resulting in an over-broad classification on documents as LIMITE which severely limits public scrutiny.   Access Info notes that the Council has recently shown itself ready to improve transparency with changes to its website ongoing. On 16 January 2017, Access Info’s Helen Darbishire was invited to give a talk to Council representatives, which was followed by a discussion on solutions to opening up the legislative process.   “It is imperative that the Council take the Ombudsman’s recommendations seriously and act to address deficiencies in transparency, because the secrecy surrounding Council decision making is contributing to a lack of public trust in European Union institutions,” added Darbishire.   The European Ombudsman’s recommendations to the Council on the transparency of its legislative process can be found via the link below.   * Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation calls for the European Pillar of Social Rights to be translated into action to improve the lives of European workers: http://bit.ly/2F0xj00   Madrid, 13 March 2018   European Parliament urged to support protections for right of access to information in wake of killing of Slovak journalist   In light of the shocking news that Jan Kuciak was likely killed as a result of his work as an investigative journalist and whose freedom of information requests may have been passed to the subject of his inquiry, a total of 61 civil society organizations today wrote to the European Parliament calling for stronger safeguards for those who exercise the right of access to information.   The statement, sent to all 751 Members of the European Parliament in advance of a debate on Wednesday 14 March 2018, recalls that the right of access to information is an essential tool for fighting corruption, for investigating violations of human rights, and for protecting the rule of law.   “With the second killing of a journalist in the European Union in less than six months it is evident that freedom of expression and information are threatened inside the European space, and that stronger protections are needed,” said Helen Darbishire, Executive Director of Access Info Europe.   Access Info Europe and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) have identified numerous examples of journalists'' requests being passed on to third parties.   The right of access to information is an essential tool for fighting corruption, for investigating violations of human rights, and for protecting the rule of law. We condemn any actions by public authorities that puts in danger those who exercise this right.   We have identified numerous instances from across Europe of public authorities passing on the names of journalists and other information requesters to third parties. The absence of specific laws and policies that proscribe and sanction such breaches is a matter of grave concern. The identity of requesters should only ever be revealed where there is a clearly justified overriding public interest in doing so.   We the undersigned organisations therefore call for on the European Union take urgent action to ensure strong protections for the safety and integrity of journalists and all those who exercise the right of access to information. Specifically, we call for actions that will guarantee:   An environment in which the right of access to information can be exercised without fear; A strengthening of the legal framework across European countries, including specific measures that ensure that the identity of the requesters is safeguarded: http://www.access-info.org/nat/30449 Visit the related web page
	Racism and xenophobia on the rise by BBC, Vice News, CNN, OHCHR, agencies USA   Jan. 2018 (CNN)   The African Union, a group representing the continent''s countries, and African ambassadors to the United Nations, sharply denounced US President Donald Trump''s reference to African nations as "shitholes" and called on him to retract his statement and apologize.   "The African Union Mission wishes to express its infuriation, disappointment and outrage over the unfortunate comment made by Mr. Donald Trump, President of the United States of America, which remarks dishonor the celebrated American creed and respect for diversity and human dignity," the African Union mission to the United States said in a blistering statement.   Condemning the comments "in the strongest terms," the AU demanded "a retraction of the comment as well as an apology, not only to the Africans, but to all people of African descent around the globe."   African UN envoys issued a statement saying their group is "extremely appalled at, and strongly condemns the outrageous, racist and xenophobic remarks attributed to the President of the United States of America."   The envoys released a joint statement after an emergency meeting was held to address the issue. The group "is concerned at the continuing and growing trend from the US administration towards Africa and people of African descent to denigrate the continent and people of color," it said.   Making reference to Trump''s reported derogatory comments about Haiti, ambassadors expressed solidarity with the people of Haiti "and others that have been similarly denigrated."   They thanked "the American people from all walks of life and backgrounds who have condemned the remarks" and reaffirmed their commitment "to the values and principles of multilateralism, diversity and equality of nations."   "I don''t think this will just blow over," said Peter Lewis, director of African Studies at Johns Hopkins University''s School of Advanced International Studies. "I think it fundamentally poisons the relationship with numerous countries."   According sources in the Oval Office meeting between Trump and lawmakers, the President referred to Africa, saying, "why do we want all these people from ''shithole countries'' coming here?"   Lewis said that Trump had undermined 25 years of African goodwill towards the US. "To essentially give the back of his hand to 49 countries south of the Sahara creates real problems in many ways," Lewis said.   The African Union emphasized its "shock, dismay and outrage," and said it strongly believes that the Trump administration has a "huge misunderstanding of the African continent."   As a result, the Mission said, "there is a serious need for dialogue" between the Trump administration and African countries.   Mr Trump has insisted he is "not a racist" in response to the reports. US senator Richard Durbin, who was in the White House meeting, said the President had used the term. The issue has led to harsh recriminations of Mr. Trump from Democrats and Republicans alike, and has sparked a widespread backlash across the US, including at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, where the words ''shithole'' was projected on the building''s exterior.   http://cnn.it/2Du4XdU http://bit.ly/2mvQ1nq http://bit.ly/2D44ePm http://wapo.st/2DhT5L5   Dec. 2017   British PM rebukes Trump for re-tweeting far right hateful videos. (Guardian News)   Theresa May has rebuked U.S. President Donald Trump over his sharing of propaganda videos from far-right group Britain First while the UK’s ambassador to Washington confirmed he had formally complained to the White House about the president’s offending tweets.   The UK prime minister said: “I am very clear that retweeting from Britain First was the wrong thing to do,” while British diplomats waited in vain for the president to delete the tweets or offer any kind of apology.   An emergency debate in parliament heard MPs from all parties criticise the president as questions continued about whether he should be accorded a state visit in 2018. The justice minister, Sam Gyimah, said on BBC Question Time that he was “deeply uncomfortable” about the prospect of Trump visiting Britain.   “I am deeply uncomfortable because he is deliberately divisive, and this would be divisive at a time when we are trying to unite our country,” he said.   Theresa May said: “The fact that we work together does not mean that we are afraid to say when we think that the United States have got it wrong and to be very clear with them. I am very clear that retweeting from Britain First was the wrong thing to do.   “Britain First is a hateful organisation. It seeks to spread division and mistrust in our communities. It stands in fundamental opposition to the values that we share as a nation – values of respect, tolerance and, dare I say it, common decency.”   Sir Kim Darroch, Britain’s ambassador to the US, wrote: “British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far right, which seek to divide communities & erode decency, tolerance & respect,” he said he had raised “concerns” with Trump administration officials.   Woody Johnson, appointed US ambassador to the UK by Trump, also said he had raised concerns about Trump’s Britain First tweets with the White House.   In Westminster, Labour MP Stephen Doughty, who had tabled an urgent question said: “This is the president of the United States, sharing with his 40 million twitter followers inflammatory and divisive content, deliberately posted to sow hatred and division by, as the home secretary says, a convicted criminal who is facing further charges and who represents a vile fascist organisation seeking to spread hatred and violence in person and online. By sharing it, he is racist, incompetent or unthinking – or all three.”   The shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, said Trump’s actions were “offensive not just to British people of Muslim heritage and British people of black and minority ethnic heritage, but to all decent British people”.   The husband of Jo Cox – the Labour MP murdered by a far-right extremist who shouted “Britain first”. Brendan Cox said; “Providing a microphone to these types of views has a real impact. Hatred when you feed it has real costs – my family is just one example of that and there are many other examples in our society.''   Britain First has been denounced by every major Christian denomination in the UK.   http://bit.ly/2BnET1N http://bit.ly/2zAXsPr http://bbc.in/2zBE0Cc http://bit.ly/2Aj8Oem http://bit.ly/2AfYZxw http://nyti.ms/2BBsXdQ   Aug. 2017   Violence erupts during white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.   Car driven by white supremist kills and injures anti-racism protesters in Charlottesville, by Tess Owen. (Vice News)   One protester was killed and 19 injured when a speeding car plowed into a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters during a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia Saturday.   The car struck two other cars that were surrounded by protesters and not moving, in what appeared to be a deliberate act. The impact sent bodies into the air. Then the driver threw the car into reverse, reportedly hitting more protesters and drove away.   “We heard a loud crunch of metal hitting bodies,” said VICE News’ Joe LoCascio, who witnessed the incident on the corner of Water and 4th street “A lot of screams while people were running away from the scene. People were crying, saying they saw bodies flying when the car collided with people.” The driver was later arrested by police.   The incident capped what turned into deadly day of violence where 34 people were reported injured in addition to the one fatality.   “I am heartbroken that a life has been lost here,” wrote Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer on twitter.   Mayor Signer blamed Mr Trump''s political rhetoric during the election campaign for inflaming racial prejudices.   "I place the blame for a lot of what you''re seeing in American today right at the doorstep of the White House and the people around the President."   White supremacist David Duke, speaking on camera, said: “We are going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump. That’s what we believed in. That’s why we voted for Donald Trump.”   Virgina Gov. Terry McAuliffe gave a press conference condemning the organizers of the Unite the Right rally, who chose Charlottesville to stage what is believed to be the largest white nationalist gathering in a decade.   “I have a message for all the white supremacists and all the nazis who came into Charlottesville today,” he said. “Our message is plain and simple: go home. You are not wanted. Shame on you.”   The car attack came hours after Gov. McAuliffe declared a state of emergency in response to the escalating chaos. White supremacists and members of the “Alt-right,” many of whom were armed, clashed with counter-protesters and law enforcement, leaving several people injured.   The day’s events followed Friday night’s “Unite the Right” rally at the University of Virginia, which drew hundreds of white supremacists, many of whom carried torches, in a nod to Ku Klux Klan rallies of the past.   “The acts and rhetoric in Charlottesville over past 24 hours are unacceptable & must stop,” Gov. McAullife wrote. “A right to speech is not a right to violence.”   The University of Virginia condemned the Friday night gathering. “I am deeply saddened and disturbed by the hateful behavior displayed by torch-bearing protestors that marched on our grounds this evening,” UVA President Teresa A. Sullivan said in a statement. “I strongly condemn the unprovoked assault on members of our community, including University personnel who were attempting to maintain order. ”   Saturday’s rally was organized in protest to the Virginia governor and city council’s plan to remove a confederate monument, and was scheduled to start at noon. Charlottesville’s downtown was roiled by white supremacists hours ahead of schedule, many whom were chanting things like “white lives matter” and “Jews will not replace us,” and facing off violently with anti-racism groups.   Others chanted “blood and soil,” a Nazi slogan, pepper-sprayed counter-protesters, and waved flags painted with swastikas.   Many of the white supremacist groups were “very well organized,” in combat gear, with security, and vans, according to a VICE News team at the scene.   Unidentified militia in combat gear, some toting assault rifles, were also in the mix. It is legal to carry guns openly in Virginia for anyone over 18.   Aug. 2017   Former President Barack Obama''s response to Charlottesville race row is most liked tweet of all time.   "No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion".   Mr Obama, quoting late South African president Nelson Mandela''s 1994 biography, Long Walk to Freedom: "People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.. For love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite".   * A short film excerpt from a Anti-Fascist film made by the U.S. War Department in 1943 has been viewed 18 million times in the last 4 days: http://theatln.tc/2uU3Mi5   Aug. 2017   Racism and xenophobia are on the rise across the USA, a group of United Nations human rights experts has warned in the wake of the far-right demonstrations and violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.   “We are outraged by the violence in Charlottesville and the racial hatred displayed by right-wing extremists, white supremacists and neo-Nazi groups,” said the experts in a joint statement.   “We view these events as the latest examples of increasing racism, racial discrimination, Afrophobia, racist violence and xenophobia observed in demonstrations across the USA.   “We are deeply concerned at the proliferation and increasing prominence of organized hate and racist groups. Acts of hatred and racist hate speech must be unequivocally condemned. Hate crimes must be investigated and the perpetrators prosecuted.”   “We call upon the US Government and State authorities to adopt effective policies as a matter of priority, to urgently tackle the manifestations of incitement to racial violence, and to understand how they affect social cohesion,” the experts said.   “The government must be vigilant in combating all acts of racism, xenophobia and racist violence, wherever they occur. Recent incidents in California, Oregon, New Orleans and Kentucky, as well as Charlottesville, demonstrate the geographical spread of the problem.”   The experts noted that the Charlottesville far-right demonstrators had chanted anti-Black, anti-Semitic, and anti-immigrant slogans, and said it was of critical importance for those who had committed racist crimes or violence to be held to account.   “We call for the prosecution and adequate punishment of all perpetrators and the prompt establishment of an independent investigation into the events,” they noted. http://bit.ly/2w9I3HJ   http://news.vice.com/story/armed-white-supremacists-march-in-charlottesville-state-of-emergency-declared http://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/12/charlottesville-far-right-crowd-with-torches-encircles-counter-protest-group http://news.vice.com/story/vice-news-tonight-full-episode-charlottesville-race-and-terror http://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/08/12/trump-again-refuses-take-responsibility-resurgence-white-nationalism http://bit.ly/2wQwkcW http://projects.propublica.org/graphics/hatecrimes Visit the related web page
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