– I like to research in advance before I decide where I’m going on holiday, says Habiba Jan. There can be many considerations one must take before booking this year’s summer holiday. Good food, cheap hotels and flights, and what you can find when you land. And for some – the likelihood of experiencing hate crime. The map shows countries where Source: news, Politico, HRW, Increase in hate crime France, Italy, Germany. In more and more European countries, there are reports of an increase in hate crimes against various minorities. This applies especially to Muslims and Jews in light of the war in the Middle East. At the same time, an EU report from last year shows that almost half of people with an African background encounter racism and discrimination in their everyday lives. A person holds a placard reading “Islam is the nail in the coffin for every democracy” during an AfD demonstration. Now they are poised to become the second largest parties from Germany. Photo: Heiko Becker / Reuters In addition, this weekend’s EU elections show a solid victory for far-right parties. – It affects where I choose to travel. You get worried when you hear that far-right parties are doing well in a country, says Jan. – Are there any areas that you do not want to travel to, or that you have considered not safe enough for you? – France. Leader of the far-right party Nasjonal Samling, Marine Le Pen has previously said that she wants to ban the use of the hijab in France if she wins the presidential election. At the weekend, her party received over 30 percent of the votes for its electoral list in the EU elections. Photo: Sarah Meyssonnier / Reuters Jan says that she experiences the country as hostile to Muslims. – They deny women with hijab various things. It makes you perhaps not feel so welcome in the country, she says and adds that several in her family wear the hijab. Jan encourages visible minorities, including women who wear the hijab, to research holiday destinations before booking tickets. – You have to feel safe when you are on holiday, she says. A woman wearing a hijab takes a picture of a quote from a politician from the far-right party AfD, which says “Such people must of course be got rid of”. Photo: ADAM BERRY / AFP MFA: Urges caution Siri R. Svendsen, communications adviser in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, agrees with Jan, and encourages everyone to familiarize themselves with travel information for the country they are going on holiday to. – On a general basis, everyone who travels abroad, regardless of orientation, background, religion or other circumstances, is encouraged to assess their own safety and familiarize themselves well with local conditions where they are going, says. Siri R. Svendsen, communications advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, says that Norwegian citizens abroad who experience an unwanted situation can, in addition to the local police, also contact the nearest Norwegian embassy or the Foreign Ministry’s 24-hour operational centre. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Travel councils are established when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that Norwegian citizens should not go to a country or area. Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued travel advisories to more than 50 countries. Svendsen also says that under information on “Local laws and customs” for the various countries with travel advice, you can find information about what you should pay extra attention to. Under Poland, the following is stated, among other things: “Social acceptance of LGBTI individuals is still not as widespread as in Norway. Derogatory comments about LGBTI people, harassment and violence against LGBTI communities have increased in recent years.” And under Hungary: “Violent crime against people with a visible non-local background and against LGBT+ people can occur.” Svendsen also says that Norwegian citizens abroad who experience an unwanted situation can, in addition to the local police, also contact the nearest Norwegian embassy or the Foreign Ministry’s 24-hour operational centre. – I just become more aware of where I’m going when I go out and travel, you get worried when you hear that far-right parties are doing well in a country, Habiba Jan tells news. Photo: Laik Hanbaly / news Jan says she is lucky to have never experienced unwanted situations herself, but says she knows many others who have. – This particularly applies to women who wear the hijab, or people of skin colors other than white, she says and adds: – They say that people look at them strangely or stare. Published 10.06.2024, at 15.00 Updated 10.06.2024, at 15.17
ttn-69
The EU election affects where Habiba goes on holiday: – Concerned that far-right parties are doing well – news Buskerud – Local news, TV and radio
