Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism
Encyclopedia
The Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism (CEOOR), also referred to as Centre for Equal Opportunities and Fight against Racism (CEOFR) or translated as Centre for Equal Opportunities and Struggle against Racism (Dutch
: Centrum voor gelijkheid van kansen en voor racismebestrijding or CGKR, French
: Centre pour l'égalité des chances et la lutte contre le racisme or CECLR) is a Belgian
government agency
under the responsibility of the Prime Minister of Belgium. Its director is Jozef de Witte.
The Centre was founded in 1993 by an Act of the Belgian Chamber of People's Representatives
.
The CEOOR has as its main goal to aid victims of discrimination, after an act of discrimination has occurred, or to prevent such acts.
It has four ways of achieving this goal :
, a plaintiff in the law case that led to the conviction of three Vlaams Blok
organisations for "incitement to hate and discrimination."
In April 2002 the Centre lodged a complaint against the Centre Islamique et Culturel de Belgique because of a video on its web site in which Israel was equated with a Nazi dictatorship. In June 2002, the CEOOR lodged another complaint against the Belgian Arab European League
, also for racism.
. Storme sees the Centre as leading a "political inquisition" in suppressing alternative political views. Storme was earlier successful in fighting a case before the Belgian Supreme Court, where he showed that some articles of the Belgian anti-discrimination law were in violation with the constitutionally protected right of freedom of speech. Another publisher at the The Brussels Journal
, Paul Beliën
, withdrew a text upon the Centre's officially filed complaint.
On 21 July 2004, the Centre together with the Dutch-speaking Human Rights League in Belgium received the country's annual "Democracy Award". It is given to persons or organisations that "protect or enhance political democracy or facilitate the participation of citizens in society". The jury from the organisations, Trefpunt and the anti-globalist
Democratie 2000, awarded this prize to the Centre and Liga for their role in the condemnation of the Vlaams Blok
in a case before the Ghent
Court of Appeals.
In November 2010, the Centre came under scrutiny and received protests from Parliamentarians after that is was confronted with anti-Judaic texts published on their website regarding stoning of women. The Centre removed thereafter the racist texts from their site.
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
: Centrum voor gelijkheid van kansen en voor racismebestrijding or CGKR, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Centre pour l'égalité des chances et la lutte contre le racisme or CECLR) is a Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
government agency
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
under the responsibility of the Prime Minister of Belgium. Its director is Jozef de Witte.
The Centre was founded in 1993 by an Act of the Belgian Chamber of People's Representatives
Belgian Chamber of People's Representatives
The Belgian Chamber of Representatives is one of the two chambers in the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Senate...
.
Tasks and goals
The Centre lists as its principal tasks:- Fighting Racism and Discrimination
- Spotlight on Integration Policy
- Foreigners' Rights and Recent Immigration
- Fighting Poverty
- Fighting Human Trafficking
- Training / Documentation / Information Campaigns
The CEOOR has as its main goal to aid victims of discrimination, after an act of discrimination has occurred, or to prevent such acts.
It has four ways of achieving this goal :
- Assisting discrimination victims. This can be done by giving (legal) advice or support, mediation or going to court.
- Creating awareness among the public opinion for discrimination issues, by training, education, documentation and public relations.
- Working with authorities and different actors in society on preventive anti-discrimination and integration policies.
- Recommendations to policy makers on the different issues it addresses.
Cases
The CEOOR was, together with the Liga voor Mensenrechten (Human Rights League)Human Rights League (Dutch-speaking Belgium)
The Human Rights League for speakers of Dutch in Belgium is by them called Liga voor Mensenrechten.The in 1901 founded national organisation Ligue des Droits de l'Homme had been dissolved during World War I and its successor by World War II...
, a plaintiff in the law case that led to the conviction of three Vlaams Blok
Vlaams Blok
The Vlaams Blok was a Belgian far-right and secessionist political party with an anti-immigration platform. Its ideologies embraced Flemish nationalism, calling for the independence of Flanders. From its creation in 1978, it was the most notable militant right wing of the Flemish movement. Vlaams...
organisations for "incitement to hate and discrimination."
In April 2002 the Centre lodged a complaint against the Centre Islamique et Culturel de Belgique because of a video on its web site in which Israel was equated with a Nazi dictatorship. In June 2002, the CEOOR lodged another complaint against the Belgian Arab European League
Arab European League
The Arab European League or AEL is a radical Pan-Arabist civil rights movement/organization in Belgium and the Netherlands.-Foundation:...
, also for racism.
Criticism
The Centre has been criticized by, among others, Matthias StormeMatthias Storme
Matthias Edward Storme is a Belgian lawyer, academic and conservative philosopher.- Family life :Storme was born and raised in a Catholic family in the Belgian city of Ghent. His father Marcel Storme Matthias Edward Storme (born Ghent, 1959) is a Belgian lawyer, academic and conservative...
. Storme sees the Centre as leading a "political inquisition" in suppressing alternative political views. Storme was earlier successful in fighting a case before the Belgian Supreme Court, where he showed that some articles of the Belgian anti-discrimination law were in violation with the constitutionally protected right of freedom of speech. Another publisher at the The Brussels Journal
The Brussels Journal
The Brussels Journal is a conservative blog, founded by the Flemish journalist Paul Beliën. It was founded in 2005, and has both an English language section with various international contributions, and a Dutch section...
, Paul Beliën
Paul Belien
Paul Belien, born 1959, is a Flemish journalist and founder of the conservative-libertarian blog The Brussels Journal.Belien is both known as both a pro-American and a prolific writer and author...
, withdrew a text upon the Centre's officially filed complaint.
On 21 July 2004, the Centre together with the Dutch-speaking Human Rights League in Belgium received the country's annual "Democracy Award". It is given to persons or organisations that "protect or enhance political democracy or facilitate the participation of citizens in society". The jury from the organisations, Trefpunt and the anti-globalist
Anti-globalization
Criticism of globalization is skepticism of the claimed benefits of the globalization of capitalism. Many of these views are held by the anti-globalization movement however other groups also are critical of the policies of globalization....
Democratie 2000, awarded this prize to the Centre and Liga for their role in the condemnation of the Vlaams Blok
Vlaams Blok
The Vlaams Blok was a Belgian far-right and secessionist political party with an anti-immigration platform. Its ideologies embraced Flemish nationalism, calling for the independence of Flanders. From its creation in 1978, it was the most notable militant right wing of the Flemish movement. Vlaams...
in a case before the Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
Court of Appeals.
In November 2010, the Centre came under scrutiny and received protests from Parliamentarians after that is was confronted with anti-Judaic texts published on their website regarding stoning of women. The Centre removed thereafter the racist texts from their site.