The Council of Europe’s anti-racism body on Wednesday urged Italy to investigate alleged racial profiling in its police forces. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) called for an independent study to assess the scale of the issue.
“Our recommendation to the Italian government is to conduct an independent study… as soon as possible,” said ECRI President Bertil Cottier.
He was speaking during the release of ECRI’s annual report, which monitors racism and discrimination across Europe. ECRI Vice President Tena Šimonović Einwalter warned that racial profiling was increasing in many European countries.
“Police officers stop people based on the colour of their skin or presumed identity or religion,” she said. “This goes against European values.”
The report stressed that racial profiling undermines public trust and disproportionately affects Black people, Roma, Muslims and migrants. ECRI noted growing concern about discriminatory stop-and-search practices by Italian police, especially in urban areas and transport hubs.
The commission said profiling was often based on appearance rather than behaviour, breaching human rights principles.
ECRI recommended better training for law enforcement, the introduction of body cameras, and clearer procedures for police stops.
It also called on Italy to gather disaggregated data on police stops to identify potential discrimination patterns.
Italy has not yet responded officially to the recommendations, but rights groups welcomed the push for greater accountability.
ECRI’s report highlighted a wider European trend of rising intolerance, with hate speech and hate crime increasing in several countries.
The commission urged all member states to reinforce anti-discrimination legislation and safeguard minority rights.
