CST's Mike Whine appointed new UK expert against racism and intolerance

Mike Whine MBE, CST’s Government and International Affairs Director has been appointed as the UK Member of the Strasbourg-based European Commission against Racism and  Intolerance (ECRI). ECRI is the human rights agency of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts, which monitors racism, xenophobia and antisemitism, and prepares thematic reports and issues recommendations to member States. This is a significant Governmental endorsement of the expertise of Mike Whine and CST in ensuring that hate crime laws and conventions are properly utilised for the benefit of Jews and others throughout Europe.

The official announcement of Mike's appointment states:

The ECRI’s statutes stipulate that it should consist of members “with a high moral authority and recognised expertise in dealing with racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance”. Each Member State of the Council of Europe has the right to appoint one ECRI member and has the legal duty to appoint an independent and impartial member.

Mike Whine also acts as Consultant on Defence and Security to the European Jewish Congress. In 2002 he was appointed a member of the Hate Crime Independent Advisors Group at the UK Ministry of Justice, which he has represented at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), at the Vienna–based European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and at the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva. Between 2010 and 2012 he acted as Lay Advisor to the Counter Terrorism Division of the Crown Prosecution Service and in 2013, he was appointed to the Hate Crime Scrutiny and Involvement Panel of the London CPS, which assesses and evaluates hate crime prosecution cases. Mike is the author of noted works on extremism, antisemitism and terrorism. He was appointed MBE in the 2012 New Year Honours.

Mike's position at ECRI is a part time, five-year term, which will expire on 17 September 2018. He will continue in his role at CST during the period of this appointment.