COVID-19: Securitisation, Minorities, Diversity

Hosted by Marika Djolai

On 11 March 2020 the World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 virus a global pandemic. The virus was characterised as a disease that made no differences between people’s origin, religion or wealth. As the virus spread, national governments employed a variety of security measures to prevent spreading of the disease. Restrictions on the assembly of people, travel and eventually lockdowns were quickly put in place. Media reports and human and minority rights groups soon raised alarm of how differently and more severely minorities were impacted by both the COVID-19 virus and the security measures. Scapegoating, severe restrictions and targeted policing have characterised the experience of the pandemic for minority groups across the world, resulting in increasing vulnerability.

This online talk involved an international panel of experts discussing securitisation of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on minorities under the current circumstances, from an interdisciplinary perspective.