“In recent years, there has been a deplorable rise in all kinds of violence against local elected representatives in Europe, whether physical, psychological or verbal. A global strategy is urgently needed to protect them against hate speech and fake news and the resulting violence,” stressed Jean-Paul Bastin (Belgium, EPP/CCE), Mayor of Malmedy and Deputy Head of the Belgian delegation to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, during his address to the French Senate in Paris on 30 May 2024.
Speaking at a round table on “How can we better protect our European local elected representatives?”, Mr Bastin referred in particular to the Congress report and recommendation on hate speech and fake news, proposing legal mechanisms to protect and support elected representatives in the face of threats, including those online. He described the increasingly anxiety-provoking conditions in which the mandate of a local elected representative is exercised, especially in the context of the successive crises that Europe had undergone.
Jean-Paul Bastin called for a global strategy to be drawn up at all levels of governance, involving all relevant stakeholders, including Internet intermediaries and representatives of the new technologies industry. This strategy should also include a regulatory framework to better prevent and, where necessary, counter threats and intimidation, including online.
He drew participants' attention to the extent of freedom of expression and its limits, of which local elected representatives, election candidates, police forces and the judiciary must be particularly aware if they are to act effectively against hate speech and fake news.
Participants in this event, organised by the Senate Delegation for Local Authorities and the French Association of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (AFCCRE), discussed at length the status of elected representatives. This issue was the subject of a report and recommendation adopted by the Congress in 2015. Issues linked to the status of elected representatives - such as compensation for elected representatives, parity, training for elected representatives, end of mandate, and work-life balance - were the subject of substantial exchanges.
