Inclusion and anti-discrimination

Marking the 18 June, International Day for Countering Hate Speech, the Council of Europe organised the first ever No Hate Speech Week from 17 to 20 June 2024 in Strasbourg. The Week gathered some 75 participants, from CSOs active at European and national levels, academia, internet industry, national authorities, Equality bodies, representatives from local authorities, to exchange on recent legal and policy developments and good practices of implementation, innovations and fostering synergies in field of combating hate speech.

Jeroen Schokkenbroek, Director of Equal Rights and Dignity, Council of Europe, opening the No Hate Speech Week stated that: “This week we say NO to hate speech, which poisons our democratic societies. We say YES to equality diversity and inclusion: working together to safeguard human rights online.”

Julien Mousnier, Director Rule of Law, Fundamental Rights & Democracy, European Commission, added that: The European Commission’s Communication on “No Place for Hate” aims to step up EU efforts to fight hatred in all its forms, by reinforcing action across a variety of policies and through a whole-of-society approach.

While reporting and the removing of online hate speech that reaches threshold of criminal liability is important, it is equally essential to address all forms of hate speech and address the societal challenges and its root causes through prevention, education, and awareness-raising initiatives. Therefore, the Week focused on exchange practices related to education, awareness-raising activities, counter narratives to hate speech and other activities undertaken by civil society organisations. To ensure effective and impactful activities in this area, support to civil society organisations operating on the ground must be ensured, by collecting and sharing the tools and knowledge developed over the years.

The programme of the Week included a variety of workshops on range of topics co-organised with civil society partners, Council of Europe services and international partners. The workshops served to exchange experiences, resources, knowledge and tools .

With the intention of building strong networks among key stakeholders involved in combating hate speech, the Week also provided participants with networking spaces, including a project fair with poster exhibitions and informal discussions.

The week is organised by the Anti-discrimination Department of the Council of Europe, in the framework of the EU/CoE joint project Building Civil Society’s capacities to tackle hate speech online and supported by the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of Europe.