Racist, anti-LGBTI and other forms of hate speech can fuel hate-motivated violence, especially when left unchallenged. This is the conclusion of the Council of Europe's body ECRI (European Commission against racism and intolerance) in its newly published annual report, in which it voices deep concern about the ripple effects of the hate speech across democratic societies in Europe. Tackling hate speech in politics, strengthening policies and legislation, harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to combat online hate, protecting children, young people, and providing a safe environment for all those active in countering hate speech are the key lines of action that ECRI looks at in the report.
ECRI has observed alarming levels of hate speech and its growing trivialisation across Europe. Xenophobic discourse has become more prevalent, also in the context of stricter immigration policies being drawn up.
Hate speech in Europe has multiple targets
Ethnic or national origin is often amongst the most common grounds for hate speech, followed by religion, citizenship, sexual orientation and gender identity. Roma are frequently targeted by hate speech, often being portrayed as a threat to public security or health. Antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate speech remain prominent in the official statistics of various European countries, at a level much higher than before the Hamas attack against Israel on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza. Xenophobic rhetoric at times interlinks with anti-Black racism, especially online and in sport. As regards LGBTI-phobia, transgender individuals continue to be particularly targeted.
Foreign nationals, LGBTI people, Roma and Muslims are the primary targets of political hate speech based on negative stereotyping and misinformation, notably during election periods. Disinformation campaigns originating from abroad have also raised growing concerns.
"Hate speech targets not only individual people but society as a whole", Bertil Cottier, ECRI chair stressed. "When people are made to feel unsafe because of who they are, or are perceived to be, they may feel excluded and withdraw from public life. That is why hate speech harms not only victims and affected communities but also democracy itself. Political leaders, public officials and online-platform operators should fully recognise their role and responsibility, reject hateful discourse and promote inclusive narratives."
ECRI has repeatedly encouraged self-regulation against hate speech among political parties, notably by signing the Charter of European political parties for a non-racist and inclusive society. Counter-speech narratives should be positively recognised and encouraged.
Hate's spread online has become a challenge
Another major challenge across Council of Europe member states has been action against hateful online content, which spreads rapidly and widely through social media and messaging platforms. The use of anonymous profiles and bots hinders effective investigation and sanctioning. Moderating online hateful content on a large scale and effective interaction between the relevant authorities, the technology companies, and civil society, while balancing necessary action with the right to freedom of expression, can be difficult tasks. Using AI to tackle online hate speech can yield results, although such tools remain relatively limited in their application.
"AI holds real promise for detecting and managing hateful content online," Bertil Cottier argued, "But its use must go hand in hand with strong human oversight and clear channels for reporting online hate speech, including through 'trusted flaggers', to ensure that governments and internet intermediaries can act effectively.".
ECRI underlines the importance of developing an adequate legislative framework and inclusive policies. However, some groups, such as Roma or Muslims, are all too often left out of policy measures to prevent and combat hate speech, as defending their rights is generally not considered politically or electorally advantageous, ECRI writes. Generally low levels of trust in the police among these and other high-risk groups result in the underreporting of hate speech.
Protecting anti-hate leaders
A worrying trend observed by ECRI is that individuals and organisations (such as MPs, civil society actors and judges) taking a stand against racist and LGBTI-phobic hate speech, have fallen victim to hate speech themselves or have faced threats, including death threats. At times, this has had a chilling effect on them. Creating a safe civic space for speaking out and ensuring protection against attempts to undermine anti-hate action is essential, ECRI says.
Another preoccupation of ECRI is the growing impact of hate speech on children and young people, both as potential victims and as perpetrators, notably online, putting their well-being at risk. Divisive and hateful narratives can spread rather easily at schools, and teachers are insufficiently prepared to address such situations. ECRI recalls that ensuring human-rights education, as well as media literacy, can be vital in addressing both offline and online hate speech and building young people's resistance to racism and intolerance.
The New Democratic Pact for Europe, an initiative launched by the Council of Europe to renew and strengthen democratic commitment across Europe, will provide an opportunity to reinforce anti-hate principles across the continent, building on ECRI's monitoring work as well as the relevant standards of the Council of Europe, the annual report stresses.
