From 17 to 19 June 2026 innovators, activists, civil society and policy-makers will gather in Strasbourg for the second edition of the Council of Europe Democracy Hackathon and the third edition of the No Hate Speech Week to co-design tools that fight hate speech.
Held jointly with the third edition of the No Hate Speech Week, the hackathon will host 80 participants who will have the opportunity to connect with 120 experts in the field, ranging from civil society to national authorities and academics to co-create concrete tools and systems.
The interdisciplinary teams of "hackathoners" will tackle one of four challenges designed by representatives and researchers from Democracy Reporting International, the Institute for strategic dialogue, the Technical University of Munich and the University of Strasbourg.
Bringing winning projects to life for vigorous democracy
A jury will select a winning team for each challenge, and the four winners will compete in a final presentation. With the support of Microsoft and the Council of Europe, the winning teams will receive financial backing and mentoring to further develop and implement their projects, transforming promising ideas into concrete solutions.
Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset will open the events and actively engage in the debate, underlining the organisation's commitment to safeguarding democracy across the continent.
A special highlight of this year's edition will be the participation of acclaimed writer and political essayist Giuliano da Empoli, whose reflections on power, technology and the transformation of democratic societies have resonated widely across Europe. His contribution will provide a unique opportunity to explore the broader political and societal implications of the digital revolution and the challenges facing democracy.
The Hackathon and the No Hate Speech Week events are key milestones of the consultation under the New Democratic Pact for Europe to gather innovative solutions to strengthen the foundations of democracy, to renew its forms and to make its benefits more tangible for all. They will create a unique space where expertise on human rights, democratic participation and hate speech inform innovation, ensuring that technological responses to online hate speech are grounded in democratic values and real-world needs.
The first Council of Europe Democracy Hackathon, held in 2025, focused on disinformation and produced solutions including detection tools, mitigation measures of echo-chambers and educational kits for critical thinking.
See more of the No Hate Speech programme
