"Hate speech is not an isolated issue, but a part of a deeper challenge - to trust, to truth, to democracy itself," stated Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset at the opening of the No Hate Speech Week in Strasbourg today. "We at the Council of Europe are working towards a New Democratic Pact for Europe, and hate speech has to be part of that conversation". See the full speech here.
"Hate begins with words but does not end there. The Council of Europe has been clear: hate speech and hate crime are not separate problems - they exist on a continuum," he said. Secretary General recalled two key Council of Europe Recommendations to address both issues: one, adopted in 2022, on combating hate speech via criminalising its most serious forms and addressing its less severe manifestations through administrative and civil law, and a second one, adopted in 2024, focusing on hate crime.
"One of the most urgent threats we now face is the mass production of hate - amplified in the digital age", he argued. "Hate is not just spreading - it is being monetised, weaponised, and optimised. That is why we need stronger platform accountability: transparency on how content is ranked, labelling of AI-generated speech, real consequences when harmful content is boosted." Any regulation must be clear, proportionate, and grounded in the European Convention on Human Rights, Secretary General stressed.
"On this International Day for Countering Hate Speech, let us commit - together - to unlearning hate, protecting truth, and strengthening democracy," Alain Berset concluded.
The No Hate Speech Week was initiated in 2024 as an annual event to mark the International Day to Counter Hate Speech celebrated on 18 June. The theme of this year's Week is "Enhance legal and non-legal measures against hate speech through a multi-stakeholder approach". It is organised by the Anti-discrimination Department of the Council of Europe under a EU-CoE joint project and supported by the Maltese Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Michael McGrath, EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, and Francesca Camilleri Vettiger, Permanent Representative of Malta to the Council of Europe, also spoke at the opening.
Over the week, more than 100 representatives of national authorities, public figures, civil society organisations active at European and national levels, equality bodies and Ombudsoffices, academia, internet industry, international organisations, and EU bodies exchange about recent legal and policy developments and good practices and innovations.
Under the umbrella of the No Hate Speech Week several events are taking place:
- A "study visit" on 18 June organised by the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Unit
